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Y 


SN.    \.  . 


HISTORY 

OF 


AUDUBON  COUNTY 


IOWA 


ITS  PEOPLE,  INDUSTRIES  AND  INSTITUTIONS 


H.  F.  ANDREWS 

Editor 


With  Biographical  Sketches  of  Representative  Citizens  and 
Genealogical  Records  of  Many  of  the  Old  Families 


ILLUSTRATED 


1915 

B.  F.  BOWEN  &  COMPANY,  Inc. 

Indianapolis,  Indiana 


3258;^0B 


'^X  AND  I 

riATfO.NS        I 

-— — jj 


DEDICATION. 
This  work  is  respectfully  dedicated  to 

THE   PIONEERS, 

long  since  departed.     May  the  memory  of  those  who  laid  down  their  burdens 
by  the  wayside   ever  be    fragrant   as   the  breath  of   summer 
flowers,  for  their  toils  and  sacrifices  have  made 
Audubon  County  a  garden  of  sun- 
shine and  delights. 


AUTHOR'S  FOREWORD 


Time  flies,  never  to  return.  Sixty- four  years  have  flown  since  the  set- 
tlement of  Audubon  county.  That  period  Hes  behind;  the  future  is  before 
us.  Posterity  will  eagerly  scan  every  source  of  information  to  be  found 
concerning  the  history  of  their  forbears.  It  is  the  duty  to  future  genera- 
tions to  perpetuate  the  history  of  our  people.  The  best  time  to  write  history 
is  at  the  time  of  its  passage;  but,  in  large  measure,  this  has  been  neglected 
to  the  present  time.  Our  people  have  been  too  busy  in  home-making  and  in 
wresting  sustenance  from  a  new  country;  their  lives  too  fully  occupied  with 
the  duties,  necessities  and  cares  of  every-day  life,  and  often  too  poor  to 
devote  time  or  attention  to  preserving  records  of  the  events  of  their  lives  and 
acts.  When  they  passed  away,  perhaps  brief  obituaries  or  grave-stones 
recited  their  names,  ages,  etc.,  all  that  is  now  known  about  them;  even  this 
is  often  wanting.  Some  of  the  history  of  our  people  can  be  found  in  the 
public  records;  the  newspapers  contain  mention  of  individuals  and  events 
that  have  transpired;  church  and  society  records  tell  of  their  memberships; 
the  monuments  of  the  dead  record  names  and  dates  of  births  and  deaths  of 
those  who  lie  in  the  cemeteries ;  the  family  Bibles  are  repositories  of  the 
records  of  others. 

The  unit  of  history  is  the  individual;  it  proceeds  into  the  family,  the 
neighborhood,  town,  county  and  state  relations;  the  aggregate  forms  the 
history  of  a  given  people. 

Three  principal  events  enter  into  the  lives  of  persons — births,  marriages 
and  deaths.  The  record  of  marriages  were  by  law  required  to  be  kept  before 
the  settlement  of  this  county,  and  we  find  such  records  kept  from  the  organ- 
ization of  the  county.  It  is  doubtful  if  all  marriages  which  have  occurred 
here  since  then  have  been  recorded  here;  many  of  our  people  were  married 
before  settlement,  and  some  were  married  outside  the  county.  The  records 
of  births  and  deaths  were  not  required  by  law  to  be  kept  until  long  after  the 
settlement  of  the  county,  and  were  not  kept  for  many  years.  Our  public 
vital  statistics  are  far  from  complete.  It  is  impossible  at  the  present  time  to 
discover  accurate  vital  statistics  of  all  people  who  have  lived  here,  and  this  is 
especially  true  of  the  early  settlers.     The  current  events  of  the  daily  lives  of 


the  people  have  become  in  larj^a"  measure  obsolete ;  ibe  early  settlers  have 
mostly  passed  away,  and  the  memories  of  the  few  remaining  with  us  are 
imperfect,  their  recollections  of  early  events  l)eing  often  contradictory.  Most 
that  occurred  here  in  early  times,  except  such  as  is  of  record,  has  been  for- 
gotten, never  to  be  recalled.  It  is  remarkable  that  so  many  events  of  early 
times  have  been  rescued  from  oblivion  at  this  late  day. 

It  has  been  the  purpose  of  this  work  to  compile  and  preserve  some  of 
the  principal  events  and  affairs  that  have  transpired  in  Audubon  county  since 
its  foundation,  in  the  year  185 1,  gathered  from  every  available  source  dis- 
covered, for  future  reference  and  use. 

In  its  preparation  the  writer  has  been  assisted  by  very  many  persons, 
too  numerous  to  mention  even  by  name,  who  have  been  universally  kind  in 
imparting  information,  and  w^ho  are  entitled  to  my  profound,  kindest  thanks, 
as  well  as  to  the  gratitude  of  the  countless  posterity  wdio  may  rejoice  in  find- 
ing their  contributions. 

Exira.  Iowa,  June,  1915.  H.  F.  Andrews. 


PREFACE 


All  life  and  achievement  is  evolution;  present  wisdom  comes  from  past 
experience,  and  present  commercial  prosperity  has  come  only  from  past  exer- 
tion and  suffering.  The  deeds  and  motives  of  the  men  who  have  gone  before 
have  been  instrumental  in  shaping  the  destinies  of  later  communities  and 
state.  The  development  of  a  new  county  was  at  once  a  task  and  a  privi- 
lege. It  required  great  courage,  sacrifice  and  privation.  Compare  the  pres- 
ent conditions  of  the  people  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  with  what  they 
were  seventy  years  ago.  From  a  trackless  wilderness  and  virgin  land, 
it  has  come  to  be  a  center  of  prosperity  and  civilization,  with  millions  of 
wealth,  systems  of  railways,  grand  educational  institutions,  splendid  indus- 
tries and  immense  agricultural  and  mineral  productions.  Can  any  think- 
ing person  be  insensible  to  the  fascination  of  the  study  which  discloses  the 
aspirations  and  efforts  of  the  early  pioneers  who  so  strongly  laid  the  founda- 
tion upon  which  has  been  reared  the  magnificent  prosperity  of  later  days?  To 
perpetuate  the  story  of  these  people  and  to  trace  and  record  the  social,  polit- 
ical and  industrial  progress  of  the  community  from  its  first  inception  is  the 
function  of  the  local  historian.  A  sincere  purpose  to  preserve  facts  and  per- 
sonal memoirs  that  are  deserving  of  perpetuation,  and  which  unite  the  pres- 
ent to  the  past,  is  the  motive  for  the  present  publication.  A  specially  valuable 
and  interesting  department  is  that  one  devoted  to  the  sketches  of  representa- 
tive citizens  of  this  county  whose  records  deserve  preservation  because  of 
their  worth,  effort  and  accomplishment.  The  publishers  desire  to  extend 
their  thanks  to  the  gentlemen  who  have  so  faithfully  labored  to  this  end. 
Thanks  are  also  due  to  the  citizens  of  Audubon  county  for  the  uniform  kind- 
ness with  which  they  have  regarded  this  undertaking,  and  for  their  many 
services  rendered  in  the  gaining  of  necessary  information. 

In  placing  the  "History  of  Audubon  County,  Iowa,"  before  the  citizens, 
the  publishers  can  conscientiously  claim  that  they  have  carried  out  the  plan 
as  outlined  in  the  prospectus.  Every  biographical  sketch  in  the  work  has 
been  submitted  to  the  party  interested,  for  correction,  and  therefore  any  error 
of  fact,  if  there  be  any,  is  solely  due  to  the  person  for  whom  the  sketch  was 
prepared.  Confident  that  our  effort  to  please  will  fully  meet  the  appro- 
bation of  the  public,  we  are, 

Respectfully, 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I— GEOLOGY,  TOPOGRAPHY,  ETC.  33 

Location  of  Audubon  County — Area — Natural  Features — Native  Grasses — 
Prairie  Fires — The  Soil— The  Rivers  and  Water  System— Timber  and 
Groves — The  Indians — Their  Habits,  Customs  and  Sports — Incidents  Con- 
cerning the  Relations  of  the  Red  Men  and  the  Whites — An  Indian  Apollo — 
Wild  Animals — A  Hunter's  Paradise — A  Pen  Picture  of  Early  Times  Here — 
Names  of  Rivers  and  Places. 

CHAPTER   II— ORGANIZATION    OF   AUDUBON    COUNTY 46 

How  Named — Legislative  Enactments  Relating  to  Creation  of  the  County 
— Subsequent  Changes  in  Boundaries — An  Injustice  to  Audubon  County — 
First  County  Election— Locating  the  County  Seat— Political  Organizations 
— Congressional  Districts— Senatorial  Districts— Representative  Districts — 
Judicial  Districts— Constitutional  Convention  District— Civil  Townships- 
County  Seat  Aspirations — Organization  of  New  Townships — Unsatisfactory 
Boundaries — Subsequent  Changes — Pioneer  Conditions  and  Improvements — 
Live  Stock— First  Death  in  the  Settlement— Mills. 

CHAPTER    III— OFFICIAL    ROSTER 63 

Representatives  in  Congress — Judges  of  the  District  Court — Judges  of  the 
Circuit  Court — Attorney-General — State  Senators — Representatives  in  Leg- 
islature— County  Judges — Treasurers  and  Recorders — Clerks  of  Court — 
County  Attorneys — County  Auditors — County  Treasurers — County  Record- 
e^rs — Sheriflfs — ^Superintendents  of  School — County  Surveyors — Coroners — 
Soldier   Relief   Commission — Boards   of   Supervisors. 

CHAPTER  IV— SETTLEMENT   OF  AUDUBON   COUNTY 68 

Before  the  Settlement — The  Mormon  Trail — Government  Surveyors — First 
Settlement — The  Actual  First  Settler — Settlers  Who  Came  Before  1861 — 
Old  Settlers  Now  Residing  in  the  County — The  Homesteaders — Railroad 
Lands — Squatters — Contentions  with  the  Railroads — First  Events — Early 
Marriages — First  Settlers  in  the  Several  Townships. 

CHAPTER   V— THE   FIRST   SETTLERS 82 

The  Hamlin  Family — Nathaniel  Hamlin — William  P.  Hamlin — The  Jenkinses 
— Dr.  Samuel  M.  Ballard — David  Edgerton — Reuben  Carpenter — The  Heaths 
— A  Noted  Character — The  Herricks — Hon.  Daniel  M.  Harris — The  Lewises 
— Rev.  Richard  C.  Meek — The  Hallocks — Other  Prominent  Pioneers  of  the 
County. 


CONTENTS, 

CHAPTER   VI— GOVERNMENT   SURVEYS   AND   LAND   ENTRIES 135 

Dates  and  Location  of  Surveys,  and  by  Whom  Made — Surveyors'  Notes — 
Original  Entries  of  Government  Lands — Some  Early  Conveyances  of  Land. 

CHAPTER  VII— POLITICAL  PARTIES   AND   ELECTIONS 138 

Origin  of  First  Settlers — Trend  of  First  Elections — Much  Local  Excitement 
in  Early  Campaigns — Tricky  Politics — County-Seat  Contests  and  Other 
Noteworthy  Events. 

CHAPTER  VIII— COUNTY  SEATS  AND  COUNTY  SEAT  CONTESTS 144 

Dayton  Chosen  the  County  Seat — Sale  of  Town  Lots — Holding  of  the  First 
Court — First  Court  Officers — First  Jury — Petition  for  Removal  of  County  Seat 
to  Viola — EflForts  to  Move  it  to  Hamlin — "Woods  Rats" — Contest  Between 
Exira  and  Audubon — Intemperate  Newspaper  Editorials — Election  for  New 
Court  House. 

CHAPTER  IX— RAILROADS,   HIGHWAYS   AND   TRANSPORTATION 159 

Old  Mormon  Trail  and  Other  Early  Highways — Laying  Out  of  State  and 
County  Roads — Bridges — Modern  Road-building — Railroads — Hack  Lines, 
Stages  and  Mail  Lines. 

CHAPTER  X— AUDUBON   COUNTY  IN  THE  CIVIL  WAR 164 

Population  in  1865 — Union  Soldiers  from  this  County — Drafts — Organization 
of  a  Local  Militia  Company — Muster  Rolls — The  Audubon  County  Rifle- 
men— War-time   Incidents. 

CHAPTER  XI— THE   BAR  OF  AUDUBON   COUNTY 173 

List  of  Audubon  County  Lawyers,  Past  and  Present,  with  Residences  and 
Periods  of  Practice. 

CHAPTER   XII— THE   MEDICAL   PROFESSION 175 

List  of  Physicians,  Past  and  Present,  Who  Have  Practiced  in  Audubon 
County,  with   Residences  and   Periods  of  Practice. 

CHAPTER  XIII— THE   PRESS 177 

The  First  Newspaper — Papers  at  Exira,  Audubon,  Gray,  Hamlin  and  Kim- 
ballton. 

CHAPTER   XIV— BANKS   AND    BANKING 184 

First  Bank  in  Audubon  County — Banking  Institutions  at  Exira,  Audubon, 
Gray,   Brayton,   Kimballton  and   Hamlin   Station. 

CHAPTER    XV— CHURCHES   AND    RELIGION _ 186 

The  Country  Church — Religious  Spirit  Among  the  Pioneers — First  Religious 
Work  in  Audubon  County — Establishment  of  Classes  and  Their  Develop- 
ment Into  Churches — The  Great  Sunday  Meetings — Congregational  Churches 
— Methodist  Episcopal  Churches — Presbyterian  Churches — United  Brethren 
— Evangelical  Association — Friedman's  Evangelical  Church — Christian 
Churches — Evangelical      Lutheran      Church      (German) — German      Lutheran 


CONTENTS. 

Church — Danish  Lutheran  Church — Danish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church — 
Seventh-day  Adventist  Churches — Baptist  Churches — Church  of  Christ,  Sci- 
entist— Catholic  Churches — Recapitulation   of  Church  Statistics. 

CHAPTER   XVI— AUDUBON    COUNTY    SCHOOLS 238 

The  First  School  in  the  County — Location  of  Some  Early  County  Schools — 
First  County  Institute — County  Superintendents — Children  of  School  Age, 
1905 — School  Statistics  for  1914 — Present  Splendid  Condition  of  Schools — 
What  School  Houses  Should  Be. 

CHAPTER  XVII— LODGES  AND  FRATERNAL  SOCIETIES 245 

Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  the  Appendant  Orders — Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows — Knights  of  Pythias — Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic — Woman's  Relief  Corps — Sons  of  Veterans — The  Danish  Brother- 
hood in  America — Danish  Sisters'  Society  in  America — Modern  Woodmen 
of  America — Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen — Knights  of  the  Macca- 
bees—  Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen. 

CHAPTER  XVIII— TOWNS  AND   VILLAGES 256 

Exira  —  Audubon  —  Brayton  —  Oakfield  —  Gray  —  Hamlin  —  Kimballton 
— Ross — Obsolete  Towns. 

CHAPTER    XIX— THE    DANES 290 

First  Dane  Settler  in  Audubon  County — List  of  Early  Danish  Settlers,  with 
Places  and  Dates  of  Settlement — Desirable  Immigrants — Building  Elkhorn 
College — Towns   in   the   Danish   Neighborhood — Worthy   Citizens. 

CHAPTER  XX— AUDUBON   COUNTY  STATISTICS 296 

Present  Postoffices — Obsolete  Postoffices — Census  Statistics,  1856 — Improved 
Lands — Occupations — Population  of  the  County  by  Years — Population  by 
Townships — Male  Population,  by  Years — Voters,  by  Years — Nativity  of 
Population — Natives  of  Iowa — Occupations,  1895 — Farm  Productions — Cen- 
sus, 1905. 

BIOGRAPHICAL   MENTION   J 305 


HISTORICAL  INDEX 


Acreage   crop   297,  302 

Agriculture    297,  302 

Ancient     Free     and     Accepted     Ma- 
sons     245,  250 

Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen-  252 

Andrews.    Henry   F 39,  64,  78,  138, 

146,  149,  239,  259 

Animals,  Wild 40 

Arable   Lands    34 

Attorney-General 63 

Attorneys    173 

Auditors,  County 65 

Audubon — 

Banks     184.  274,  280 

Becomes   County  Seat 158 

Business  Interests,   Early 269 

Business  Interests,  1888 274 

Business   Interests,   Present 279 

Churches   194,   196,  209,  215 

219,  225,  230,  235 

County-seat    Fight   149.  150 

Court  House   270 

Description  of.  Early 267 

Father  of  Audubon 271 

Founding    of   150 

High   School   277 

Growth,    Early    267 

Homes 275 

Incorporation    273 

Laid    Out    267 

Lawyers   173.  269.  274,  279 

Lighting   System   274 

Lodges 245 

Newspapers    177 

Officers,  Early 273 

Officers,  Present 279 

Physicians 175,  269,  274,  280 

Population    298 

Postmasters  274 

Postoffice    296 


Audubon — Continued. 

Sale  of  Lots 267 

Schools 239,  240,  241,  275 

Sewer  System 275 

Values  in  1879 270 

Waterworks 274 

Audubon  Center 296 

Audubon  City 288 

Audubon  County  Riflemen 169 

Audubon    Heights   296 

Audubon  Township — 

Changes  in 53,  55,  57 

Churches 222 

Creation  of 52 

Drainage   34 

First  Settlers 81 

Original  township   52 

Population    298 

Roads,   Early 159 

Schools 240,  241 

Survey  of  135 

Timber 36 


B 


Ballard,  Dr.  Samuel  M 62,  69,  70,  72, 

79,  100,  136 
Bank.  First  79,  184 

Banks   and    Banking 184 

Baptist     Churches    231 

Bar   of   Audubon    County 173 

Birth,    First    78 

Blacksmith,    First    79 

Boards  of  Supervisors 66 

Boundaries,  Changes  in 47 

Boundaries   of  County 46 

Bowen,  William  H.  H. 112 

Brayton — 

Bank 185 

Business  Interests 281 

Church 233 


HISTORICAL   INDEX. 


Bray  ton — Continued. 

Incorporation    281 

Laid    Out    281 

Lawyers    174 

Lodges 249 

Mayors    281 

Named,  How 45 

Physicians 175 

Population    298 

Postoffice    296 

Schools 240,  281 

Brick  Building,  First  79 

Bridges    160 

Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen__  253 

C 

Cameron  Township — 

Churches    214,  215 

Creation  of 58 

Drainage   35 

First  Settlers 81 

Naming  of 45 

Population    298 

Schools 240.  241 

Survey  of 135 

Carpenter,  Reuben 111 

Catholic  Churches 234 

Census   Statistics   297 

Character,  A   Noted  113 

Christian   Churches : 219 

Church  Edifice,  First 79 

Church   of  Christ,  Scientist 234 

Church,  The  Country 186 

Churches 186 

Circuit  Court  Judges 63 

Civil  Point 296 

Civil    Townships    52 

Clerks  of  Court 64 

Congregational   Churches 192 

Congressional  Districts 49 

Congressmen 63 

Conkling 175,  296 

Constitutional  Convention  District..     52 

Contests  for  County  Seat 144 

Conveyances,  Early  Land 137 

Coroners 66 

County  Attorneys   64 

County  Auditors 65 

County  Institute,   First 239 


County  Judges  64 

County  Roads,   Early 159 

County-seat    .Aspirations 53 

County-seat    Campaign    Literature..  153 

County-seat    Commissioners 48 

County-seat  Contests 144 

County   Seat,    Locating  the 48 

County    Superintendents 240 

County   Surveyors  66 

Court,  First  Term  of 79 

Court   House   Election 158 

Court  House,  Proposed 259 

Creeks   ' 34 

Crops  297 

D 

Danes,   the   290 

Danish    Brotherhood __..248,  253,255 

Danish    Sisters    Society 249,  253 

Daughters   of    Rebekah 249,254 

Dayton 144,  288 

Death,  First 60,    79 

Deer  Hunting 39 

District    Court   Judges 63 

Doctors   175 

Douglas  Township — 

Church 226 

Creation  of 57 

Danish   Settlers,    Early   293 

Drainage 35 

First  Settlers 81 

Hunters,   Early 41 

Population    298 

Schools    240,  241 

Survey    of    135 

Timber 36 

Draft,    Military   166 

Drainage,   Natural  34 

E 

Early   Bridges 160 

Early   Improvements    58 

Eastern  Star,  Order  of 246,250 

Edgerton,    David    111 

Education   238 

Election,    First    County 48,    79 

Election    for   New    Court   House 158 

Elections 138 


HISTORICAL  INDEX. 


Elkhorn   College,   Building  of 194 

Enlistments    for    Civil    War 164 

Enrollment  of  Pupils  in  Schools 241 

Entries  of  Government  Lands 136 

Evangelical    Association 21S 

Evangelical    Churches 218 

Exira — 

Additions 261 

Banks 184 

Bond  for  Court  House 147,  158 

Business  Directory  266 

Business   Men,    Early 257 

Churches 

188.  192,  193,  219,  227,  230,  234 

Contest  Over  County  Seat 150 

County-seat    Aspirations 53 

County   Seat,    Chosen   as 145 

Court  House   Bond 147 

Court  Elouse,  Proposed 259 

Founding   of   53 

Growth,    Early    257 

Hall   Company    159 

High    School    Alumni 264 

Incorporation    261 

Industries,     Early    257 

Laid    Out    256 

Lawfyers 173,  259 

Location    256 

Lodges     J 250 

Made   the   County    Seatt • 145 

Municipal    Items    261 

Name  of 45 

Newspapers    : 179 

Notable    Citizens    265 

Officers,    Municipal    261 

Park   259 

Physicians    175,  260 

Population    298 

Postmasters   257 

Postoffice    296 

Professional    Men,    Early 257 

Residences    265 

Sale  of   Lots    256 

Schools  239.  240,  241,262 

Survey  of 256 

Exira  Township — 

Changes   in   53,   55.   57,    58 

Creation    of   52 

Drainage L 35 

First  Settlers 81 


Exira  Township — Continued. 

Hamlin   Settlement   88 

Hunters,   Early 42 

Indian   Sepulchre   40 

Mills  62 

Population    298 

Roads,   Early 159 

Schools 239,  240,241 

Survey   of 135 

Timber     36 

Exline    296 

F 

Fair,    First    County 79 

Farm  Products 297,  302 

Fires,  Prairie 34 

First   County  Election 48,    79 

First   Death   60,    79 

First   Events   78 

First   Religious   Services 187 

First   Settlement 69,  78,    81 

Fiscus    296 

Fraternal   Societies   245 

Freeman,   Ethelbert   J 271 

Freemasons    245,  250 

Friedman's    Evangelical    Church 217 

Frost,    J.    Lyman 113 

G 

Game,  Wild 40 

Gault,    Richard    114 

Geography   of   Audubon    County 33 

Government   Surveys   68.  135 

Grand  Army  of  the   Republic 247,  252 

Grasses,    Native    33 

Gray — 

Business   Interests,  Early 284 

Business   Interests,   Present 286 

Churches 205,  214 

Incorporation    286 

Lodges 254 

Mayors    286 

Named,    How    45 

Newspaper   179 

Officers    286 

Physicians    175 

Platting  of 284 

Population    298 


HISTORICAL  INDEX. 


Gray — Continued. 

Postmasters  285 

Postoffice    296 

Schools 240,  241,285 

Settlers,    Early   284 

Greeley  Center 207 

Greeley   Township — 

Churches 207,  209.  2\»,  2U 

Creation    of   57 

Drainage 35 

First  Settlers 81 

Population    298 

Schools    240.  241 

Survey  of 1^5 

Grove 296 

Groves 35 

H 

Hallock   Family   128 

Hamlin — 

Bank 185 

Business  Interests 286 

.Churches    206.  218.227 

County-seat  Contest 149 

Lodges 230 

Xamed,  How 4o 

Newspaper   179 

Physicians    175 

Population    298 

Postmasters 286 

Postoffice    296 

Hamlin  Family 82 

Hamlin   Grove 144,  239,296 

Hamlin    Script    91 

Hamlin  Township — 

Creation  of 57 

Danish    Settlers,    Early 291 

Drainage   3d 

First  Settlers 81 

■  Population    298 

Schools 239.  240.241 

Survey  of 135 

Timber 35 

Hamlin.-  William   P 92 

Hardships  of  Pioneers 98 

Harris.  Daniel  M. 

48,  53,  73,  79,  91,  118,  171,  238,  256,257 

Heath  Family HI 

Herrick,  Alvin 74,  115,  136.  160 


Herrick    Family   115 

Highways   159 

Homesteaders,    the    76 

Horace 296 

Hotel,   First   79 

Houston,  A.  B. 258 

Hunters,   Pioneer 41 

I 

Illiterates  in  County 240 

Improvements,   Early 58 

Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 

246,  249.  254 

Indian    Apollo    38 

Indian  Sepulchre  40 

Indians,  the  36 

Institute,    First    County 239 

Irwin    296 

J 

Jenkins  Family__70,  78,  94,   136,   138,  145 
Jobes    296 

Judges  of  Circuit   Court 63 

Judges   of  District   Court 63 

Judicial    Districts   51 

K 
Kimballton —     , 

Bank 185 

Business  Interests,  Early 287 

Business  Interests,  Present 287 

Church 227 

Founding  of 294 

Laid  Out 286 

Lodges    255 

Municipal  Items 287 

Newspapers   183 

Physicians    176 

Population 287,  298 

Postoffice    296 

Schools    241 

Knights    of    Pythias 247 

Knights   of  the    Maccabees :_  252 

Knights  Templar 245 

L 

Land    Conveyances,    Early 137 

Land  Entries 136 


HISTORICAL  INDEX. 


Land   Grants   76 

Land.  Improved 297 

Lands,  Arable 34 

Lands.  Railroad 76 

Larland   296 

Lawyer,   First   79 

La\v)-ers    173 

Legislators  64 

Leroy  Township — 

Changes  in 57 

Creation    of    56 

Drainage 35 

First    Settlers    81 

Xamed.    How   45 

Population    298 

Schools 240,  241 

Survey  of 135 

Timber    36 

Leroj-A-ille 297 

Lewis  Family 122 

Lincoln  Township — 

Church 223 

Creation   of   58 

Drainage 35 

First    Settlers    81 

Population    298 

Schools 240,  241 

Survey  of 135 

Live  Stock.   Pioneer 60 

Location  of  Audubon   County 33 

Lodges 245 

Log  Cabin.   First 78 

Louisville   53.  62.   288.  296 

Lutheran  Churches 225 


M 

Mail  Routes.  Early 162 

Marriage,  First 79 

Marriages.   Early 79 

Masonic   Order   245.  250 

Medical  Profession 175 

Meek.   Rev.   Richard    C 74.  126 

Melville 297 

Melville  Center 207.  215 

Melville  Township — 

Churches 207 

Creation  of 58 

Drainage 35 

First    Settlers    81 


Melville  Township — Continued. 

Xamed,    How    45 

Population    298 

Schools : 240,  241 

Sursej-  of 135 

Methodist    Episcopal    Churches 193 

Military   History   164 

Militia   Organized   167 

Mills   60,  62,  79,  283 

Modern   National   Reserve 253 

Modern   Woodmen    of   America 

250,  251,  254 

Mormon   Trails   68,  159 

Muster    Rolls   168,  169 

N 

Xame  of   County 46 

Xames  of  Rivers 44 

Xathaniel  Hamlin 53,  68,  69,  72,  73. 

78,  79,  84,  136,  138,  144,  160,  238 

Xatives  of  Iowa,   by  Counties 300 

Xativit}-   of   Population 299 

X'ewspaper,  First 79 

Xewspaper  Salutatorj- 150 

X'ewspapers    177 

X'ishna  Botna  Rivers 34 

Xoted  Character,  A 113 

O 

Oakfield— 

Business    Interests,    Early 282 

Churches 193.  196.  233 

Founding   of   54 

Location   282 

Mills  283 

X'amed.   How 45.  282 

Ph^-sicians    175 

Platting  of 282 

Population    298 

Schools 239.  283 

Settlers.    Early   283 

Oakfield    Township — 

Changes  in 53.  55.  57.  58 

Churches    228.  231 

Creation  of 52 

Danish  Settlers,  Earh- 290 

Drainage   35 

First    Settlers    81 

Mills 62 


HISTORICAL   INDEX. 


Oaklicld    Township— Continued. 

Population    29S 

Roads.   Karly 159 

Scliools   239.  240.  241 

Survey   of '•'^ 

Timber    36 

Obsolete    Tfiwns    28iH 

Occupations    298.  301 

Odd   Fellows.   246.   249,  254 

Official   Roster   ^^3 

Old   ITanilin.___45,  54,   145.   146,   147,  214 

Order  of  tiie  Eastern  Star 246,  250 

Organization   of  County 46 

Organization  of  Townships 54 

Orleans 297 

P 

Petitions.   County-seat  145 

Physician,   First  79 

Physicians    ^^^ 

Pioneer  Conditions 58 

Pioneer    Hardships   98 

Pioneer   Hunters   41 

Pioneers   Now    Living 76 

Pioneers,    Sketches   of 82 

Political   History   138 

Political   Organizations   49 

Poplar   297 

Population,    by    Towns    298 

Population,   by  Townships 298 

Population,    by    Years 298 

Population,  Male,  by  Years 299 

Population,    Nativity    of 299 

Postmaster,    First    79 

Postof¥ices,    Obsolete    296 

Postoffices,    Present    296 

Prairie   Fires  34 

Presbyterian    Churches    209 

Press,  the 177 

Price 297 

Pupils  Enrolled  in  Schools 241 

Pythian  Sisters 251 

R 

Railroad    Lands    76 

Railroads    162 

Recorders,  County 64,  65 

Religious   Societies   186 

Religious   Statistics 236 


Representative   Districts   50 

Keiiresentativcs  in   Congress 63 

Ivepresentatives  in  Legislature 64 

Revival  Meetings,  Great 189 

Rivers,  Names  of 44 

Kivers  of  Audubon  County 34 

Roads  161 

Ross   205,  217,  288,  296 

Roster   of   County   Officials 63 

Royal  Arch   Masons 245 


Saw-mill,   First  

Scenery  of  Audubon  County 

School   Age,    Children   of 

School  House,  First 

School   Houses  in   County 

School  Statistics,  1914 

School   Teacher,   First 

School,  the  First 

Schools,    Condition    of 

Schools,    County,    Location    of 

Schools   of  the   County 

Secret   Societies   

Senatorial  Districts 

Senators,  State  

Settlement  of  Audubon  County 

Settlers  Before   1861 

Settlers    Now    Living 

Seventh-day  Adventist  Churches-—- 
Sharon  Township — 

Churches    227, 

Creation    of    

Danish  Settlers,  Early 

Drainage 

Population    

Railroad    Tax    

Schools 240. 

Survey   of   

Sheriffs    

Shoemaker.  First 

Sketches  of  Pioneers 

Soil,   the  

Soldier    Relief   Commission 

Soldiers  in   Civil   War 

Sons    of   Veterans 

Spring  Valley  

Stage   Lines,   Early 

State  Roads  Established 


79 
33 
240 
79 
241 
240 
79 
238 
241 
239 
238 
245 
49 
64 
68 
72 
76 
228 

229 
58 
292 
35. 
298 
294 
241 
135 
65 
79 
82 
.     34 
.     66 
.  164 
.  248 
.  220 
.  162 
.  159 


HISTORICAL  INDEX. 


State   Senators   64 

Statistics,   General   County 296 

Steam-mills,   First 79 

Store,   First   79 

Streams 34 

Stuart  Family 273 

Sunday    Meetings    189 

Superintendents    of   Schools 66,  240 

Supervisors,   Boards   of 66 

Surface  of  Audubon  County 33 

Surveyors,    County    66 

Surveys,    Government 68,  135 

T 

Teachers  in   County 241 

Thompson    297 

Timber 35 

Towhead 45 

Tovi^n  Platted,  First 79 

Tow^nships    52 

Townships,  First  Settlers  in 81 

Trails,  Old 68 

Treasurers,    County  64,  65 

Trees    36 

U 
Unimproved  Lands . 297 


United  Brethren  Churches 214 

United    Workmen    252 

V 

Value   of  Farm   Products 302 

Viola  144,  145 

Viola  Center 175,  206,  297 

Viola   Township — 

Church 218 

Creation   of   57 

Drainage  34 

First  Settlers 81 

Named,    How    45 

Population    298 

Roads,  Early 160 

Schools 240,  241 

Surveys  of  135 

Voters,  by  Years 299 

W 

Water    System    34 

Whitted,   Peoria   I.   113 

Wild  Animals 40 

Wild  Grasses 33 

Woman's   Relief   Corps 248 

"Woods    Rats"   145 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX 


A 

Agnew,    George    573 

Aikman,  Ambrose  F. 788 

Aikman,   Robert  F. 772 

Alt,  George  J. 589 

Alt,  William,  Jr. 679 

Anciaux,   Roy   454 

Andersen,  Jens  C. 628 

Andersen,   Nels  J. 582 

Andersen,  Nels  P. 695 

Andersen,  Peter 669 

Anderson,  Abram   R.  592 

Anderson,  Andrew  F 781 

Anderson,  Doc  B 709 

Anderson,  F.  L. 522 

Anderson,  J.  K. 674 

Anderson,  Peter  H. 850 

Andrews,  Hon.  Henry  F. 840 

Artist,   Daniel   590 

B 

Bagley,    Charles   321 

Baker,  Edward  B. 568 

Baker,   J.    Henry   800 

Baker,   William    O.   564 

Ballman,   John    426 

Barten,  John  W 375 

Baylor,   Andrew  J.   759 

Beers,  Samuel 444 

Bisom,  Charles  L. 739 

Black,  Benjamin  J.  594 

Bladt,  Hans  A. 837 

Blake,  James 792 

Boehme,   Charles  816 

Bonnesen,  Hans  P. 653 

Bonwell,  John  C. 528 

Boyd,  Mahlon 638 

Brooks,  Alfred,  M.  D 336 

Burr,  August 518 


Buthweg,    Fred   A.   356 

Butterton,  John   581 

C 

Caldwell,  Joseph  A. 378 

Callow,   William  J.  566 

Campbell,  George  A. 542 

Campbell,  James  A.  715 

Campbell,    Thomas   557 

Carlson,  James   M. 399 

Carter,   Perry  L.   718 

Channon,  James 827 

Childs.   Ratford  F.,   M.  D 871 

Christensen,  Chris 555 

Christensen,  Chris 819 

Christensen,  Christ 672 

Christensen,   H.   N. 358 

Christensen,    Lars   P.  450 

Christensen,    Matt   719 

Christensen,  Nels 498 

Christensen,    Thomas , 487 

Christiansen,   Chris  H. 812 

Christiansen,   Rev.   Gottleib   B 608 

Christiansen,  Rev.  Jens  P 400 

Christoffersen,   Lars  C. 480 

Clark,    Riley    P.    675 

Clark,    William    A.    435 

Clark,   William   L 561 

Clark,  William  M. 563 

Clausen,    Christen   T.    826 

Clemsen,  N.  P. 775 

Cotton,   Fred    H.   361 

Covault,  William  H. 491 

Crees,    Walkup    M.    476 

Culver,  Anson  S.  349 

Curtis,   Simeon   C.   360 

D 

Darnold,  Benton  L. 397 

Daugard,   Soren   P.   690 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX. 


David,   Albert   511 

Davis,  Frank 625 

Davis,  William  D. 678 

Deletxke,  Rev.  Alfred  H. 801 

Dennis,  John  S.  407 

Dimick,  Calvin  I 685 

Dimick,  John   M. 405 

Doffing,  Bernard 861 

Donaldson,  John  K.,  D.  D.  S 337 

Dreier,  August   847 

Dryden,    Edward    472 

Duvall,  Frank  E. 512 

Duvall,  Horace  W. 640 

E 

Eagen,   George 824 

Egan,  James  F.  803 

Engel,   George  J. 872 

Esbeck,  John   N.   697 

Essington,  Thomas  J.  603 

Everts,  George  C. 649 

F     . 

Faaborg,    John    530 

Faaborg,    Soren    S.   848 

Fabricius,   Hans   516 

Farquhar,  Arthur 332 

Feltner,   John   575 

Foley,  George  A. 645 

Forsbeck,  Andrew  G. 502 

Forsbeck,  Carl  D. 438 

Franklin,  Daniel,  M.  D. 326 

Frederick,  Albert 832 

Fredericksen,  Hans  C. 463 

Frick,    Edward   779 

Fry,  Robert  F. 588 

G 

Garmire,   Samuel   F.   517 

Garnett,  Robert  H. 543 

Gebers,  Fred 756 

Gilro}^  Joseph   G.  682 

Goodwill,    James    790 

Graham,   J.   M.   380 

Grant,   C.  J.  627 

Green,   Hon.   William   R.   464 

Grinyer,   Rev.  Henry  P 551 

Groteluschen,  Louis 394 


H 

Hahn,    Chris    474 

Hallock,  Isaac  P. 667 

Hammann,   Herman   753 

Hansen,  Christen 799 

Hansen,  Christoffer 440 

Hansen,  Hans 720 

Hansen,   Hans  J.  546 

Hansen,  Hans  P.,  Sr. 860 

Hansen,  Hans  P. 576 

Hansen,  Hans  R. 70S 

Hansen,  Henry 647 

Hansen,  Iver  P. 519 

Hanson,  Andrew  P. 658 

Harmon,  Arthur  C. 385 

Hartvigsen,  Jorgen 641 

Hartzell,  Worth  J.  773 

Harvey,  Alfred  W. 724 

Hays,  Frew 804 

Heckmann,  Chris,  Sr. 758 

Heiken,  John  R. 716 

Henriksen,   Chris  862 

Flensley,  John  I.  632 

Hepp,   Fred  C.  389 

Hight,   Harvey 501 

Higley,   George   N.   537 

Hill,  John  F. 855 

Hinricks,  E.  John 866 

Hoegh,  Niels  P. 736 

Hollenbeck,   Plenny  A. 580 

Hoogenakker,  Henry  J. 829 

Hoover,  George  W. 320 

Hoover,  Jerry  S. 569 

Horning,    Fred    H. 793 

Hoyman,  William  H. 411 

Humiston,  Jesse  A. 796 

Hunt,   Charley  O.   630 

Hunt,  James  354 

Hyen,   Jens    P.    414 

J 

Jacobsen,   Jens   664 

Jacobsen,   Robert  A.,   M.  D 874 

Jacobson.  Hon.  Ole  H 784 

Jenkins,  Charles  W 869 

Jensen,  Anders ' 538 

Jensen,   Carl   M. 509 

Jensen,  Christ 657 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX. 


Jensen,  Rev.  Herman  L. 822 

Jensen,  J.   C.   585 

Jensen,  James  W. 733 

Jensen,  Jorgen  H. 636 

Jensen,  Nels  C. 691 

Jeppesen,  Anders 851 

Jessen,   George,  Jr. 696 

Jessen,   Peter   M.  711 

Johannsen,   Ludwig  H.   586 

Johnson,  Charles  392 

Johnson,  Charles  L. 382 

Johnson,  Edwin  F. 617 

Johnson,  Lemuel  C. 505 

Johnson,   Samuel  R. 853 

Jorgensen,  Albert  H. 813 

Jorgensen,  George  L. 810 

Jorgensen,    Hans   504 

Jorgensen,  J.  L. 831 

Jorgensen,  Jorgen 836 

Jurgens,    Charles    468 

K 

Kester,  T.  C. 767 

Kienast,  August 660 

Kitson,  Arthur  544 

Kline,   Fred   744 

Knudsen,   Christ  J.  613 

Knudsen,   Marius  761 

Knudsen,  Peter 701 

Knutsen,  Chris  735 

Kreamer,  Frank 319 

Kuhn,   Jacob   328 

Kyhnn,  George 507 

L 

Lancelot,   William  J.   823 

Lange,  Peter 445 

Lantz,   Roy  A.  548 

Larsen,  Dan  E. 485 

Larsen,  Jens 572 

Larsen,  Kristen 506 

Larsen,  Lars  P. 655 

Lauridsen,  Peter  N. 494 

Lauritsen,  Chris  P. 858 

Lauritzen,    H.    P 838 

Layland,    William    340 

Leandrd,  Val 867 

Leffler,   Bird  556 


Liken,  John  F. 422 

Lohner,  J.  B.  J. 712 

Loveland,  Russell  J. 339 

Mc 

McGaffin,  Samuel 870 

McLaughlin,    Frank   R. 768 

McLeran,  William  P. 604 

McMahon,    Patrick   455 

McMichael,  Thomas 523 

McMurphy,  Abraham   L. ' 859 

M 

Madsen,    Hans    420 

Madsen,    Peter    477 

Madsen,   Soren   325 

Mantz,  Halleck  J 308 

Marcusen,   Christian  535 

Marcusen,   Jorgen   808 

Mardesen,   Martin   P. 539 

Marquesen,  Evans 334 

Martin,  John  W. '694 

Mason,  Thomas  E. 331 

Masterson,  Melvin  L 430 

Mathisen,   Peter 402 

May,  Franklin  L. 437 

May,    George  A.,   M.   D 419 

Mayer,  Rev.  John 704 

Mease,   Ol.  510 

Mendenhall,  Hiram 342 

Meurer,  Anthony 661 

Meyer,  George  J. 749 

Miller,  Alfred 865 

Miller,    Conrad   577 

Miller,  Frank  L. 726 

Miller,  Jacob  F. 583 

Miller,  Ludwig  F. 404 

Miller,  Oscar 778 

Miller,    William    470 

Minerman,   Henry   656 

Moller,  Christian  C. 729 

Moore,  John   600 

Mortensen,    Hans    732 

Mortensen,  Martin  E. 391 

Mortensen,    Nels    482 

Mullenger,  Robert  W. 496 

Musson,  John  A. 370 

Musson,  Thomas  F, 466 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX. 


N 

Xash.  John  A. 312 

Nelson,  Hans 623 

Xelsen,  Tver 597 

Nelson,  Anton 479 

Nelson,  Gilbert  P. 683 

Nelson,  Hans  A. 693 

Nelson,  John 635 

Nelson,   L.   Peter 721 

Nelson,  Soren  R. 570 

Nielsen,   Hans  J.   500 

Nielsen,   Marinus 612 

Niklason.    Frank    O 384 

Nissen,  John  752 

Nissen,   Peter   R.   446 

Northup,   George   C. 521 

Northup,  Harry  A. 323 

Northup,  Jasper 434 

Northup,    William    365 

Nymand,   Hans 699 

Nj'mand,  Jesse   740 

O 

Oldaker,  Leroy  J.,  D.  D.  S 387 

Olsen,  Chris 327 

Olsen,   Wilhelm   C.   484 

Onken,  Henry 700 

Onken,   William  700 

Onken.  William   G 741 

Owen,  William  371 

Owen,   William  S.  567 

P 

Pardee,  Charles  A. 743 

Parkinson,   George  J. 620 

Patty,  Theodore 448 

Paul,  Herman 619 

Paulsen,   Henrick  P. 601 

Pedersen,   Soren  C. 410 

Perrine.    W.   W.   558 

Petersen,    Anton    750 

Petersen,  Chris 689 

Petersen,  Chris  C. 687 

Petersen,    Hans    P.    432 

Petersen,  Henry  C. 493 

Petersen,  Lauritz 663 

Petersen,  Nels  P. 864 

Petersen,    P.    C.    417 


Peterson,  Peter  F. 764 

Phelps,  Ren  425 

Porch,  Elmer  C. 708 

Potter,  Eugene 541 

Preston,    George    W.   427 

Q 

Quinby,  John  J. 776 

R 

Rabe,   Henry  598 

Rasmussen,    Hans    P.   665 

Rasmussen,   Rev.  Peter 616 

Rasmussen,  Tony  M. 376 

Reimers,   Herman   D.   766 

Reynolds,  Fred 388 

Rice,  Edward  C. 396 

Rice,  Frank  M. 374 

Ridgley,  F.  W. 560 

Riley,  John,   M.  D. 526 

Roberts,  Alexander   H.   344 

Roberts,  William  S. 782 

Roed,    Chris    684 

Ross,  George  M. 547 

Rubel,    Peter   460 

Rucker,  William 452 

Rutherford,  Robert 441 

S 

Sampson,   Daniel  D. 688 

Schmidt,  Nels  C.  N 666 

Schouboe,  Jens  P. 610 

Schrader,  August 643 

Schrader,  William 490 

Schreiber,   Henry 562 

Schroeder,  Jorgen  F. 373 

Scotland,   Walter  424 

Shaw,    William    364 

Shoesmith,   Howard   G. 587 

Shupe,   Albert   J.    606 

Siemsen,  John  E. 525 

Simonsen,    Erik    P.   821 

Smith,   Martin 362 

Soar,  David  E. 351 

Sorensen,  Kristine  M. 379 

Sorrensen,   Martin   611 

Spencer,  Robert  C. 352 

Starck,  Rev.  Ernest  J.  W. 652 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX. 


Stearns,   Ella   M.   315 

Steere,  Edmund  H. 818 

Stetzel,  Ira 815 

Stone,  Abel   S.   738 

Strahl,  James  C. 552 

Stuedeman,    Ernest   857 

Sunberg,   Charles 317 

Sunberg,    Fred    565 

Sunberg,  Henry   367 

Swinehart,  Joel    L.   615 

T 

Thomas,  Maturon  D. 771 

Thomsen,  Frank  D. 429 

Thomsen,  Thomas  B. 650 

Thygesen,   Ted   S 670 

Tibben,   Henry  W.  763 

Tibben,  John  C. 747 

Tibben,  William  C. 769 

Topp,  Andrew  P. 807 

Torpy,  Henry 706 

Tramp,   Louis  E. 531 

Tunmann,  Charles 413 

Turner,   Nathaniel   805 

Turner,  Roscoe  T. 702 

Turner,  Thomas  H. 553 

Twist,  John 549 

U 

Ullerich,  Herman 723 


Vanaernam,  George  M. 


622 


Van   Gorder,   Charles  305 

Van  Gorder,  Edwin  S. 383 

Voss,    Ernest    B.    852 

W 

Wahlert,    Fred,   Sr.   746 

Wahlert,   Fred  J.,  Jr.  495 

Wahlert,    George,  Jr.  795 

Wahlert,  Jacob  F. 416 

Wahlert,    John    514 

Wahlert,    Jurgen    633 

Weaver,  Samuel  G. 461 

Wedemeyer,  Herman  C. 755 

Welch,    Orrin    S.    728 

Weston,  Albert  W. 595 

Weston,  W.  W 624 

Wheeler,  Joseph  L. 676 

White,  James   G.  786 

Williamson,  Thomas 457 

Wilson,  Charles  R. 797 

Wilson,   Clark 488 

Wilson,  Eugene  C. 368 

Witthauer,  Otto 310 

Wolf,  Christian  J.  H. 834 

Wolf,  Welberg 875 

Wulf,  George  L. 671 

Wulf,  John  E. 680 

Y 
Yager,  William  C. 578 

Z 

Zierke,  August  357 


HISTORICAL 


CHAPTER  I. 

GEOGRAPHY^  TOPOGRAPHY^   ETC. 

Audubon  county  is  situated  in  the  west  central  part  of  Iowa,  the  third 
county  east  from  the  Missouri  river,  about  fifty-four  miles  distant.  Lying 
almost  wholly  on  the  Missouri  slope,  its  east  boundary  approximates  nearly 
the  summit  of  the  watershed  dividing  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  water 
systems.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Carroll,  on  the  east  by  Guthrie,  on  thcj 
south  by  Cass,  and  on  the  west  by  Shelby  counties.  Its  area  is  four  hundred 
and  forty-three  square  miles. 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  rolling,  open  prairies.  The  greater 
and  higher  lying  portions  of  its  lands  are  of  the  drift  formation  and  of  great 
fertility,  even  to  the  summit  of  the  divides;  the  lower  lying  lands  along  the 
river  bottoms  and  their  tributaries  are  alluvial  deposits  of  marvelous,  match- 
less richness,  often  from  five  to  ten  feet  in  depth.  The  county  is  nearly  free 
from  ponds  or  lakes.  Magnificent  stretches  of  landscapes  can  be  viewed 
from  the  high  divides  in  every  township  in  the  county.  It  is  rare  to  witness 
such  fine  prairie  scenery  as  abounds  in  Audubon  county. 

NATIVE  GRASSES. 

In  its  virgin  freshness  the  prairies  were  vast  billows  of  wild  grasses, 
waving  in  the  wind;  the  home  of  the  noble  elk  and  graceful  deer,  but  which 
later  became  the  pastures  of  numerous  herds  of  horses  and  cattle,  until  th^ 
native  grasses  were  upturned  by  the  plow  of  the  farmer  and  converted  into 
veritable  gardens.  The  wild  grasses  began  to  grow  about  April  and  reached, 
the  height  of  eighteen  inches  on  the  hillsides  and  often  six  feet  in  the  low- 
lands. Such  noble  natural  meadows  have  been  rarely  witnessed  on  earth. 
Many  a  man  remained  poor  at  that  period  for  want  of  stock  to  eat  up,  for. 
his  benefit,  the  wild,  rich  grasses. 

(3) 


34  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

About  the  month  of  October  the  grasses  were  killed  by  the  frosts,  and  a 
little  later  the  ground  was  swept  by  prairie  hres,  leaving  the  face  of  the 
country  a  bare,  black,  lonesome  wilderness — a  transformation  from  the  beau- 
tiful to  an  unsightly,  desolate  waste.  One  who  has  not  witnessed  such 
sights  can  but  partially  realize  them.  Those  prairie  fires,  marching  and 
advancing  like  an  army  over  the  hills  and  hollows  in  the  night-time,  illum- 
inating the  sky  to  noonday  brightness,  were  truly  wild,  magnificent,  grand 
pictures,  never  to  be  recalled  or  forgotten.  Those  annual  fires,  destroying 
vegetation,  were  the  causes  which  prevented  the  growth  of  timber,  except  in 
favored  localities. 

THE  SOIL. 

The  soil  is  remarkably  free  from  stone  or  gravel.  There  is  no  coal  or 
building  stone  found  in  the  county.  Sand  is  occasionally  found.  There  is  an 
abundance  of  brick  clay.  The  rivers  and  streams  are  deeply  eroded  into  the 
fine,  black,  alluvial  soil  and  furnish  an  abundance  of  pure  water.  The  rolling 
surface  of  the  country  affords  the  best  of  natural  drainage. 

For  agricultural  purposes  the  soil  of  the  county  can  hardy  be  excelled. 
Its  fertility  is  wadely  and  favorably  known.  Except  what  is  occupied  by 
rivers,  streams  and  highways,  practically  all  the  land  in  the  county  is  adapted 
to  tillage  or  grazing.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  country  in  the  world 
containing  a  higher  percentage  of  arable  lands.  Horses,  mules,  cattle,  hogs, 
sheep,  poultrv,  cereals,  grasses,  vegetables  and  fruits  usually  found  in  this 
latitude  are  produced  in  profusion  and  abundance. 

THE  RIVERS   AND   W^ATER  SYSTEM. 

Approximately  the  northeast  half  of  Viola  township  is  drained  into 
Brushy  creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Raccoon  river  system,  which  flows  south- 
east. A  small  area  of  eastern  Viola  township  drains  into  the  South  'Coon 
river.  The  remainder  of  the  county  is  drained  by  the  Nishna  Botna  rivers 
and  their  tributaries,  which  flow  from  north  towards  the  southwest.  The 
East  Nishna  Botna  rises  in  Carroll  county  and  enters  Audubon  county  at 
section  3,  in  Cameron  township:  thence  southeast  into  Viola  township;  thence 
south  into  and  across  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  Melville  township, 
into  Leroy  township;  thence  south  across  Leroy,  Hamlin  and  Exira  town- 
ships, leaving  the  county  near  the  line  between  Exira  and  Oakfield  townships ; 
traversing  the  county  its  entire  length  from  north  to  south.  Its  principal 
tributaries  are  the  East  branch,  which  rises  in  Melville  township  and  enters 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  35 

the  river  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  township;  Blue  Grass  creeek,  which 
rises  in  Cameron  township,  and  flows  south  across  Leroy  township  and 
enters  the  Botna  on  the  west  side  in  section  15,  in  HamHn  township.  Another 
branch  rises  in  the  northwest  part  of  Hamhn  township,  flows  southeast  and 
enters  the  Botna  on  the  west  side  in  section  27,  same  township.  David's 
creek  rises  in  the  northeast  part  of  Melville  township,  flows  southwest  across 
Greeley  township,  and  enters  the  Botna  at  West  Exira.  Anderson  creek  rises 
in  the  northeast  part  of  Exira  township,  and  flows  west  into  David's  creek 
at  West  Exira.  Sifford  creek  rises  in  the  south  part  of  Hamlin  town- 
ship, flows  south  into  the  Botna  on  the  west  side,  in  section  17,  Exira  town- 
ship. Buck  creek  rises  in  the  north  part  of  Oakfield  township,  flows  south 
and  enters  the  Botna  on  the  west  side,  near  Lewis,  in  Cass  county.  Trouble- 
some creek  rises  in  the  southeast  part  of  Gree'fey  and  northeast  part  of  Audu- 
bon township,  and  flows  southwest  across  Audubon  and  Exira  townships 
and  enters  the  Botna  near  Atlantic,  Iowa.  Crooked  creek  rises  in  the  south- 
east part  of  A-udubon  township,  and  flows  southwest  into  Troublesome  creek, 
in  Cass  county.  Indian  creek  rises  in  the  southeast  part  of  Douglas  town-7 
ship,  flows  south  through  Sharon  township  into  Shelby  county;  thence  south 
into  Cass  county  and  enters  the  Botna  near  Elliot,  Iowa.  Little  Indian  creek 
rises  in  the  southwest  part  of  Hamlin  township  and  southeast  part  of  Sharon 
township,  and  flows  southwest  across  the  northwest  part  of  Oakfield  town- 
ship, and  enters  the  Main  Indian  creek  in  Shelby  county.  The  East  fork  of 
West  Botna  rises  in  Lincoln  township,  flows  south  across  the  northwest  part 
of  Douglas  township,  and  enters  ^Shelby  county  at  section  18,  Douglas 
township.  Lone  Willow  creek  rises  in  the  east  part  of  Douglas  township, 
flows  west  and  enters  the  East  fork  of  the  Botna  in  section  9,  of  same  town- 
ship. Another  tributary  of  the  East  fork  rises  in  the  southwest  part  of 
Lincoln  township,  and  flows  south,  reaching  the  river  in  section  18,  near 
where  it  leaves  the  county.  Still  another  tributary  of  the  East  fork  rises  in 
the  southwest  part  of  Douglas  town.ship,  and  flows  northwest  into  the 
principal  stream  in  section  18,  same  township.  Thus  the  three  tributaries 
which  form  the  East  fork  of  the  West  Botna  unite  near  together  in  section 
18,  in  Douglas  township. 

TIMBER    AND    GROVES. 

When  the  county  was  settled  it  contained  some  of  the  best  timber  in 
western  Iowa.  It  extended  from  the  county  line  on  the  south,  up  the  east 
side  of  the  Botna  river  north  to  the  north  line  of  section  14,  in  Hamlin 
township.      For  about  fifteen  miles,   it  was  an  unbroken   fringe   of   timber 


^6  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.      ' 

next  to  the  river,  enlarging  into  several  extensive  bodies  of  heavy,  fine  tim- 
ber. One  large  grove  on  the  Ballard  land  extended  from  the  county  line 
up  to  the  Mark  Heath  farm,  embracing  the  heavy  timber  in  sections  30  and 
31,  in  Exira  township,  and  in  sections  25  and  36,  in  Oakfield  township,  about 
eight  hundred  acres  of  timber  and  brush  land  in  all.  Another  extensive 
tract,  called  the  "Big  Grove,"  of  about  two  thousand  seven  hundred  acres, 
extended  from  the  town  of  Oakfield  north  to  the  Herrick  farm  and  from 
the  river  east  two  miles.  It  embraced  lands  in  sections  15,  16,  17,  20,  21, 
22,  28  and  29  in  Exira  township.  It  was  the  largest  and  finest  body  of 
timber  in  the  county.  There  were  other  smaller  groves  at  Gault's,  Milli- 
man's.  West  Exira,  at  the  Wilson  and  Dodge  places,  also  in  sections  27  and 
14,  in  Hamlin  township,  and  at  Barlow's  and  Luccock's  groves,  in  Leroy 
township.  Beginning  again  at  the  county  line,  the  timber  extended  in 
fringes  up  Troublesome  creek,  alternated  with  the  groves  of  Bowen,  Hamlin, 
Lewis,  Walker  and  Thomas,  nearly  to  the  north  line  of  Audubon  township, 
about  eight  miles.  There  was  a  small  grove  in  the  extreme  northeast  of  the 
county  and  another  in  section  18,  in  Douglas  township,  later  called  Donald- 
son's grove.  A  fringe  of  timber  extended  up  the  creek  from  the  latter- 
named  grove  to  section  9,  in  the  same  township. 

In  the  early  days  these  groves  contained  many  varieties  of  deciduous 
trees,  namely:  White  oak,  burr  oak,  black  oak,  black  walnut,  shellbark 
hickory,  white  hickory,  white  maple,  linn  or  basswood,  cottonwood,  white 
elm,  red  or  slippery  elm,  aspen  or  poplar,  wild  or  black  cherry,  hackberry, 
willow,  ironwood,  wild  crabapple,  wild  plum,  hawthorn,  black  haw,  occa- 
sionally a  buckeye,  with  wild  grape  and  gooseberry.  Majestic  specimens  of 
the  lordly  oak  and  towering  walnut  were  found  in  great  quantities,  as  well 
as  enormous  elms.  The  writer  remembers  to  have  seen  here  in  the  early 
days  an  oak  eight  feet  in  diamter  and  a  walnut  which  made  three  logs  each 
twenty  feet  in  length,  eighteen  inches  in  diameter  at  the  top  and  three  feet 

at  the  butt. 

There  is  now  growing  on  the  ancient  Nathaniel  Hamlin  estate  a  white 
elm  tree  eight  feet  in  diameter. 

THE    INDIANS. 

As  early  as  1803  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  possessed  the  greater  part 
of  Iowa.  Some  of  their  celebrated  chiefs  in  eastern  Iowa  were  Blackhawk, 
Pashapopo,  Keokuk,  Wapello,  Appanoose.  The  lowas,  who  inhabited  what 
is  now  Van  Buren  county,  on  the  DesMoines  river,  were  nearly  annihilated 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  37 

by  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribe.  The  Sioux,  of  Minnesota,  who  extended  down 
into  northern  Iowa,  were  a  fierce,  war-Hke  nation,  continually  at  war  with, 
the  Sac  and  Fox  tribe.  They  made  war  on  the  whites  at  Spirit  and  Okoboji 
lakes  as  late  as  1857,  and  it  was  necessary  to  call  out  troops  against  the 
Sioux  during  the  Civil  War.  The  Pottawattamies,  whose  principal  settle- 
ment was  at  Trader's  Point,  in  Mills  county,  went  there  soon  after  the  In- 
dian treaty  of  1833.  They  had  a  settlement  at  Indian  Town,  near  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Lewis,  in  Cass  county.  It  is  not  improbable  that  they  hunted 
and  trapped  in  this  vicinity,  but  they  had  moved  west  about  the  time  the 
Mormons  came,  in  1846.  A  remnant  of  the  Iowa  Indians  came  back  to 
Tama  county  in  1842.  They  were  called  Musc[uakies,  or  mixed  tribe, 
and  still  live  there. 

There  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  the  Indians  ever  made  permanent  homes 
in  this  county.  It  was  not  favorable  for  such  resort.  The  larger  rivers, 
where  fish  abounded,  were  better  adapted  for  permanent  abodes  of  the 
aborigines.  We  do  not  find  the  remains  of  an  Indian  town  here.  Fish 
never  abounded  here.  The  only  source  of  food  supply  sufficient  to  sustain 
a  large  body  of  people  permanently  was  elk,  deer,  and  perhaps  buffalo  at  an 
early  period;  small  game  could  not  be  procured  in  sufficient  quantity  to  sus- 
tain a  large  population.  The  burning  of  the  grass  and  herbage  annually  in 
the  fall  destroyed  most  of  the  food  supply  for  the  sustenance  of  wild  ani- 
mals during  the  winter,  and  probably  large  numbers  of  elk  and  deer  mi- 
grated during  those  periods  in  search  of  food  elsewhere.  A  limited  number 
only  could  subsist  in  the  timber  and  brush  lands.  The  migratory  birds 
did  not  winter  here.  But  in  summer  when  food  for  wild  animals  and 
birds  was  abundant,  this  must  have  been  the  Indian  hunter's  paradise,  and 
the  opportunity,  no  doubt,  was  improved.  Game  was  abundant  and  the 
Indians  ate  nearly  all  kinds  of  four-footed  animals,  as  well  as  birds,  for  food. 

The  Indians  continued  to  make  hunting  trips  here  annually  in  warm 
weather  as  late  as  the  year  1886.  They  were  Musquakies,  from  Tama 
county,  known  as  "Jo^i^^'^y  Green's  Tribe."  The  last  time  Green  himself 
was  seen  here  was  in  the  fall  of  1865,  when  he  was  very  old.  He  was  a 
brother  of  Shabbona,  who  lived  at  a  grove  of  that  name  in  DeKalb  county, 
Illinois.  Shabbona  served  with  the  Indian  allies  of  the  British  in  the  War 
of  18 1 2.  As  many  as  fifty  in  a  band,  bucks,  squaws  and  pappooses,  clad 
in  their  peculiar  array  of  shirts,  leggings,  blankets,  etc.,  with  numerous 
ponies  and  dogs,  came  to  hunt  and  trap  from  June  until  cold  weather. 
They  lived  in  "wickeups,"  a  frame  of  sapling  rods,  covered  with  mats  woven 
food,  and  were  a  nuisance  on  that  account.     They  were  excessively  fond 


38  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

of  "hoggy  meat,"  and  not  dainty  about  their  food,  if  not  too  far  decayed. 
They  hved  in  "wickiups,"  a  frame  of  saphng  rods,  covered  with  mats  woven 
from  flags  by  the  squaws.  The  walls  sloped  and  were  open  at  the  top  for 
the  escape  of  smoke  when  fires  were  kindled  near  the  center  within.  They 
were  cozy  and  comfortable,  but  not  always  clean.  Later  they  lived  in  canvas 
tents.  Some  of  the  Indians  were  drunkards,  but  not  worse  than  some  white 
people.  Many  of  them  gloried  in  horse-racing  and  were  not  inferior  to  the 
whites  in  that  kind  of  sport.  Their  favorite  camping  places  were  near  Wal- 
ker's place,  on  Troublesome  creek;  near  the  Burton  place,  on  the  Botna;  near 
the  mouth  of  David's  creek,  west  of  Exira;  north  of  Exira  in  sections  21  and 
2.J.  in  Hamlin  township  on  the  Botna ;  at  Blue  Grass  Grove,  where  the  county 
poorhouse  is  located;  at  Luccock's  Grove  ;  and  the  groves  on  \\^est  Botna, 
in  Douglas  township,  and  at  other  places. 

The  late  A.  B.  Houston,  of  Exira,  once  said  that  the  Indians  came  to 
his  place  about  1857,  and  were  making  free,  without  invitation,  with  his 
little  supply  of  corn,  and  broke  up  the  nests  of  Mrs.  Houston's  sitting  hens, 
seeking  food  for  themselves  and  ponies.  The  Indians  were  normally  hun- 
gry.    Houston  remonstrated  with  them  and  they  departed  grumblingly. 

In  1 87 1,  about  harvest  time,  the  Indians  made  a  camp  in  the  timber  on 
the  Botna  north  of  Exira,  in  Hamlin  township,  and  were  making  havoc  with 
the  deer.  Several  hunters,  among  them  John  Huntley,  John  Dodge,  Sant. 
Anderson,  William  Evans,  the  writer,  and  others,  armed  and  mounted,  went 
to  their  camp.  Huntley  acted  as  leader.  He  drew  the  profile  of  an  Indian 
with  charcoal  on  the  bark  of  a  tree;  then  pointing  to  the  picture  said:  "Him 
Indian!  Indian  kill  white  man's  buck!  White  man  skuddaho  (whip)  In- 
dian like  h — 1!  Puckachee  (go  away)  !"  He  then  drew  a  revolver  and  shot 
at  the  picture.  The  Indians  observed  him  closely  and  held  a  consultation 
among  themselves,  and  one  of  them,  pointing  towards  the  place  of  sunrise, 
said:  "Morning,  Indian  puckachee  way  off.''  They  kept  their  promise.  I 
have  since  thought  that  we  treated  the  poor  savages  worse  than  the  occa- 
sion required ;  but  it  was  an  aggravation  for  them  to  come  into  our  settle- 
ment and  kill  game  under  our  noses,  when  there  was  plenty  by  going  a  little 
farther  away. 

AN   INDIAN   APOLLO. 

On  one  occasion,  about  that  period,  while  the  Indians  were  camped  at 
the  same  place,  several  of  our  young  gentlemen  took  their  lady  friends  and 
sweethearts  to  see  them  on  a  friendly  visit  one  evening.  There  was  an 
enormous  young  "buck"  in  the  band  named  Jo,  who  stood  six  and  a  half 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  39 

feet  in  height,  and  correspondingly  proportioned,  a  young  Apollo,  and  a  skill- 
ful hunter,  who  had  been  out  for  game  that  day  and  had  retired  to  rest 
for  the  night  when  the  party  arrived  at  camp.  He  was  stretched  out  on 
the  ground  near  the  wall  of  the  tent  at  repose,  enveloped  with  a  blanket, 
and  presented  an  inviting  prospect  for  a  seat.  Indians  do  not  use  chairs 
or  seats,  but  usually  squat  down  on  the  ground  or  on  mats  when  inside  their 
abodes.  One  of  the  young  ladies  present  on  that  occasion,  tired  of  standing, 
spied  the  "seat."  as  she  supposed,  and  proceeded  to  appropriate  and  sit 
on  it.  Jo,  good  naturedly,  stoically  submitted,  for  a  while,  but  finally  moved 
and  rolled  over,  which  startled  the  lady,  who  sprang  up  with  a  scream,  to 
receive  a  general  shout  of  laughter  at  her  expense,  in  which  Jo  heartily 
joined,  to  the  chagrin  of  the  victim  of  misplaced  confidence. 

About  that  period  I.  K.  Johnson  employed  the  writer  to  survey  his 
land  (in  section  36,  Lincoln  township),  which  he  was  unable  to  find,  and 
where  he  afterwards  settled.  It  was  late  in  the  fall  of  the  year  and,  while 
at  work,  I  observed  off  to  the  east  a  strange  performance  which  excited 
my  curiosity.  There  was  a  scarlet  object,  surmounted  by  a  black  spot, 
moving  along  the  ground  and  not  far  distant  were  two  deer  gazing  at  it, 
alternately  approaching  and  retreating  as  if  trying  to  discover  the  nature  of 
the  strange  sight.  I  soon  concluded  that  someone  was  trying  to  lure  the 
deer  within  gun-shot.  The  hunter  was  enveloped  with  a  red  blanket  with 
his  black  head  showing  above,  a  remarkable  sight.  I  had  known  the  trick 
to  succeed  with  antelope  decoyed  in  that  way,  but  never  before  or  since 
have  seen  it  succeed  with  deer.  But  it  worked  all  right  in  that  case.  The 
deer  got  into  range  and  the  hunter  shot  and  killed  one  of  them,  a  fine  doe, 
but  the  other  escaped.  It  was  before  the  days  of  repeating  rifles.  I  went 
over  to  the  scene,  when,  lo  and  behold,  the  successful  hunter  was  the  Indian, 
Jo,  who  greeted  me  in  a  friendly  manner.  He  prepared  the  deer  by  re- 
moving its  entrails  and  bound  its  feet  together,  swung  it  upon  his  back 
with  the  legs  across  his  breast,  and  started  for  camp  several  miles  away, 
which  we  also  reached  the  same  night,  it  being  located  in  a  small  grove 
where  Air.  Ellsberry  had  settled,  in  Douglas  township,  and  where  Johnson, 
and  myself  also  camped.  We  heard  the  bells  on  the  Indian  ponies  nearly  all 
night.  It  snowed  during  the  night,  but  we  had  improvised  a  shelter  from  a. 
wagon-cover  spread  over  a  pole  placed  in  the  fork  of  a  sapling  near  a  large 
tree  then  recently  blown  down.  Next  morning  I  went  to  the  Indian  camp 
and  got  some  venison  for  breakfast  free  of  cost.  When  I  arrived  there  the 
Indians  were  at  breakfast,  eating  from  a  large  pan  of  colored  beans  and 


40  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

corn,  cooked  with  deer  meat.     One  of  the  Indians  performed  a  ceremony- 
similar  to  saying  grace  before  eating. 

The  first  settlers  found  the  place  of  sepulcher  of  an  Indian  chief  named 
Pymosa,  soon  after  coming  here.  Possibly  he  was  known  to  history.  If  I 
ever  knew,  I  have  forgotten  his  tribe.  The  spot  was  in  the  timber  on  the 
land  of  Doctor  Ballard,  in  section  31,  Exira  township,  east  of  the  Ballard 
bridge.  The  body  was  found  in  a  sitting  position  on  the  ground,  decorated 
with  ear-rings,  beads,  trinkets,  etc.,  enclosed  with  slabs  of  wood  (puncheons), 
all  being  surrounded  with  a  conical  stack  of  saplings  and  logs  to  protect  the 
body  from  wild  animals.  He  had  been  dead  long  enough  for  the  flesh  to 
fall  from  the  bones.  His  skull  and  some  of  the  bones  and  decorations  were 
carried  away  by  the  whites  as  souvenirs.  His  name  is  preserved  in  the 
name  of  the  adjoining  township  of  Pymosa,  in  Cass  county,  a  fitting  re- 
buke to  the  settlers  of  Audubon  for  the  sacrilege  and  desecration  of  the 
red  chief's  sepulcher  and  remains. 

WILD  ANIMALS. 

In  the  year  1870  the  bones  of  a  mastodon  were  found  in  the  bank  of  a 
small  stream  near  the  west  line  of  what  is  now  Lincoln  township.  The  writer 
obtained  a  portion  of  one  of  the  ribs,  nearly  five  feet  in  length,  and  a  section 
of  the  vertebra,  six  inches  in  diameter.  The  early  settlers  found  the  horns, 
skulls  and  bones  of  buffalo  here.  William  P.  Hamlin  killed  a  buffalo  on 
Buck  creek  soon  after  he  settled  there.  Bryant  Milliman  and  John  Crane, 
while  traveling  to  Council  Bluffs,  about  the  same  time,  saw  and  chased 
buffalo  a  short  distance  west  of  where  Atlantic  is  now  situated.  A  wild 
buffalo  was  killed  in  Dallas  county  in  the  year  1865.  It  is  well  known  that 
wild  buffalo  were  found  in  the  northwest  part  of  Iowa  as  late  as  1866. 

When  the  first  settlers  came,  there  were  bear,  panther,  lynx,  bobcat, 
otter,  beaver,  mink,  muskrat,  gray  wolf,  coyote,  elk,  deer,  fox  and  gray 
squirrel,  and,  occasionally,  a  white  squirrel,  chipmunk,  weasel,  gray  and 
striped  ground  squirrel,  pocket  gopher,  skunk,  rabbit,  sand  hill  crane,  heron, 
wild  turkey,  swan,  wild  goose,  brant,  several  varieties  of  duck,  prairie 
chicken,  quail,  curlew,  several  varieties  of  snipe,  plover,  eagle,  turkey  buz- 
zard, several  varieties  of  hawk,  robin,  meadow  lark,  blackbird,  crow,  wood- 
pecker, bluejay,  yellowhammer,  bluebird,  sparrow,  snowbird,  several 
varieties  of  owl,  oriole,  catbird,  bee  martin,  swallow,  martin,  chimneyswal- 
low,  wren,  bluebird.  There  were  some  small  scale  fish,  sucker,  chub,  dace, 
silverside,  sunfish ;  but  they  have  all  gone,  and  in  their  place  have  come  bull- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  4I 

head,  catfish  and  carp.  Snakes  were  quite  numerous,  among  them  being 
rattlesnake,  bullsnake,  blue  racer  and  gartersnake.  The  elk  and  deer 
abounded  and  settlers  took  them  in  large  numbers  for  food,  and  for  their 
skins,  until  the  severe  winter  of  1857,  after  which  they  were  not  so  plentiful. 
"Uncle"  John  Jenkins  once  said  that  he  counted  over  one  hundred  elk  in  a 
band  on  the  high  point  of  land  on  what  is  now  John  I.  Hensley's  farm,  west 
of  the  Botna,  near  West  Exira.  In  the  spring  of  1866  the  writer  visited  that 
spot  and  found  there  a  large  elk  skull,  with  a  noble  set  of  antlers  attached, 
nearly  six  feet  in  length,  partly  decayed  and  gnawed  by  wolves.  Elk  horns 
were  found  plentifully  here  at  that  time  on  the  prairie,  where  they  had  been 
killed  or  where  they  had  shed  them.  A  large  set  of  elk  antlers  would  weigh 
as  much  as  twenty-five  pounds,  and  it  is  a  fact  that  they  were  shed  annually 
about  February.  A  new  set  grew  each  year  during  the  summer.  They  were 
at  first  about  the  consistency  of  cheese  and  very  tender,  being  covered  with 
a  beautiful,  delicate  purple  membrane,  called  the  "velvet,"  which  material  it 
resembled.  The  deer  had  very  much  the  same  habit  about  the  shedding  and 
growth  of  horns. 

There  were  some  hunters  who  lived  in  what  is  now  known  as  David- 
son's Grove,  in  section  18,  Douglas  township,  who  killed  considerable  num- 
bers of  elk  and  deer  about  1867-8.  One  of  them  was  said  to  have  been  killed 
by  lightning  in  the  fall  or  early  winter  of  1867  in  the  west  part  of  what  is 
now  Lincoln  township,  several  miles  north  of  their  camp.  His  body  was 
covered  with  snow  and  found  the  next  spring,  with  his  rifle  near  him.  A 
thunderstorm  was  known  to  have  occurred  at  the  time  he  was  lost  and  from 
the  appearance  of  the  body  and  gun,  which  was  broken,  it  was  reported  that 
he  was  killed  by  lightning.  It  was  said  that  he  appeared  to  have  been  fol- 
lowing elk  tracks  when  killed.  There  were  also  rumors  that  he  met  death  by 
foul  means.     No  legal  proceedings  were  ever  taken  about  the  event. 

The  last  bands  of  elks  in  the  county  were  on  Indian  creek.  Blue  Grass 
and  West  Botna.  Lone  Willow  was  a  favorite  resort  for  them.  Thev  dis- 
appeared  about  1 870-1.  The  last  hunters  to  kill  elk  were  John  Huntley,  Edwin 
C.  Wadsworth,  Stephen  Bowdish  and  Frank  Harrington.  Possibly  Christ- 
opher C.  Luccock  and  the  Indians  may  have  killed  some  about  the  same  time. 
The  deer  gradually  disappeared,  though  a  few  have  been  seen  here  almost  to 
the  present  time;  possibly  there  may  be  a  few  yet.  In  1868  the  writer  took 
thirty  saddles  of  vension  from  Exira  to  Des  Moines.  The  tracks  of  three 
deer  were  seen  near  the  railroad  depot  at  Exira  in  1880.  The  writer  killed 
several  deer  here  before  1870.  Being  at  "Uncle"  John  Jenkins's  place  in  the 
fall  of   1865,  I  went  with  George  Jenkins  to  hunt  for  some  cattle.     In  a 


42  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

brush  patch  we  jumped  up  half  a  dozen  deer,  which  scampered  away.  I 
had  a  Colts'  revolver,  but  was  so  much  excited  at  my  first  sight  of  deer  that 
I  forgot  the  gun  entirely.  Returning  to  the  house,  I  related  the  experience  to 
Mr.  Jenkins,  who  consoled  me  by  remarking:  "Well,  sir,  it's  a  mighty 
pooty  sight  to  the  eye  of  a  hunter — but  you  had  the  'Buck  Ager;'  I've  had  it 
myself  before  now  and  had  to  bite  my  finger  till  it  hurt  like  the  very  devil  to 
steady  my  nerves."  I  thouglit  it  a  novel  method  of  quieting  nervousness,  but 
do  not  remember  ever  practicing  it.  The  theory  seemed  to  be  that  the  pain 
of  the  gnawed  finger  exceeded  the  nervousness  produced  at  the  presence  of 
the  game.  It  is  a  fact  that  old  hunters  sometimes  become  excited  at  the  near 
proximity  of  wild  game. 

William  Powell,  who  lived  where  Ad.  Seibert  now  resides  at  Exira, 
while  out  hunting  near  "Towhead"  (section  i,  Exira  township),  discovered 
some  bear,  but,  being  alone,  feared  to  attack  them.  He  came  home  and 
reported  his  find.  Alex  Kincaid,  who  lived  in  the  Big  Grove,  south  of  the 
Burton  place,  John  Jenkins,  John  Hoggard  and  Philip  Arthur  Decker  took 
some  dogs  and  went  in  pursuit.  They  found  the  bear  and  killed  them,  after 
the  old  bear  had  killed  one  of  the  dogs.  This  account  was  related  by  John  T. 
Jenkins,  of  the  hunters  mentioned.  A  large  bear  skull  was  found  many 
years  ago  in  a  small  stream  in  the  "big  grove"  on  section  21,  Exira  town- 
ship, which  is  now  in  the  museum  of  the  State  Historical  Society.  Howard 
J.  Green,  Folly  Herrick  and  others  have  told  about  killing  wild  turkey  here, 
saying  that  they  were  plentiful  in  early  days.  There  was  a  well-defined 
beaver-dam  a  mile  above  Exira,  on  the  Botna,  in  1866.  Perk  Smith  saw 
where  the  beaver  had  cut  down  trees  there  as  large  as  a  stove  pipe.  Swans, 
wild  geese,  brants,  ducks  and  sandhill  cranes  were  plentiful  in  the  spring  and 
fair  for  many  years.  Howard  J.  Green  and  Folly  Herrick  told  the  writer 
that  they  had  killed  wild  turkey  in  the  timber  where  Walter  B.  Temple  now 
lives.  Prairie  chickens  were  very  plentiful  until  after  the  railroad  came  in 
1878,  and  large  numbers  of  them  were  taken  by  sportsmen. 

The  following  letter,  written  from  Farrall,  Wyoming,  in  1909,  by  Mrs. 
Cymanthia  A.  Smith,  daughter  of  William  P.  Hamlin,  gives  a  fairly  good 
picture  of  the  early  times  here : 

"I  happened  to  see  one  of  the  Audubon  County  Journals,  telling  about 
the  early  settlement  of  Audubon  county.  You  say  you  have  never  seen 
any  one  that  claimed  to  have  seen  a  panther  there.  There  must  have  been 
several  there,  or  in  Cass  county.  My  father  and  a  man  named  John  Prat 
saw  one  as  they  were  going  across  the  prairie  from  our  place  on  Buck  creek. 
They  were  in  a  wagon  and  when  the  panther  saw  them  it  dropped  down  on  an 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  43 

ant-hill  and  witched  them  as  they  passed,  only  about  ten  steps  from  the  road. 
Father  said  he  could  have  shot  it  if  he  had  had  a  gun.  And,  as  for  bears, 
they  were  plenty,  at  least  on  Buck  creek.  We  lived  at  the  lower  grove,  two 
miles  below  Barney  Harris'  grove,  and  there  was  another  between  them, 
called  Middle  grove.  We  used  to  hear  the  bears  at  night  fighting  and  squall- 
ing in  the  Middle  grove.  Father  went  at  one  time  to  move  a  man  to 
Nebraska,  and  Martha  Johnston,  afterwards  Mrs.  William  Carpenter,  stayed 
with  our  family  while  father  was  gone.  One  night  during  his  absence,  we 
heard  something  walking  around  the  house  and  were  greatly  frightened. 
There  was  no  door  to  the  house,  only  a  quilt  hung  up,  with  chairs  set  against 
it  to  shut  the  entrance.  The  next  day  we  found  bear  tracks  around  the 
house,  which  proved  who  our  visitor  was.  It  made  no  attempt  to  enter  the 
house.  There  were  lots  of  wild  turkeys  in  the  Big  grove;  but  father  killed 
only  the  3^oung  ones,  which  were  nice  to  fry.  I  have  seen  my  father  chasing 
hundreds  of  elk  at  a  time,  which  came  near  our  house.  He  killed  nine  elk 
one  Christmas  and  brought  home  a  large  one  alive.  We  kept  it  until  the  next 
summer,  fattened  and  killed  it  to  eat.  There  was  a  crust  on  the  deep  snow 
which  enabled  father  to  kill  those  on  that  Christmas.  Something  funny 
happened  when  we  lived  on  the  Goodale  place.  One  night  the  hounds 
wakened  us  by  chasing  something  around  the  house.  Father  jumped  up  to 
see  what  it  was  and  just  as  he  got  out,  a  deer  ran  past  him,  which  he  caught 
by  the  horns.  He  called  to  mother  to  bring  the  butcher  knife,  and  with  it 
he  killed  the  deer.  One  time,  on  Buck  creek,  when  father  was  absent  from 
home,  five  wolves  came  close  to  the  house.  Our  dog  would  chase  them  a 
short  distance ;  then  the  wolves  would  turn  and  drive  him  back  faster  than 
he  had  driven  them  away.  When  the  dog  got  near  the  house  he  would  get 
brave  and  go  after  them  again.  Mother  and  us  children  watched  the  per- 
formance from  the  yard. 

"Father  and  Uncle  Natty  lived  near  each  other  on  Skunk  river,  in 
Mahaska  county.  Ben  and  Ike  Jenkins  helped  to  move  us  from  Mahaska  to 
Cass  county  with  an  ox  team  in  the  fall  of  1851.  I  was  only  three  years 
old,  but  remember  it  well.  There  was  but  one  house  on  the  hill  east  of  the 
river  at  Des  Moines,  and  I  think  only  three  houses  on  the  west  side. 

'T  remember  the  ferry  boat  Avas  so  old  and  rotten  mother  was  afraid  to 
go  on  it,  and  I  think  our  only  cow  thought  the  same  way,  for  she  jumped 
overboard  and  swam  ashore. 

"The  first  election  in  Cass  county  was  held  at  our  house  on  the  old 
Goodale  place.     We  moved  to  Exira  in  the  fall  of  i860  (from  Buck  creek). 

"Mrs.  W.  F.  Smith.'' 


44  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 

NAMES    OF    RIVERS    AND    PLACES. 

The  Nishua  Botna  river  probably  received  its  name  lower  down  its 
course,  near  the  Missouri  river,  into  which  it  discharges.  It  is  mentioned 
in  the  diary  of  Lewis  and  Clark,  kept  on  their  expedition  from  St.  Louis 
to  the  Pacific  ocean,  as  follows:  "On  the  14th  (May,  1804)  elk  were  seen 
for  the  first  time.  Passed  the  Nishua  Botna  and  Little  Nemahaw  rivers, 
and  found  the  former  to  be  only  three  hundred  yards  from  the  Missouri  at 
the  distance  of  twelve  miles  from  its  mouth,"  indicating  previous  knowledge 
of  the  name.  The  writer  is  unable  to  recognize  to  what  language  it  be- 
longs; perhaps  it  is  an  Indian  word,  or  it  may  be  from  the  patois  of  the 
old  French  voyageurs,  who  traversed  the  Missouri  river  country  in  earlier 
times.  Doctor  Ballard  once  said  that  the  word  Nishua  Botna  signified  "To 
cross  in  a  boat." 

It  has  been  said  that  the  government  surveyors  gave  the  name  to 
Troublesome  creek.  While  surveying  the  land  through  which  it  flows, 
the  water  was  high  and  they  had  frequent  occasion  to  cross  it,  hence  the 
name.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  streams  carried  more  water  in 
early  times  than  at  present. 

Crooked  creek,  a  tributary  of  Troublesome,  undoubtedly  received  its 
name  from  the  form  of  its  channel. 

Unexpected  creek  (or  Pleasant  run),  in  section  35,  near  Hamlin's,  was 
named  by  the  surveyors,  who  came  upon  it  unexpectedly,  and  so  gave  it 
that  name. 

Sifford  creek  was  named  for  John  Seifford,  whosettled  on  its  bank  near 
where  T.  J.  Essington  lived. 

The  name  of  Buck  creek  was  suggested  from  the  large  number  of  deer 
found  there  in  early  times,  according  to  the  account  of  Doctor  Ballard. 

David's  creek  was  named  for  David  Edgerton. 

Anderson  creek,  at  Exira,  was  named  for  David  Anderson. 

Four-mile  creek  was  so  called  because  it  was  four  miles  from  Exira. 

William-  Brice,  who  lived  in  section  31,  Greeley  township,  bestowed  the 
name  Honey  creek  upon  the  little  stream  there  where  he  resided. 

The  early  settlers  discovered  a  patch  of  blue  grass  in  the  little  grove  on 
the  present  poorfarm  in  this  county.  It  was  supposed  the  seed  was  scat- 
tered there  by  Mormons  in  their  journey  westward.  The  place  was  called 
Blue  Grass  grove  and  the  creek  near  it  received  the  same  name. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  45 

East  branch,  in  Melville  township,  received  its  name  in  early  times  from 
its  direction  from  the  principal  river  of  which  it  was  a  tributary. 

West  Botna,  in  Lincoln  and  Douglas  townships,  takes  its  name  from  the 
principal  river. 

Indian  creek  and  Little  Indian  probably  received  the  name  lower  down 
on  the  stream.  There  was  an  old  town  on  the  stream  near  the  town  of 
Lewis,  called  Indian  Town. 

The  name  of  Lone  Willow,  in  Douglas  township,  suggests  its  origin. 

Exira  was  named  for  Miss  Exira  Eckman.  Her  father,  Judge  John 
Eckman,  from  Ohio,  was  here  visiting  his  relatives,  the  Cranes,  at  the  time 
the  town  was  laid  out  and  platted.  Mr.  Edgerton,  the  proprietor,  had  in- 
tended to  name  the  town  Viola,  for  his  daughter.  Mr.  Eckman  proposed  if 
Edgerton  would  name  the  town  Exira,  for  his  daughter,  he  would  buy  a 
town  lot,  which  was  agreed  to. 

Viola  township  was  named  for  the  daughter  of  Arthur  L.  Sanborn,  who 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  when  the  township  was  organized. 

Melville  township  was  named  for  James  Melville  Graham,  the  lawyer 
at  Audubon,  a  son  of  Samuel  A.  Graham,  who  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  supervisors  when  the  township  was  organized. 

Leroy  township  was  named  for  Leroy  Freeman,  a  Union  soldier,  killed 
in  the  Civil  War,  and  brother  of  our  well-known  citizen,  Ethelbert  J.  Free- 
man, who  was  an  early  and  prominent  settler  in  that  township.  Leroyville 
postoffice,  now  obsolete,  was  named  after  the  same  manner. 

Hamlin  Grove  postoffice,  now  obsolete;  the  old  town  of  Hamlin,  also 
obsolete;  Hamlin  township  and  Hamlin  Station  were  all  named  in  honor  of 
the  first  settler,  Nathaniel  Hamlin. 

Cameron  township  was  named  in  honor  of  the  Cameron  family,  sev- 
eral members  of  which  were  early  settlers  in  Viola  and  Cameron  townships. 

Brayton  was  named  for  the  civil  engineer  who  worked  on  the  rail- 
road during  its  construction,  1878-79. 

Oakfield  was  named  by  Flam  W.  Pearl,  a  resident  there,  after  a  place  of 
the  same  name  in  New  York  state. 

Gray  was  named  for  its  proprietor,  George  Gray. 

Towhead  was  the  name  of  the  high  point  of  land  three  miles  east  of 
Exira.  Years  ago  there  were  two  oak  trees  there,  which  served  as  a  land- 
mark for  miles  around  in  most  directions.  The  trees  have  long  since  van- 
ished and  the  name  is  nearly  obsolete. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ORGANIZATION    OF    AUDUBON    COUNTY. 

Auclnbon  county  was  undoubtedly  named  in  honor  of  the  celebrated 
ornithologist,  John  James  Audubon,  who  died  in  the  year  1851. 

At  the  time  of  its  organization  by  the  state  Legislature,  it  formed  part 
of  Keokuk  county,  which  eml)raced  at  one  period  the  southern  portion  of 
Iowa. 

Audubon  county  was  organized  by  provision  of  section  18,  chapter  9, 
acts  of  the  third  General  Assembly  of  Iowa,  a])proved  January  15,  1851, 
which  provided :  "That  the  following  shall  be  the  boundaries  of  a  new 
county,  which  shall  be  called  Audubon,  to-wit :  Beginning  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  township  81  north,  range  32  west;  thence  west  on  the  line  between 
townships  81  and  82.  to  the  northwest  corner  of  township  81,  range  36  west; 
thence  south  on  range  line  dividing  ranges  36  and  t^j  to  the  southwest  corner 
of  township  78'  north,  range  36;  thence  east  on  the  line  between  townships 
77  and  78  to  the  southwest  corner  of  township  78,  range  32  west;  thence 
north  between  ranges  t^2  and  T^;i^,  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

This  boundary  was  changed  a  few  days  later  by  subsequent  act  of  the 
Legislature,  namely,  chapter  81,  acts  of  the  third  General  Assembly, 
approved  February  5,  1851,  which  provided:  "That  the  following  shall  be 
the  boundaries  of  the  county  of  Guthrie,  to-wit :  Beginning  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  township  81  north,  of  jcange  29  west;  thence  west  on  the 
township  lines  dividing  townships  81  and  82,  to  the  northwest  corner  of 
township  81  north,  range  33  west;  thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of 
township  78,  range  33  west ;  thence  east  on  the  township  lines  between  town- 
ships yy  and  78.  to  the  southwest  corner  of  township  78,  range  29  west; 
thence  north  to  tb.e  ])lace  of  beginning." 

The  cause  of  this  change  was  remote.  To  adjust  the  boundaries  of 
Polk  county  in  such  manner  as  to  make  Des  Moines  nearer  the  center  of  the 
county,  a  tier  of  townships  was  severed  from  the  east  of  Polk  and  attached 
to  Jasper  county.  To  compensate  for  the  change,  a  tier  of  townships  was 
taken  from  the  east  of  Dallas  and  attached  to  Polk  county.  Then  a  tier  of 
townships  was  taken  from  the  east  of  Guthrie  and  attached  to  Dallas  county, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  47 

and  a  tier  of  townships  was  taken  from  the  east  of  Audubon  and  attached  to 
Guthrie  county. 

There  was  no  one  hving  in  Audubon  county  at  that  time,  and  its  inter- 
ests were  unprotected.  The  readjustment  should  have  continued  by  adding 
a  tier  of  townships  to  the  west  of  Audubon  taken  from  the  east  of  Shelby 
county,  and  Shelby  should  then  have  received  a  like  territory  from  the  east 
of  Harrison  county,  which  would  have  fairly  equalized  the  counties. 

The  time  for  correcting  the  injustice  to  Audubon  county  has  long  passed. 
To  disturb  the  county  boundaries,  now  that  permanent  county  seats  have 
been  located  and  public  records  of  long  standing  have  been  established,  would 
work  irreparable  injury  and  damage  to  the  people  now  residing  where  such 
changes  could  and  should  have  been  made  many  years  ago.  We  have  since 
lived  to  experience  the  many  permanent  disadvantages  resulting  from  that 
act  of  injustice.  The  relative  expenses  of  county  government  must  always 
remain  greater  in  a  small  than  in  a  larger  county.  In  political  affairs,  in  the 
distribution  of  state  and  district  ofilcers,  the  rights  of  a  small  county  have 
frequently  been  disregarded  and  denied.  The  people  of  Audubon  county 
have  repeatedly  experienced  such  prejudice  and  injustice  and  will  probably 
continue  to  do  so. 

Doctor  Ballard  and  Peoria  I.  Whitted  took  an  active  part  in  procuring 
the  organization  of  the  county.  At  one  time  Mr.  Whitted  made  a  trip  for  that 
purpose  to  Iowa  City  and  return,  on  foot.  The  expenses  were  paid  prin- 
cipally by  Doctor  Ballard. 

It  was  provided  by  section  lo,  chapter  8,  acts  of  the  fourth  General 
Assembly  of  Iowa,  approved  January  12,  1853.  "That  the  county  of  Cass 
shall  be  composed  of  three  civil  townships  for  the  present  organization,  that 
is :  all  the  territory  embraced  in  Cass  county  shall  constitute  one  civil  town- 
ship; that  which  lies  in  the  county  of  Audubon  shall  constitute  one  civil 
township;  and  all  that  which  lies  in  the  county  of  Adair  shall  constitute  one 
civil  township;  the  three  for  revenue,  election  and  judicial  purposes  consti- 
tuting the  county  of  Cass.  The  first  election  to  be  held  at  Boshaw's  [Brad- 
shaw's]  store,  in  Cass  county,  at  Mr.  Hamlin's  in  Audubon  township,  at 
the  house  of  /Vlfred  Jones  in  Adair  township."  It  does  not  appear  that  any 
election  was  held  in  Audubon  county  under  this  law. 

It  was  further  provided  by  section  2,  chapter  12,  acts  of  the  fourth 
General  Assembly,  approved  January  12,  1853:  "Whenever  the  citizens  of 
any  unorganized  county  desire  to  have  the  same  organized,  they  may  make 
application  by  petition  in  writing,  signed  by  a  majority  of  the  legal  voters  of 
said  county,  to  the  county  judge  of  the  county  to  which  such  unorganized 


48  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

county  is  attached;  whereupon  such  county  judge  shall  order  an  election  for 
county  officers  in  such  unorganized  county.  Notice  of  said  election  must  be 
given,  the  election  conducted  and  the  returns  thereof  made  to  the  organized 
county  to  which  the  same  was  attached,  and  canvassed  in  the  manner  pro- 
vided by  law  for  filling  vacancies  in  county  offices." 

We  suppose  the  county  was  organized  under  this  statute.  Peoria  I. 
Whitted  bore  the  petition  from  the  people  of  this  county  to  the  county  judge 
of  Cass  county  at  Lewis,  praying  for  an  order  for  the  organization  of  the 
county,  and  for  the  first  election  of  county  officers,  as  is  supposed,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  year  1855.  No  record  of  the  transaction  is  to  be  found 
at  this  time  in  this  or  in  Cass  county.  It  is  traditional  that  the  proper  order 
was  made  by  Mr.  Benedict,  county  judge  of  Cass  county.  The  first  election 
was  held  at  the  house  of  John  S.  Jenkins,  in  section  29,  Exira  township, 
April  2,  1855.  John  S.  Jenkins,  Walter  J.  Jardine  and  Isaac  V.  D.  Lewis 
were  judges  of  election,  and  John  W.  Beers  and  Carlos  E.  Frost  were  clerks. 
The  first  officers  elected  were:  Thomas  S.  Lewis,  county  judge;  John  W. 
Beers,  clerk  of  court;  Miles  Beers,  treasurer  and  recorder;  David  L.  Ander- 
son, prosecuting  attorney;  Benjamin  M.  Hyatt,  sheriff;  Robert  Stansberry, 
coroner;  John  W.  Beers,  sun-eyor;  Urbane  Herrick  and  Carlos  E.  Frost, 
justices  of  peace;  William  H.  H.  Bowen,  assessor  ?.nd  road  supervisor. 

In  May,  1855,  Hon.  E.  H.  Sears,  judge  of  the  district  court  of  Cass 
county,  appointed  T.  N.  Johnson,  of  Adair  county;  T.  Biyan,  of  Guthrie 
county,  and  C.  E.  Woodward,  of  Cass  county,  commissioners  to  locate  the 
county  seat  of  Audubon  county.  The  last  two  named  members  qualified  as 
such,  and  reported  on  June  20,  1855,  that  they  had  located  the  county  seat 
on  the  east  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  22,  in  township  78, 
range  35.  This  land  was  then  owned  by  Rev.  Richard  C.  Meek,  who  con- 
veyed it  to  Audubon  county,  retaining  a  share  of  the  lots  to  be  laid  out. 
Under  provisions  of  the  statute,  it  was  laid  out  and  platted  for  the  county 
by  Thomas  S.  Lewis,  county  judge,  as  the  town  of  Dayton,  July  9,  1855. 
It  became  the  county  seat  only  in  name;  but  two  houses  were  ever  built 
there,  those  of  Norman  Archer  and  Rev.  Mr.  Baker.  The  public  records 
were  kept  and  business  transacted  at  the  places  of  residence  of  the  officers 
until  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  to  Exira  in  1861.  The  town  of  Dayton 
received  some  notoriety  abroad,  and  quite  a  trade  of  its  town  lots  was  car- 
ried on  in  other  states,  until  its  true  character  became  known. 

At  the  general  election  in  August,  1855,  the  following  named  county 
officers  were  elected:     Daniel  M.  Harris,  county  judge;  Nathaniel  Hamlin, 


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AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  49 

treasurer  and  recorder;  Benjamin  Hyatt,   sheriff;   Peoria  I.   Whitted,   sur- 
veyor.    Peoria  I.  Whitted  was  appointed  swamp  land  commissioner. 

POLITICAL   ORGANIZATIONS. 

Since  the  organization  of  Audubon  county,  the  districts  of  which  it 
has  formed  parts  for  election  and  governmental  purposes,  have  been  vari- 
ously formed  and  frequently  changed.  In  1862  the  fifth  congressional  dis- 
trict embraced  the  counties  of  Adair,  Adams,  Audubon,  Cass,  Clarke,  Deca- 
tur, Dallas,  Fremont,  Guthrie,  Harrison,  Lucas,  Madison,  Mills,  Montgom- 
ery, Page,  Polk,  Pottawattamie,  Ringgold,  Shelby,  Taylor,  Union,  Warren 
and  Wayne. 

In  1872  the  eighth  congressional  district  embraced  the  counties  of 
Adams,  Audubon,  Cass,  Fremont,  Harrison,  Mills,  Montgomery,  Page,  Pot- 
tawattamie, Ringgold,  Shelby,  Taylor  and  Union. 

In  1882  the  ninth  congressional  district  embraced  the  counties  of  Audu- 
bon, Cass,  Crawford,  Fremont,  Harrison,  Alills,  Montgomery,  Pottawat- 
tamie and  Shelby.  Since  1886  it  has  embraced  the  counties  of  Adair,  Audu- 
bon, Cass,  Harrison,  Mills,  Montgomery,  Pottawattamie  and  Shelby. 

Since  1886  it  has  embraced  the  counties  of  Adair,  Audubon,  Cass,  Har- 
rison, Mills,  Montgomery,  Pottawattamie  and  Shelby. 

SENATORIAL  DISTRICTS. 

In  1855,  the  twelfth  senatorial  district  in  the  Legislature  embraced  the 
counties  of  Audubon,  Buena  Vista,  Buncombe  (now  Lyons),  Carroll,  Cal- 
houn, Cherokee,  Clay,  Crawford,  Dickinson,  Emmet,  Harrison,  Ida,  Mon- 
ona, O'Brien,  Osceola,  Palo  Alto,  Plymouth,  Pocahontas,  Pottawattamie, 
Sac,  Shelby,  Sioux  and  Woodbury.  In  1858  it  remained  unchanged.  In 
i860,  the  thirty-first  senatorial  district  embraced  the  counties  of  Audubon, 
Cass,  Guthrie,  Harrison,  Pottawattamie  and  Shelby.  In  1862  the  thirty- 
first  district  embraced  the  counties  of  Adair,  Audubon,  Cass,  Dallas,  Guthrie 
and  Shelby. 

In  1864  the  forty-third  senatorial  district  embraced  the  counties  of 
Audubon,  Buena  Vista,  Buncombe  (now  Lyons),  Carroll,  Calhoun,  Chero- 
kee, Clay,  Crawford,  Dickinson,  Emmet,  Hancock,  Harrison,  Humboldt,  Ida, 
Kossuth,  Monona,  O'Brien,  Osceola,  Palo  Alto,  Plymouth,  Pocahontas,  Sac, 
Shelbv,  Sioux,  Webster,  Winnebago,  Woodbury  and  Wright. 

"  (4) 


50  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

In  1866  the  forty-fifth  senatorial  district  embraced  the  counties  of 
Audubon,  Carroll,  Cherokee,  Crawford,  Greene,  Harrison,  Ida,  Lyon,  Mon- 
ona, O'Brien,  Osceola,  Plymouth,  Shelby,  Sioux  and  Woodbury. 

In  1868  the  forty-sixth  senatorial  district  embraced  the  counties  of 
Audubon,  Carroll,  Cherokee,  Crawford,  Harrison,  Ida,  Lyon,  Monona, 
O'Brien,  Osceola,  Plymouth,  Shelby,  Sioux  and  Woodbury. 

In  1870  the  forty-eighth  senatorial  district  embraced  the  counties  of 
Audubon,  Cherokee,  Crawford,  Harrison,  Ida,  Lyons,  Monona,  O'Brien, 
Osceola,  Plymouth,  Shelby,  Sioux  and  Woodbury. 

In  1872  the  forty-ninth  senatorial  district  embraced  the  counties  of 
Audubon,  Carroll,  Dallas,  Green  and  Guthrie.  In  1874  the  forty-ninth  dis- 
trict embraced  the  counties  of  Audubon,  Carroll,  Crawford,  Green,  Guthrie 
and  Shelby.     In  1876  the  forty-ninth  district  remained  unchanged. 

From  1878  to  1882,  inclusive,  the  Thirty-first  senatorial  district  embraced 
the  counties  of  Audubon,  Dallas,  Guthrie  and  Shelby.  Since  1884,  and 
including  that  year,  the  seventeenth  senatorial  district  has  embraced  the 
counties  of  Audubon,  Dallas  and  Guthrie. 

REPRESENTATIVE  DISTRICTS. 

In  1 85 1  the  district  for  representative  in  the  Legislature  embraced  the 
counties  of  Adams,  Adair,  Audubon,  Beuna  V^ista,  Buncombe  (now  Lyons), 
Carroll,  Cass,  Cherokee,  Clay,  Crawford,  Dickinson,  Fremont,  Harrison, 
Ida,  Mills,  Monona,  Montgomery,  O'Brien,  Osceola,  Plymouth.  Pottawat- 
tamie, Ringgold,  Sac,  Shelby,  Sioux,  Taylor,  Union  and  Wahkaw  (now 
Woodbury). 

In  1854  the  fortieth  representative  district  embraced  the  counties  of 
Adams,  Adair,  Audubon,  Cass,  Mills,  Montgomery  and  Union. 

In  1855  the  sixteenth  representative  district  embraced  the  counties  of 
Audubon,  Beuna  Vista,  Buncombe  (now  Lyons),  Carroll,  Calhoun,  Chero- 
kee, Clay,  Crawford,  Dickinson,  Emmet,  Harrison,  Ida,  Monona,  O'Brien, 
Osceola,  Palo  Alto,  Plymouth,  Pocahontas,  Sac,  Shelby,  Sioux  and  Wood- 
bury. In  1858  the  sixteenth  district  embraced  the  counties  of  Audubon, 
Boone,  Carroll  and  Greene. 

In  i860  the  thirty-sixth  representative  district  embraced  the  counties 
of  Audubon,  Guthrie,  Harrison  and  Shelby. 

In  1862  the  sixty-first  representative  district  embraced  the  counties 
of  Adair.  Audubon,  Cass  and  Guthrie. 

In  1864  the  sixty-first  representative  district  remained  unchanged. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  5 1 

In  1866  the  sixty- fourth  district  embraced  the  counties  of  Audubon, 
Carroll,  Calhoun  and  Greene. 

In  1868  the  sixty-fourth  district  embraced  the  counties  of  Audubon, 
Guthrie  and  Greene. 

In  1870  the  fortieth  representative  district  embraced  the  counties  of 
Audubon,  Guthrie  and  Shelby. 

In  1872  the  fortieth  district  embraced  the  counties  of  Audubon,  Craw- 
ford,  Monona  and  Shelby. 

In  1874  the  twenty-first  representative  district  embraced  the  counties 
of  Adair,  Audubon,  Cass  and  Shelby.  In  1876  the  twenty-first  district 
remained  unchanged. 

From  1878  to  1882,  inclusive,  the  seventy- fourth  representative  dis- 
trict embraced  the  counties  of  Adair,  Audubon  and  Shelby. 

From  1884  to  1886,  inclusive,  Audubon  county  formed  the  eighty- 
second  representative  district. 

Since  1888,  and  including  that  year,  Audubon  county  has  formed  the 
thirty-fourth   representative  district. 

JUDICIAL    DISTRICTS. 

In  185 1  the  judicial  district  embraced  the  counties  of  Adair,  Adams, 
Audubon,  Buena  Vista,  Buncome  (Lyons),  Carroll,  Cass,  Cherokee,  Clay, 
Crawford,  Dickinson,  Fremont,  Harrison,  Ida,  Mills,  Monona,  Montgom- 
ery, O'Brien,  Osceola,  Page,  Plymouth,  Pottawattamie,  Ringgold,  Sac, 
Shelby,  Sioux,  Taylor,  Union  and  Wahkaw  (Woodbury). 

In  1853  the  sixth  judicial  district  embraced  the  counties  of  Adair, 
Adams,  Audubon,  Cass,  Fremont,  Guthrie,  Montgomery,  Page,  Ringgold, 
Taylor  and  Union. 

In  1857  the  seventh  judicial  district  embraced  the  counties  of  Audu- 
bon, Cass,  Harrison,  Pottawattamie  and  Shelby. 

From  1858  to  1862,  inclusive,  the  fifth  judicial  district  embraced  the 
counties  of  Adair,  Audubon,  Carroll,  Dallas,  Greene,  Guthrie,  Madison,  Polk 
and  Warren. 

In  1864  Cass  was  added  to  the  fifth  district. 

From  1866  to  1868  the  fifth  district  remained  unchanged. 

In  1872  the  thirteenth  judicial  district  embraced  the  counties  of  Audu- 
bon, Carroll,  Cass,  Crawford,  Fremont,  Greene,  Mills,  Pottawattamie  and 
Shelby. 

Since.  1887  the  fifteenth  judicial  district  has  embraced  the  counties  of 


52  ■  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Audubon,  Cass,  Fremont,  Harrison,  Mills,  Montgomery,  Page,  Pottawatta- 
mie and  Shelby. 

CONSTITUTIONAL    CONVENTION    DISTRICT. 

In  1857  the  twelfth  district  in  the  third  constitutional  convention 
embraced  the  counties  of  Audubon,  Buena  Vista,  Buncombe  (now  Lyons), 
Carroll,  Calhoun,  Cherokee,  Clay,  Crawford,  Dickinson,  Emmet,  Harrison, 
Ida,  Monona,  O'Brien,  Osceola,  Palo  Alto,  Plymouth,  Pocahontas,  Potta- 
wattamie, Sac,  Shelby,  Sioux  and  Woodbury. 

CIVIL  TOWNSHIPS. 

From  1853,  when  Audubon  county  was  attached  to  Cass  conuty  for 
civil  purposes,  it  remained  as  but  a  single  township  called  Audubon  town- 
ship, until  1862. 

On  June  3,  1863,  the  board  of  supervisors — consisting  of  but  one 
member,  Boynton  G.  Dodge — entered  an  order  dividing  the  county  into 
three  townships  as  follows :  Exira  township,  commencing  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  section  12,  township  78,  range  34  west;  thence  west  to  west 
line  of  the  county;  thence  north  on  the  county  line  to  the  correction  line; 
thence  west  on  county  line  to  southwest  corner  of  section  31,  township  79, 
range  36;  thence  north  on  county  line  to  northwest  corner  of  the  county; 
thence  east  on  county  line  to  northeast  corner  of  the  county;  thence  south 
to  the  southeast  corner  of  section  36,  township  79,  range  34;  thence  east 
on  line  to  northeast  corner  of  section  i,  township  78,  range  34;  thence 
south  to  southeast  corner  of  said  section  i.  place  of  beginning.  Audubon 
township,  commencing  at  southeast  corner  of  section  33,  township  78,  range 
35;  thence  north  to  northwest  corner  of  section  10;  thence  east  to  east  line 
of  the  county;  thence  south  on  county  line  to  southeast  corner  of  the 
county;  thence  west  to  place  of  beginning.  Oakfield  township,  commenc- 
ing at  southeast  corner  of  section  33,  township  78.  range  35  ;  thence  north 
to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  9;  thence  west  to  west  line  of  the  county; 
thence  south  on  county  line  to  southwest  corner  of  the  county;  thence  east 
to  place  of  beginning. 

This  division  gave  to  Exira  township  the  territory  embraced  in  the  nine 
northern  townships  of  the  county,  and  also  a  strip  two  sections  wide  off 
the  north  end  of  the  other  three  townships.     It  was  manifestly  unjust.     At 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  53 

that  time  most  of  the  residents  of  the  county  lived  within  the  Hmits  of 
township  78,  range  35,  now  Exira  township. 

On  June  8,  1863,  the  board  of  supervisors  entered  another  order,  sub- 
dividing the  county  into  civil  townships  as  follows : 

Audubon  township  embraced  the  east  half  of  township  78,  range  35, 
except  sections  i,  2  and  3,  and  all  of  township  78,  range  34,  township  79, 
range  34,  township  80,  range  34,  and  township  81,  range  34. 

Exira  township  embraced  sections  i  to  6,  inclusive,  in  township  78. 
range  35,  and  all  of  township  79.  range  35,  township  80,  range  35,  and 
township  81,  range  35.  " 

Oakfield  township  embraced  the  west  half  of  township  78,  range  35, 
except  sections  4,  5  and  6.  and  all  of  township  78,  range  36,  township  79, 
range  36,  township  80,  range  36,  and  township  81,  range  36,  which  was  an 
equitable  division.  It  di^•ided  the  settled  portion  of  the  county  fairly  between 
the  several  townships. 

COUNTY    SEAT    ASPIRATIONS. 

The  town  of  Exira,  being  the  county  seat,  was  supposed  to  hold 
advantages  over  other  portions  of  the  county,  and  jealousies  arose  which 
continued  as  long  as  it  was  the  county  seat.  Traces  of  heart  burnings  on 
that  account  have  not  ceased  at  the  present  time.  The  causes  were  too 
numerous  to  mention  them  all ;  some  were  politic,  some  social,  and  others 
from  business  competition,  etc.  Nathaniel  Hamlin,  who  lived  on  Trouble- 
some creek  in  the  new  Audubon  township,  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  men 
in  the  county.  He  lived  on  the  route  from  Des  Moines  to  Council  Bluffs 
and  was  the  most  widely  known  business  man  in  the  county  for  many  years. 
Hamlin  and  Hamlin's  Grove  were  known  state  wide,  and  in  other  states 
where  Audubon  county  land  was  then  owned.  He  had  founded  the  town 
of  Audubon  City,  near  his  home,  which  had  proved  a  failure  from  the  start. 

Daniel  M.  Harris  (who  at  first  had  lived  near  Hamlin),  in  the  year 
1857,  with  David  Edgerton,  founded  the  town  of  Exira,  which  became 
the  county  seat  in  1861.  Harris  at  once  became  popular,  and  was  by  far 
the  ablest  business  man  in  the  county.  He  held  the  office  of  county  judge 
from  1856  to  1 86 1  inclusive,  while  Hamlin  was  treasurer  and  recorder, 
the  financial  officer  of  the  county,  from  1856  to  1863  inclusive.  They 
became  rivals  in  business  and  in  local  politics,  although  both  were  Demo- 
crats. Mr.  Hamlin  became  prejudiced  against  Exira,  which  continued  as 
long  as  he  lived.     In  1866  he  founded  the  town  of  Louisville,  and  attempt- 


54  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA, 

ed  to  move  the  county  seat  there  from  Exira,  but  failed.  In  1872  he 
became  interested  in  the  town  of  Old  Hamlin,  and  attempted  to  move  the 
county  seat  there.  He  was  also  a  prominent  factor  in  enjoining  the  build- 
ing of  a  court  house  at  Exira  in  1872-3. 

Oakfield  was  founded  in  1858,  and  started  the  first  store  in  the  coun- 
ty. It  was  a  rival  to  Exira  from  its  start  until  the  advent  of  the  railroad 
in  1 87 1,  when  it  was  eclipsed  by  the  town  of  Bray  ton.  It  was  the  custom 
of  Oakfield  people  to  assume  superiority  over  the  people  of  Exira  in  social 
functions.  They  had  a  decided  weakness  in  making  themselves  disagree- 
able in  that  way.  If  Exira  people  got  up  a  festivity  or  started  some  local 
improvement,  a  new  road,  bridge,  building,  etc.,  the  people  of  Oakfield 
were  prone  to  discount  it  and  go  one  better.  Their  picnics,  dances,  etc., 
were  foolishly  "cracked  up"  to  be  in  advance  of  anything  Exira  could  pro- 
duce; and  so  it  went  on,  straining  the  cordiality  and  friendship  that  should 
have  existed  between  the  little  towns.  It  is  justice  to  say  that  their  people 
did  lay  themselves  out  in  their  best  style  to  entertain.  But  for  political 
meetings,  Fourth  of  July  celebrations  and  religious  meetings  Exira  usually 
came  out  "ahead  of  the  hounds." 

ORGANIZATION    OF     NEW     TOWNSHIPS. 

After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  immigration  flowed  towards  this 
county;  people  came  here  in  goodly  numbers,  and  by  1870  the  population 
of  the  county  had  more  than  doubled  in  the  previous  five  years.  The 
north  end  of  the  county  settled  up  as  never  before,  and  was  demanding 
more  rights  for  schools,  roads,  bridges,  voting  precincts,  etc.,  to  which  they 
were  fairly  entitled.  The  question  of  the  organization  of  new  townships 
naturally  arose.  Mr.  Hamlin  and  his  followers,  with  the  Oakfield  contin- 
gent, were  ever  ready  to  knife  Exira  in  any  public  way.  The  growing 
interests  in  the  north  part  of  the  county  presented  an  opportunity  to  strike 
the  fatal  blow.  The  troubles  that  hovered  around  the  fated  county  seat 
opened  in  1871.  Several  parties,  about  this  time,  set  the  ball  to  rolling 
and  agitated  the  reconstruction  of  the  township  organization  in  the  county, 
suggesting  various  plans,  but  without  uniform  action  or  support.  There 
were  general  demands  for  more  voting  places  in  the  northern  portion  of 
the  county. 

On  June  7,  1871,  that  enterprising,  progressive,  genial,  energetic  citi- 
zen, Ethelbert  J.  Freeman,  the  gentleman  from  Leroy,  presented  a  petition 
to  the  board  of  supervisors  praying   for  the  erection  of  new  townships. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  55 

And  the  board  of  supervisors,  consisting  of  William  H.  H.  Bowen,  John 
W.  Dodge  and  John  T.  Jenkins,  entered  an  order  subdividing  the  county 
into  four  civil  townships,  as  follows :  Audubon  township,  commencing  at 
the  southwest  corner  of  section  34  and  southeast  corner  of  section  33, 
township  78,  range  35,  thence  north  to  southwest  corner  of  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  10,  same  township;  thence  east  to  the  southeast  corner 
of  said  northwest  quarter;  thence  north  to  the  section  line;  thence  east 
to  the  southeast  corner  of  section  i,  township  78,  range  35;  thence  north 
to  the  connection  line;  thence  west  to  the  southeast  corner  of  section  32, 
township  79,  range  34;  thence  north  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  20, 
township  80,  range  34;  thence  east  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  21, 
same  township;  thence  north  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  28,  town- 
ship 81,  range  34;  thence  east  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  27,  same 
township;  thence  north  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  22,  same  town- 
ship; thence  west  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  21,  same  township; 
thence  north  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  9,  same  township;  thence 
east  to  the  county  line;  thence  south  to  the  southeast  corner  of  township 

79,  range  34;  thence  east  to  the  northeast  corner  of  township  78,  range 
34;  thence  south  to  the  southeast  corner  of  said  township;  thence  west 
to  place  of  beginning.  Exira  township,  commencing  at  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  section  i,  township  78,  range  35;  thence  west  to  the  southeast  cor- 
ner of  section  32,  township  79,  range  34;  thence  north  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  section  20,  township  80,  range  34 ;  thence  west  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  section  24,  township  80,  range  35 ;  thence  south  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  section  36,  township  80,  range  35 ;  thence  west  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  section  34,  township  80,  range  35;  thence  north  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  section  27,  same  township;  thence  west  to  the  northeast  corner 
of  section  29,  same  township;  thence  north  to  the  northeast  corner  of  sec- 
tion 5,  same  township;  thence  west  to  northeast  corner  of  section  3,  township 

80,  range  36 ;  thence  south  to  the  correction  line ;  thence  east  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  section  i,  township  78,  range  36;  thence  south  to  the  southeast 
corner  of  said  section  i ;  thence  east  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  9, 
township  78,  range  35  ;  thence  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  10,  same  township;  thence  east  to  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  said  section  10;  thence  north  to  the  sec- 
tion Hne  of  said  section  10;  thence  east  to  the  southeast  comer  of  section  i, 
township  78,  range  35 ;  thence  north  to  the  place  of  beginning.  Oakfield 
township,  commencing  at  the  southeast  corner  of  section  33,  township  78, 
range  35;  thence  north  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  9,   same  town- 


56  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

ship;  thence  west  to  the  southwest  corner  of  section  6,  same  township; 
thence  north  to  the  correction  Hne;  thence  west  to  the  southwest  corner  of 
section  35,  township  79,  range  36;  thence  north  to  the  northeast  corner  of 
section  3,  township  80,  range  36;  thence  west  to  the  northwest  corner  of 
said  section;  thence  north  to  the  county  hne;  thence  west  to  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  county;  thence  south  to  the  correction  hne;  thence  east  to 
the  northwest  corner  of  township  78,  range  36;  thence  south  to  the  south- 
west corner  of  the  county;  thence  east  to  place  of  beginning.  Leroy  town- 
ship, commencing  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Audubon  county;  thence  south 
to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  12,  township  81,  range  34;  thence  west 
to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  9,  same  township;  thence  south  to  the 
northeast  corner  of  section  21,  same  township;  thence  east  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  section  22,  same  township;  thence  south  to  the  northeast  corner 
of  section  27,  same  township;  thence  west  to  the  northeast  corner  of  sec- 
tion 28,  same  township;  thence  south  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  21, 
township  80,  range  34;  thence  west  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  24, 
township  80,  range  35;  thence  south  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  36, 
same  township;  thence  west  to  the  southeast  corner  of  section  ij,  same 
township;  thence  north  to  the  northeast  corner  of  said  section  i"] \  thence 
west  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  29,  same  township;  thence  north  to 
the  northeast  corner  of  section  5,  same  township ;  thence  west  to  the  north- 
west corner  of  section  3,  same  township;  thence  north  to  the  county  hne; 
thence  east  to  place  of  beginning. 

The  result  of  this  action  could  not  have  been  foreseen  by  the  super- 
visors, two  of  whom  were  favorable  to  the  best  interests  of  Exira.  They 
acted  hastily,  without  proi)€r  consideration  of  the  subject,  and  were  over- 
reached and  misled  by  the  plotters  against  Exira.  Their  order  was  a  con- 
summate blunder.  The  boundaries  as  established  were  unsystematic,  the 
government  township  lines  were  ignored  and  without  any  valid  reason,  which 
was  calculated  to  throw  the  records  into  confusion  for  all  public  use  and 
utility.  It  would  have  required  a  corps  of  engineers  to  locate  the  limits 
of  the  several  townships  as  thus  organized.  It  was  utterly  unpractical, 
unsatisfactory  and  pleased  no  one,  except  those  misguided  people  whc 
rejoiced  that  Exira  had  received  a  "black  eye."  It  was  a  ridiculous,  con- 
temptible performance,  in  light  of  subsequent  events. 

Two  years  later,  when  the  system  had  been  tried  out,  its  defects  seen 
and  the  wants  of  the  people  better  understood,  the  subject  came  on  for 
further  consideration.  The  people  had  then  l)een  fightmg  fiercely  over  the 
county   seat,    and   the  building   or   non-building  of   a   court   house.     Party 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  z^y 

political  lines,  locally,  were  entirely  wiped  out.  The  people  of  Exira  were 
hostile  and  indignant  against  all  its  opponents,  and  vice  versa.  The  super- 
visors, as  then  constituted,  were  two  to  one  against  Exira.  The  matter 
came  on  for  hearing  upon  the  suggestion  of  Arthur  L.  Sanborn,  Esq.,  of 
Viola,  member  of  the  board.  O.  C.  Keith,  of  Oakfield,  spoke  in  favor  of 
the  proposition.  At  that  meeting  the  present  writer  appeared  before  the 
supervisors  and  advocated  the  organization  of  new  townships  according 
to  the  wishes  of  the  people  of  the  county,  upon  the  system  of  making  each 
government  or  congressional  township  a  civil  township. 

•April  9,  1873,  the  supervisors,  composed  of  John  W.  Dodge,  John 
Noon  and  Arthur  L.  Sanborn,  entered  the  following  orders  in  the  mat- 
ter: Township  78,  range  36,  and  that  part  of  township  78,  range  35,  as 
now  lays  in  the  civil  township  of  Oakfield,  be  made  the  civil  township  of 
Oakfield ;  and  all  that  portion  of  said  civil  township  as  it  now  exists  north 
of  the  territory  named  be  stricken  from  said  Oakfield  civil  township. 
Township  81,  range  34,  and  township  81,  range  35,  organized  as  the  civil 
township  of  Viola.  Township  81,  range  36,  and  township  80,  range  36. 
organized  as  the  civil  township  of  Douglas.  Township  80,  range  34,  and 
township  80,  range  35,  organized  as  Leroy  township. 

As  far  as  practical,  Mr.  Keith,  who  was  a  bitter  partisan  against 
Exira,  but  a  personal  friend  of  the  writer,  adopted  the  same  view,  except 
that  he  would  not  yield  the  favor  to  Exira  township  at  that  time ;  although 
he  afterwards  did  so.  We  readily  agreed  together  and  the  supervisors, 
being  favorable  to  the  general  proposition,  in  a  short  time  made  their 
orders  as  appear  below,  with  better  feeling  all  around.  All  previous 
efforts  to  accommodate  the  business  along  the  proposed  line  had  failed. 
It  was  considered  impractical.  The  Exira  people  hesitated  about  adopt- 
ing the  plan,  but  tacitly  acquiesced,  never  to  regret  it  so  far  as  known.  This 
was  the  inside  fact  of  the  business,  and  it  took  place  in  the  little  old  county 
office  on  the  east  side  of  the  public  square,  Exira,  to  the  permanent  bene- 
fit of  the  people  of  Audubon  county.  It  was  a  move  in  the  right  direction 
— a  big  day's  work. 

Township  79,  range  34,  was  organized  as  Greeley  township.  Town- 
ship 79,  range  35,  and  township  79,  range  36,  organized  as  Hamlin  town- 
ship. Township  78,  range  34,  organized  as  Audubon  township.  Sec- 
tions I,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  10,  II,  12,  13,  14,  15,  22,  23,  24,  25,  26,  27,  34,  35 
and  36,  in  township  78,  range  35,  organized  as  Exira  township.  This  was 
manifestly  unfair  towards  Exira  township  and  was   so  intended.     It  was 


58  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 

gracefully  accepted  in  this  form  by  Exira  people,  believing  that  the  injus- 
tice would  be  subsequently  remedied. 

The  following  year,  Isaac  Thomas,  one  of  the  supervisors,  caught  the 
right  idea,  and  emphatically  declared  at  a  meeting  of  the  supervisors  that 
he  was  in  favor  of  making  each  "congregational"'  township  a  civil  town- 
ship. His  meaning  was  understood,  adopted  and  followed  until  the  entire 
system  was  carried  out. 

September  8,  1874,  township  80,  range  34,  was  organized  as  Melville 
township. 

October  20,  1874,  township  78,  range  35,  organized  as  Exira  town- 
ship; township  78,  range  36,  organized  as  Oakfield  township;  township 
81,  range  35,  organzed  as  Cameron  township. 

September  6,  1875,  township  79,  range  36,  organized  as  Sharon  town- 
ship. 

June  5,  1876,  township  81,  range  36,  was  organized  as  Lincoln  town- 
ship. 

As  now  organized,  the  civil  townships  of  Audubon  county  are  as  fol- 
low, with  dates  of  organization : 

Audubon,  township  78,  range  34.   April  9,    1873. 

Exira,  township  78,  range  35,  October  20,   1874. 

Oakfield,  township  78,   range   36,  October  20,    1874. 

Greeley,  township  79.  range  34.  April  9,  1873. 

*Hamlin,  township  79,  range  35,  April  9,   1873. 

*Sharon,   township  79,  range  36,   September  6.    1875. 

f Melville,  township  80,  range  34,  September  8.   1874. 

•f-Leroy,  township  80,  range  35,  April  9,   1873. 

§Douglas.  township  80,  range  36,  April  9,   1873. 

§Lincoln,  township  81,  range  36,  June  5.    1876. 

iViola,  township  81.  range  34.   April  9,   1873. 

JCameron,   township  81.   range  35,   October  20,    1874. 

*Sharon  township  was  severed  from  Hamlin.  September '  6.  1875; 
•fMelville  township  was  severed  from  Leroy.  September  8.  1874;  §Lincoln 
township  was  severed  from  Douglas.  June  5.  1876;  :}:Cameron  township 
was  severed  from  \'iola,  October  20,  1874. 

PIONEER    CONDITIONS    AND    IMPROVEMENTS. 

It  is  impossible,  at  this  time,  for  people  who  have  not  experienced 
similar   life   and   scenes,   to   realize   correctly  the   privations   and   hardships 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  59 

which  confronted  the  pioneer  settlers;  and  it  is  difficult  to  delineate  by 
pen  or  picture  an  accurate  description  of  what  they  endured.  It  cannot 
be  fully  accomplished.  When  they  came  here  an  unbroken  wilderness 
extended  north  to  the  confines  of  the  Arctic  ocean;  they  were  twenty  miles 
from  the  borders  of  the  most  primitive  civilization,  without  a  human  habi- 
tation to  shelter  them,  not  a  highway  or  bridge  on  which  to  cross  the 
streams  within  the  limits  of  the  county;  only  a  few  trails  made  by  the 
Mormons.  It  was  a  wilderness,  but  it  was  a  beautiful  one,  not  a  desert. 
The  nearest  grist-mills  were  Tam's  mill,  to  the  east,  on  the  Coon  river, 
or  to  the  south,  on  the  Nodaway  river  in  northern  ^Missouri,  manv  miles 
distant.  The  nearest  stores  where  goods,  groceries  and  family  supplies 
could  be  obtained  were  at  Des  Moines  and  Kanesville  (Council  Bluffs), 
and  the  nearest  postoffice  was  Des  Moines. 

The  first  demand  on  the  settlers  was  to  provide  places  of  abode.  They 
brought  only  a  limited  supply  of  food  and  provisions,  also  seed  for  start- 
ing their  first  crops,  and  the  commonest  articles  for  household  use,  plows 
and  implements  for  farming,  and  a  few  common  mechanical  tools.  They 
brought  their  trusty  rifles,  upon  which  to  depend  for  defense,  if  necessary, 
and  upon  which  to  depend  for  venison  and  game  to  supply  them  with  meat. 

After  providing  their  shelter,  the  next  serious  claim  was  a  supply  of 
food.  Elk  and  deer  were  abundant,  as  well  as  many  kinds  of  small  game. 
To  the  uninitiated  this  may,  at  first  thought,  suggest  luxurious  living  and 
a  land  of  milk  and  honey,  so  to  speak.  It  is  far  from  the  real  fact.  A 
taste  of  venison  or  game  now  and  then  is  a  dainty;  but.  for  steady  diet,  it 
soon  becomes  unpalatable  and  tiresome.  Then,  a  feed  of  bacon,  salt  pork 
or  most  anything  for  a  change  is  delicious.  Still,  people  can  exist  almost 
wholly  on  game,  if  it  becomes  a  necessity. 

PIONEER    IMPROVEMENTS. 

The  first  cabins  were  built  of  logs  (timber  was  abundant)  and  with- 
out floors.  Afterwards,  floors  were  made  of  "puncheons,"  split  from  logs 
and  hewed  to  place.  Rock  or  mud  and  sticks  were  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  fireplaces  and  chimneys.  The  cooking  was  all  done  at  the  open 
fireplace,  even  the  bread  being  baked  before  the  fire  in  tin  "reflectors,"  arti- 
cles unseen  or  unheard-of  by  the  present  generation,  or  in  Dutch  ovens. 

Stables  then,  and  many  years  later,  were  built  by  setting  forked  posts 
in  the  ground,  with  a  frame  of  poles  for  the  roof,  covered  with  wild  hay, 
banked  up  with  manure,  as  it  was  used,  which  made  comfortable  shelters 


6o  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

for  Stock.  When  they  became  difficult  of  ingress  and  egress,  from  accum- 
ulation of  manure,  the  stable  was  moved,  as  it  was  cheaper  and  easier  than 
to  move  the  manure.  Verily,  methods  of  agriculture  have  evolutionized. 
The  expense  of  erecting  buildings,  breaking  out  and  fencing  farms 
greatly  exceeded  the  first  cost  of  the  land ;  but  it  was  done  by  the  bone 
and  muscle  of  the  pioneer,  which  did  not  call  for  cash,  a  scarce  item  in 
those  days.  Farms,  at  first,  were  usually  fenced  with  high,  zigzag  rail 
fences,  split  out  from  the  finest  oak  and  walnut  timber.  Such  improvements 
would  be  an  expensive  luxury  now ;  it  was  cheap  then. 

LIVE    STOCK. 

Hamlin  and  Jenkins  both  brought  horses  and  cattle  in  185 1.  As  the 
settlers  multiplied,  stock  increased  and  soon  hogs  and  poultry  became  com- 
mon. The  Herricks,  who  came  from  near  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  by  way  of 
Dubuque  and  Des  INIoines,  brought  several  hundred  sheep,  in  1854.  They 
were  the  first  sheep  brought  to  the  county.     "Folly"   Herrick  says  it   was 

his  job  to  herd  them  along  the  ridge  where  John  now  lives.     Uncle 

"Natty  Hamlin"  brought  a  large  hand-mill,  which  was  used  alternately  by 
the  neighbors  for  grinding  corn  and  buckwheat.  Many  people  grated  new 
corn  as  a  substitute   for  meal  and  flour. 

FIRST    DEATH    IN    THE    SETTLEMENT. 

The  year  of  the  first  settlement  had  not  ended  when  the  little  colony 
was  visited  by  the  sad  affliction  of  death  in  childl)irth  of  the  wife  of  Philip 
Arthur  Decker,  in  December,  1851,  which  found  them  wholly  unprepared 
for  the  calamity.  She  was  a  daughter  of  the  widow  Hoggard  and  sister 
of  John  and  Betsy  Ann  Hoggard.  There  was  not  even  lumber  at  hand 
from  which  to  make  a  coffin  for  burial  of  the  poor  lady.  Then  Nathaniel 
Hamlin,  John  S.  Jenkins  and  James  Kincaid  (perhaps  others)  split  out 
slabs  from  basswood  timber  and  fashioned  from  it  a  rude  box  as  best  they 
could,  in  which  they  placed  the  body,  acted  as  pallbearers  and  buried  it  in 
the  field  on  top  of  the  hill  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  17,  now  in 
Exira  township,  now  owned  by  Julius  E.  Herrick.  The  grave  has  been 
unmarked  for  fifty  years. 

MILLS. 

About  1852-3  John  Countryman  built  a  water-power  saw-mill  on  the 
east  bank  of  Troublesome  creek  in  section  13,  in  what  is  now  Exira  town- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  6 1 

ship,  near  the  Strahl  place.  It  was  the  first  power-mill  of  any  kind  in  the 
county,  and  was  doubtless  of  valuable  assistance  to  the  early  settlers,  in 
furnishing  the  first  supply  of  sawed  lumber  produced  within  the  county.  It 
was  of  short  duration,  and  probably  went  out  of  use  when  the  steam  saw- 
mills were  erected  in  1856  by  Green  and  others,  and  by  Ballard.  We  have 
failed  to  discover  when  Countryman  left  the  county.  He  built  the  first 
frame  house  here,  which  he  afterwards  sold  to  Dawson  Glasgow.  The 
building  of  the  steam-mills  in  1856  were  most  important  events,  and  prob- 
ably did  more  to  develop  the  county  than  any  previous  enterprise. 

Howard  Jay  Green  and  Franklin  Burnham,  who  came  here  from 
Maquoketa,  Iowa,  in  1856,  were  prominent  in  developing  the  business  of 
Audubon  county.  They  came  expressly  to  erect  and  operate  a  steam  saw- 
mill, and  made  a  contract  for  the  necessary  materials  and  machinery  there- 
for before  coming  here,  as  follows : 

"Contract 

"S.  S.  Vail  &  Company  agree  to  furnish  Green  &  Burnham,  of  Maquo- 
keta, Jackson  county,  Iowa,  a  steam  engine  of  ten-inch  bore  and  twenty- 
inch  stroke  and  a  circular  saw-mill  complete,  with  the  exception  of  boiler, 
boiler  irons,  sheet-iron  chimney  and  breeching,  for  the  sum  of  ten  hundred 
and  thirty-three  dollars,  or,  provided  Green  &  Burnham  order  the  boiler, 
boiler  irons,  sheet-iron  chimney  and  breeching  after  this  date,  we  agree  to 
furnish  the  same  with  the  said  engine  and  saw-mill  fixtures  complete  for 
the  sum  of  seventeen  hundred  dollars.  Said  boiler  to  be  forty-inch  diam- 
eter, fourteen-inch  flues  and  twenty  feet  long.  Said  chimney  to  be  twen- 
ty-six-inch diameter,  fifty  feet  long,  with  breeching  to  match  same.  The 
above  machinery  to  be  completed  on  the  first  day  of  April  next.  Said 
machinery  to  be  made  in  a  good,  substantial,  workmanlike  manner. 

"We,  the  said  Green  &  Burnham,  agree  to  pay  to  S.  S.  \^ail  &  Com- 
pany the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars  on  contract  and  two-thirds  at  the  time 
of  delivery  of  the  machinery  and  the  remaining  one-third  in  four  months 
from  the  time  of  delivery. 

"To  this   writing  the  different  parties  subscribe  and  agree. 

"Keokuk,  January  15,  1856. 

"S.  S.  Vail  &  Company, 
"By   S.   Armitage." 

The  huge  boiler  was  brought  up  the  Des  Moines  river  from  Keokuk 
on  a  small  steamer  to  near  Fort  Des  Moines;  thence  by  ox  teams  over  the 


6-2  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

old  stage  road,  via  Hamlin's  Grove,  to  the  mill  site  in  section  17,  now  in 
Exira  township.  The  other  machinery  was  shipped  from  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  down  the  Ohio  river;  thence  up  the  Mississippi  river  to  Keo- 
kuk, and  then  brought  here  by  teams.  It  is  claimed  that  the  road  through 
the  Big  Grove  was  specially  prepared  for  hauling  these  heavy  loads.  Green 
and  Burnham  erected  the  mill  themselves,  assisted  by  Charles  L.  Chapin, 
in  1856.  The  three  families  at  first  lived  near  the  mill  in  separate  dwellings. 
The  mill  was  a  success  from  the  start,  and  turn  out  something  like  ten 
thousand  feet  of  sawed  lumber  a  day,  with  its  big  circular  saw.  Green  was 
the  sawyer  for  many  years. 

About  the  same  time,  Dr.  Samuel  U.  Ballard  erected  a  steam  saw-mill 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Botna  river  in  the  timber  near  his  residence  in  sec- 
tion 25,  in  what  is  now  Oakfield  township. 

About  1858  Joshua  A.  and  Elam  W.  Pearl,  brothers,  erected  a  water- 
power  saw-mill  on  the  Botna  at  Oakfield.  Alva  B.  Brown  and  Julius  M. 
Hubbard  were  also  interested  in  this  mill.  The  saw-mills  supplied  abun- 
dance of  lumber  for  building  purposes,  and  the  few  people  here  then 
improved  the  opportunity  by  erecting  frame  dwellings;  a  few  of  the  more 
enterprising  ones  built  frame  barns,  and  several  frame  school  houses  were 
built  at  that  period.  Still  the  people  had  to  go  a  long  distance  to  get  their 
grain  made  into  flour  and  meal.  About  1859  Mr.  Green,  with  John 
McConnell  and  Henry  S.  Myers,  who  had  secured  an  interest  in  the  Green 
&  Burnham  saw-mill,  met  the  desired  want  by  attaching  a  flouring-mill  to 
their  business.  From  that  time  onward  the  steam  flour  and  saw-mill  was 
one  of  the  busy  places  in  the  county.  In  1866  the  town  of  Louisville  was 
laid  out  and  platted  there  by  Nathaniel  Hamlin.  The  mill  was  then  owned 
by  Nathaniel  Hamlin,  George  T.  Poage  and  Levi  Zaner.  An  attempt  was 
made  that  year  to  change  the  county  seat  to  Louisville,  which  failed  of  suc- 
cess. It  continued  to  remain  one  of  the  best  business  points  in  the  county 
until  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroad  w^as  put  through  from 
Des  Moines  to  Council  Bluffs  in  1868.  That  event  supplied  the  county 
with  pine  lumber,  which  was  preferred  rather  than  the  native  lumber  for 
building  purposes.  Tlie  old  mill  had  its  day  in  the  economy  of  developing 
this  part  of  the  country,  and  passed  away.  Its  old  steam  boiler  broke 
through  the  bridge  at  Panora,  while  being  hauled  away  for  old  iron,  and 
was  dumped  into  the  Coon  river,  where  it  found  a  last  resting  place. 


CHAPTER  III. 


OFFICIAL    ROSTER. 


REPRESENTATIVES   IN    CONGRESS. 

John  A.  Kasson,  Des  Moines,  1863-7;  Grenville  M.  Dodge,  CounciL 
Bluffs,  i868'-9;  Frank  W.  Palmer,  Des  Moines,  1870-3;  James  W.  McDill,. 
Afton,  1874-7;  William  F.  Sapp,  Council  Bluffs,  1878-81;  William  P.  Hep- 
burn, Clarinda,  1882-3;  William  H.  M.  Pusey,  Council  Bluffs,  1884-5;  Joseph 
Lyman,  Council  Bluffs,  1886-9;  Joseph  R.  Reed,  Council  Bluffs,  1890-1 ;. 
Thomas  Bowman,  Council  Bluffs,  1892-3;  Alva  L.  Hager,  Greenfield,  1894-9;. 
Walter  I.  Smith,  Council  Bluffs,  1900-11;  William  R.  Green,  Audubon,  191 1; 
to  date.  [ 

JUDGES  OF  THE  DISTRICT   COURT. 

E.  H.  Sears.  Sidney,  1855-8;  John  H.  Gray,  Des  Moines,  1858-65; 
Hugh  W.  Maxwell,  Indianola,  1866-71 ;  Joseph  R.  Reed,  Council  Bluffs, 
1872-83;  Charles  F.  Loofborough,  Atlantic,  1884-89;  James  P.  Conner,^ 
Denison,  1887-90;  Andrew  B.  Thornell,  Sidney,  1887  to  date;  Horace  E. 
Deemer,  Red  Oak,  1887-92;  Nathan  W.  Macy,  Harlan,  1889-1909;  Walter. 
I.  Smith.  Council  Bluffs,  1891-1900;  William  R.  Green,  Audubon,  1895 — ;. 
Orville  D.  Wheeler,  Council  Bluff's,  1899  to  date;  Eugene  W.  Woodruff ,j 
Glenwood,  1909  to  date;  Thomas  Arthur,  Logan;  Joseph  B.  Rockafellow,; 
Atlantic,  19 13  to  date. 

JUDGES   OF  THE   CIRCUIT   COURT. 

Frederick  Mott,  Winterset,  1868-71  ;  Thomas  R.  Stockton,  Sidney^ 
1872-75;  Charles  F.  Loofborough,  Atlantic,  1876-83;  Joseph  Lyman,  Coun- 
cil Bluff's,  1884;  James  P.  Conner,  Denison,  1885-6;  George  Carson,  Council 
Bluffs,  1887-90. 

ATTORNEY-GENERAL. 

George  Cosson,  from  Audubon  county,  191 1  to  1914. 


64  .  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

STATE   SENATORS    (fROM    AUDUBON    COUNTY.) 

Henry  F.  Andrews,  i8'92-5 ;  George  Cosson,   1909-12. 

REPRESENTATIVES    IN    LEGISLATURE. 

Daniel  M.  Harris,  1860-1 ;  John  A.  Hallock,  1878-9;  Jacob  A.  Over- 
holtzer,  1882-7;  \\^illiam  \\'alker,  1888-90;  Albert  L.  Brooks.  1892-3;  Marion 
D.  Reed,  1894-5;  Abner  H.  Edwards,  1896-7;  Thomas  L.  Kelly,  1898-9; 
Asmus  Boylen,  1900-3;  David  C.  Mott,  1904-6;  John  C.  Bonwell,  1907-10; 
Ole  H.  Jacobsen,  1911-14;  Otto  Witthaiier,  191 5. 

COUNTY    JUDGES. 

1855,  Thomas  S.  Lewis;  1856-9.  Daniel  M.  Harris;  1860-3,  Appolonius 
B.  Houston;  1864-5,  Isaac  P.  Hallock;  1866.  John  S.  Jenkins;  1867,  John  R. 
Thacker;  1868-9,  Amherst  Heath;  1869,  Henry  F.  Andrews;  1869,  Albert 
I.  Brainard.     The  office  was  abolished,  to  take  effect  December  31,    1869. 

TREASURERS  AND  RECORDERS. 

1855,  ]\Iiles  Beers;  1856-63,  Nathaniel  Hamlin;  1864-65,  Carlos  E. 
Frost.     The  offices  of  treasurer  and  recorder  were  separated  in  1864. 

CLERKS   OF    COURT.  , 

1855-6,  John  W.  Beers;  1857-60,  Franklin  Burnham;  1861-2,  Richard 
Gault;  1863-4,  John  A.  Hallock:  1865,  George  W.  Cannon  (A.  B.  Houston, 
deputy);  1866-8,  Albert  L  Brainard;  1869-70,  John  \V.  Scott;  1871-2,  H. 
Ransford;  1873,  Thomas  Walker;  1873-8,  Alonzo  L.  Campbell;  1879-84, 
Frank  P.  Bradley;  1885-6,  Robert  J.  Hunter;  1887-94,  Charles  H.  Vail; 
1895-6,  Joseph  F.  Garnett,  1897-1900,  Harry  D.  Woodward;  1901-4,  Lester 
J.  Hill;  1905-8,  Charles  S.  White;  1909-12,  Lewis  A.  McGinnis;  1913  to 
date,  Frank  AL  Rice. 

COUNTY   ATTORNEYS. 

1887-90,  Henry  W.  Hanna ;  1891-4.  Richard  C.  Carpenter;  1895-6, 
William  Wonn;  1897-8,  Frank  E.  Brainard;  1899-1900,  James  M.  Graham; 


^  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  65 

1901-4,  Fred  H.  Blume;  1905-6,  George  Cosson;  1907-8,  James  M.  Graham; 
1909-12,  Halleck  J.  Mantz;  1913  to  date,  John  A,  Graham. 

COUNTY   AUDITORS. 

1870-1,  Albert  I.  Brainard;  1872-5,  Hubert  S.  Wattles;  1876-81, 
Thomas  Walker;  1882-5,  William  F.  Stotts;  1886-9,  John  H.  Rendleman; 
1890-2,  Frank  P.  Rees ;  1893-6,  John  E.  McGuire;  1897-8,  Thomas  Lohner; 
1899-1904,  August  F.  Greenwaldt;  1905-8,  Orrin  B.  Train;  1909-10,  Edward 

B.  Cousins;  191 1-4,  Otto  Witthauer;  1915,  Harry  A.  Northup. 

COUNTY  TREASURERS. 

1866-9,  Appolonius  B.  Houston;  1870-3,  Charles  Van  Gorder;  1874-7, 
William  F.  Stotts;  1878-81,  Daniel  W.  Harris;  1882-5,  Ethelbert  J.  Free- 
man; 1886-7,  William  F.  Stotts;  1888-91,  John  B.  Doak;  1892-3,  John  C. 
Dawson;  1893  (October),  John  B.  Doak;  1894-9,  Lewis  D.  Phelps;  1900-7, 
Charles  E.  Breniman;  1907-10,  George  E.  Kellogg;  191 1-2,  Howard  E. 
Kittell;  1913  to  date,  Martin  E.  Mortensen. 

COUNTY  RECORDERS. 

1865-6,  John  Crane;  1867-8,  Henry  F.  Andrews;  1869-70,  William  F. 
Stotts;  1870-2,  Alonzo  L.  Campbell;  1873-4,  Emerson  H.  Kimball;  1875-6, 
John  S.  Toft;  1877-80,  John  M.  Crocker;  1881-4,  Samuel  P.  Rhoades;  1885- 
6,  Otto  Witthauer;  1887-90,  Adelbert  L.  Weaver;  1891-4,  Timothy  H. 
Beason;  1895-6,  John  H.  Scott;  1897-1900,  Martin  N.  Esbeck;   1901-4,  O. 

C.  Donaldson;  1905-8,  Ed  Wood;  1909-12,  Lars  C.  Christoffersen ;  1913  to 
date,  Clarice  Oelke. 

SHERIFFS. 

1855-6,  Benjamin  M.  Hiatt;  1857-9,  Charles  L.  Chapin;  1860-3,  Urbane 
Herrick;  1864-5,  Elam  W.  Pearl;  1866-7,  Andrew  J.  Leffingwell;  1868-9, 
John  Huntley;  1870,  Samuel  R.  Thomas;  1 870-1,  Lysannius  M.  Anderson; 
1872-5,  John  B.  Counrardy;  1876-9,  Joseph  L.  Stotts;  1880-5,  Henry  B. 
Herbert,  1886-9,  William  Mallory;  1890-5,  William  S.  Armstrong;  1896-9, 
John  H.  Jones;  1900-3,  Fern  L.  Anderson;  1904-8,  William  Northup;  1909- 
12,  Walkup  M.  Crees;  1913  to  date,  Charles  Sunberg. 

(5) 


66  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  , 

SUPERINTENDENTS   OF   SCHOOLS. 

1859-60,  Levi  B.  Montgomery;  1861-3,  Robert  N.  Day;  1864-5,  Boyn- 
ton  G.  Dodge;  1866-7,  Benjamin  F.  Thomas;  1868-9,  Boynton  G.  Dodge; 
1870-1,  David  B.  Beers;  1872-3,  John  Hunter;  1874-5,  Harmon  G.  Smith; 
1876-7,  Benjamin  F.  Thacker;  1878-9,  Albert  K.  Brainard ;  1880-3,  Robert 
M.  Carpenter;  1884-9,  Charles  F.  Willcutt;  1890-7.  David  P.  Repass; 
1898-9,  Robert  C.  Spencer;  1900-6,  Arthur  Farquhar;  1907  to  date,  Ella  M. 
Stearns. 

COUNTY   SURVEYORS. 

1855,  John  W.  Beers;  1856-75,  Peoria  I.  Whitted;  1876-7,  Robert  T. 
Smart;  1878-9,  Luther  C.  Frost;  1880-3,  Hubert  S.  Wattles;  1884-5,  Luther 
C.  Frost;  1886-7,  Hubert  S.  Wattles;  1888-9,  J^^li^is  M.  Hill;  1890-3,  David 
B.  Beers;  1894-1906.  Hubert  S.  Wattles;  1907,  Peoria  L  Whitted;  1907-10, 
Carl  D.  Forsbeck.     The  office  was  discontinued  in  1910. 

County  engineer,  Carl  D.  Forsbeck,  19 10  to  date. 

CORONERS. 

1862,  Albert  L  Brainard;  1885,  James  Holliday ;  1886-7,  W.  D.  Black- 
wood; 1880-9,  Daniel  G.  Lass;  1890-1,  Albert  L.  Brooks;  1892,  John  H. 
Rippey;  1893,  Christian  Eger;  1894-9,  William  R.  Koob;  1900-2,  A.  R. 
Herseman;  1903-4.  Charles  W.  Baker;  1905-8,  Nels  C.  Jensen;  1909-14, 
Arthur  C.  Harmon;  1915,  John  C.  Newlon. 

SOLDIER   RELIEF   COMMISSION. 

Charles  Van  Gorder,  Har])er  W.  \\'ilson    and  William  H.  Bowman. 

BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS. 

1861,  Julius  M.  Hubbard;  1862,  Boynton  G.  Dodge;  1863,  Boynton  G. 
Dodge,  Julius  M.  Hubbard,  Carlos  E.  Frost;  1864,  Boynton  G.  Dodge, 
Joshua  A.  Pearl,  Nathaniel  Hamlin;  1865,  Albert  L  Brainard,  Joshua  A. 
Pearl,  Nathaniel  Hamlin;  1866,  Isaac  Y.  D.  Lewis,  Stillman  H.  Perry, 
Washington  Bartlett ;  1867,  Isaac  V.  D.  Lewis,  Stillman  H.  Perry,  Washing- 
ton Bartlett;  1868.  Isaac  Thomas,  David  L.  Anderson,  Washington  Bartlett; 
1869,  Isaac  Thomas,  Jacob  Andrews,  Washington  Bartlett;  1870,  Isaac 
Thomas,  Jacob  Andrews  (resigned),  Joshua  A.  Pearl;  1871,  John  \\\  Dodge, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  67 

William  H.  H.  Bowen,  John  T.  Jenkins;  1872,  John  W.  Dodge,  William  H. 
H.  Bowen,  John  Noon;   1873,  John  W.   Dodge,  Arthur  L.  Sanborn,  John 
Noon;   1874,  Isaac  Thomas,  Arthur  L.   Sanborn,  John  Noon;   1875,   Isaac 
Thomas,  Arthur  h.  Sanborn,  John  Noon ;  1876,  Isaac  Thomas,  S.  A.  Miller, 
John  Noon;  1877,  James  Davis,  S.  A.  Miller,  John  Noon;  1878,  James  Davis, 
S.  A.  Miller,  John  T.  Jenkins,  1879,  James  Davis,  Samuel  A.  Graham,  John 
T.  Jenkins;  1880,  William  E.  Hensley,  Samuel  A.  Graham,  John  T.  Jenkins; 
1881,    William    E.    Hensley,    Samuel    A.    Graham,    Benjamin    F.    Jenkins. 
Boynton  G.   Dodge  appointed   to  fill  vacancy;    1882,   William   E.   Hensley, 
Samuel    A.    Graham,    Benjamin    F.    Jenkins    (Jenkins    died    and    Isaac    P. 
Hallock   appointed    to    fill    vacancy )  ;    1883,    William    E.    Hensley,    Samuel 
A.    Graham,    Isaac    P.    Hallock;    1884,    William    E.    Hensley,    Samuel    A. 
Graham,    Thomas    J.    Essington ;    1885,    William    E.    Hensley,    Sparks    P. 
Baker,    Thomas    J.    Essington;    1886,    George    McCain,    Sparks    P.    Baker, 
Thomas  J.  Essington;  1887,  George  McCain,  Sparks  P.  Baker.  Jasper  Jen- 
sen (  McCain  resigned  and  Andrew  F.  Armstrong  appointed  to  fill  vacancy)  ; 
1888,  Andrew  F.  Armstrong,  Samuel  Minser,  Jasper  Jensen;  1889,  Andrew 
F.  Armstrong,  Samuel  Minser,  Jasper  Jensen;  1890,  Andrew  F.  Armstrong, 
Samuel   Minser,    Philip   Bickelhaupt;    1891,   Andrew   F.    Armstrong,    Oscar 
Hunt,  Philip  Bickelhaupt;  1892,  Peter  Mathisen,  Oscar  Hunt,  Philip  Bickel- 
haupt; 1893,  Peter  Mathisen,  Oscar  Hunt,  David  W.  Mathias;  1894,  Peter 
Mathisen,  Samuel  F.  Garmire,  Daniel  W.  Mathias;   1895,  Nels  P.  Hoegh, 
Samuel  F.  Garmire,  Daniel  W.  Mathias;  1896,  Nels  P.  Hoegh,  Samuel  F. 
Garmire,  William  D.   Stanley;   1897,   Nels  P.   Hoegh,   Samuel  F.   Garmire, 
William  D.  Stanley;  1898,  Nels  P.  Hoegh,  Samuel  F.  Garmire,  William  D 
Stanley;  1899,  Nels  P.  Hoegh,  Samuel  F.  Garmire,  Jerome  Shingledecker ; 
1900,  Nels  P.  Hoegh,  John  C.  Bonwell,  Jerome  Shingledecker;  1901,  Nels 
P.  Hoegh,  John  C.  Bonwell,  Jerome  Shingledecker;  1902,  Nels  P.  Hoegh, 
John  C.  Bonwell,  Jerome  Shingledecker;  1903,  Nels  P.  Hoegh,  John  C.  Bon- 
well, Jerome  Shingledecker;   1904,  Nathaniel  D.  Hamlin,  John  C.  Bonwell, 
Jerome  Shingledecker;  1905.  Nathaniel  D.  Hamlin,  John  C.  Bonwell,  Fred 
D.  Searles ;  1906,  Nathaniel  D.  Hamlin,  John  C.  Bonwell,  Fred  D.  Searles; 
1907,  Martin  N.  Esbeck,  George  M.  Ross,  Fred  D.  Searles;  1908,  Martin  N. 
Esbeck,  George  M.  Ross,  Fred  D.  Searles;  1909,  Martin  N.  Esbeck,  George 
M.  Ross,  Fred  D.  Searles;  1910,  Samuel  McGaffin,  George  M.   Ross,  Fred 
D.   Searles;   191 1,   Samuel  McGaffin,  George  M.   Ross,  Edwin  F.  Johnson; 
1912,  Samuel  McGaffin,  Daniel  D.  Sampson,  Edwin  F.  Johnson;  1913,  Riley 
P.   Clark,   Daniel  D.    Sampson.   Edwin  F.   Johnson;    1914,   Riley   P.   Clark, 
Daniel  D.   Sampson,  Edwin  F.   Johnson;    1915,   Riley  P.   Clark,   Edwin  F. 
Johnson,  Benjam.in  J.  Black. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SETTLEMENT    OF    AUDUBON    COUNTY. 


BEFORE  THE   SETTLEMENT. 

There  was  very  little  evidence  that  white  men  had  visited  this  vicinity 
before  Hamlin  and  Jenkins  settled  here  in  the  year  185 1.  Possibly,  hunters 
and  trappers  had  been  here;  it  would  have  been  remarkable  if  they  had  not, 
but,  if  so,  they  left  little  evidence  of  it. 

When  the  Mormons  abandoned  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  many  of  them  crossed 
Iowa  to  Kanesville,  now  Council  Bluffs,  in  the  year  1846.  Some  of  them 
settled  at  Indian  Town  and  Ironiston,  west  of  Lewis,  and  also  farther  north 
in  Shelby  and  Harrison  counties.  There  is  still  an  early  Mormon  settle- 
ment at  Galland's  Grove,  in  the  northwest  part  of  Shelby  county. 

One  of  the  Mormon  trails  crossed  Troublesome  creek  where  Nathaniel 
Hamlin  settled,  which,  undoubtedly,  was  the  cause  that  led  to  the  selection 
of  his  claim  there.  Another  Mormon  trail  crossed  this  county  near  the  site 
of  the  present  poor  farm.  It  is  supposed  that  the  Mormons  dropped  the 
seed  there  which  gave  the  name  to  Blue  Grass  Grove  and  to  the  creek  of  the 
same  name.  Still  another  Mormon  trail  crossed  the  county  through  the 
north  parts  of  Viola,  Cameron  and  Lincoln  townships.  The  last  two  named 
trails  would  have  been  on  the  direct  route  from  Nauvoo  to  Galland's  Grove 
and  vicinity,  where  the  Mormon's  settled.  None  of  them  settled  in  this 
county,  except  John  S.  Johnston,  who  came  here  in  1855  and  who  had  been 
a  Mormon.  The  purpose  of  the  Mormons  was  to  continue  their  exodus 
beyond  the  Missouri  river.  After  going  on  to  Utah,  many  of  them  became 
disgusted  with  polygamy  and  returned  to  Shelby  county  and  vicinity.  While 
enumerating  the  United  States  census  in  1870,  the  writer  found  one  of  them 
in  Shelby  county  named  Joseph  Hancock,  then  seventy  years  of  age,  who 
claimed  to  be  a  grandson  of  John  Hancock,  the  patriot  governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts. 

The  United  States  government  surveyors  had  been  here  and  sur- 
veyed the  lines  of  township  78,  in  the  year  1849.  Possibly  Hamlin  and 
Jenkins  had  found  some  of  the  posts  of  that  survey  and  the  first  settlers 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  69 

may  have  selected  their  claims  from  that  survey.  It  is  certain  that  HamHn, 
Jenkins,  Decker,  Powell,  Mrs.  Hoggard  and  Doctor  Ballard  selected  their 
claims  nearly  conformable  to  the  section  lines  as  afterwards  surveyed. 

FIRST    SETTLEMENT. 

Early  in  1851,  Nathaniel  Hamlin,  James  Hamlin,  William  Powell,. 
David  Edgerton  and  Samuel  Ogden  went  from  Mahaska  county  to  Kanes- 
ville,  now  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  then  a  new  Mormon  settlement.  Nathaniel 
Hamlin  then  lived  in  the  extreme  northwest  part  of  Mahaska  county.  It  is 
supposed  their  route  was  through  Marion,  Warren,  Madison,  Adair,  Cass 
and  Pottawattamie  counties.  They  were  in  quest  of  new  homes,  and,  after 
reaching  Kanesville,  they  traveled  up  the  east  side  of  the  Missouri  river,  but, 
not  finding  desirable  locations,  decided  to  return.  In  their  exodus  from 
Nauvoo,  Illinois,  to  western  Iowa,  the  Mormons  had  made  what  were  called 
Mormon  trails.  One  of  those  trails  was  taken  on  their  return  from  Kanes- 
ville and  was  followed  back  to  the  Nishna  Botna  river  near  Lewis,  Iowa, 
thence  up  the  river  and  up  Troublesome  creeek,  where  they  made  a  crossing. 
The  water  was  high  and  they  first  crossed  the  creek,  one  at  a  time,  in  a  feed 
box  taken  from  off  the  wagon,  and  camped  where  Nathaniel  afterward  settled. 
It  was  in  the  month  of  March,  185 1.  Possibly  the}^  had  learned  from  the 
Mormons  of  the  fine,  valuable  groves  of  timber  in  this  vicinity,  and  they 
may  have  discovered  some  of  the  government  surveyor's  work  on  the  new 
township  lines,  which  induced  them  to  afterwards  settle  here ;  but  they  do 
not  appear  to  have  then  discovered  the  "Big  Grove"  on  the  Nishna  Botna, 

The  locality  pleased  Nathaniel  Hamlin  and  he  staked  off  a  claim  adja- 
cent to  the  Mormon  trail,  where  he  decided  to  make  his  future  home.  This 
was  the  initial  act  of  the  first  settlement  of  the  county.  At  that  time  there 
was  not  a  white  settler  within  twenty  miles  of  the  spot  selected  by  Mr.  Ham- 
lin. The  party  returned  to  Mahaska  county,  and  Mr.  Hamlin  made  prepara- 
tions for  his  removal  to  his  claim.  Taking-  his  eldest  child,  Marv--,  ten  years 
of  age,  leaving  the  remainder  of  the  family  behind,  they,  with  seven  yoke  of 
work  oxen,  wagon,  implements  and  tools  for  labor  and  provisions,  started 
for  his  distant  claim  amongst  the  wild  animals  and  wilder  men.  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  brother,  William  P.  Hamlin,  and  Philip  Arthur  Decker, 
without  their  families,  and  by  the  brother-in-law  and  sister-in-law  of  Decker, 
John  and  Betsey  Ann  Hoggard,  young  unmarried  people.  When  they  reached 
Winterset,  Iowa,  they  met  and  made  the  acquaintance  of  John  S.  Jenkins  and 
family,  composed  of  his  wife,  Malinda,  and  children,  Benjamin,  John,  Sarah, 


70  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Isaac,  Harriet  and  George,  who  were  traveling  westward  in  search  of  a  new 
home.  Mr.  HamHn  told  Jenkins  about  this  place,  its  beautiful,  fertile  soil, 
and  noble  groves  of  timber,  and  invited  him  to  come  and  view  it  himself. 
Mr.  Jenkins  decided  to  do  so.  On  May  6  the  little  colony,  with  stout  hearts, 
willing  hands  and  a  hopeful  future,  reached  the  claim  of  Mr.  Hamlin  and 
the  first  permanent  settlement  of  Audubon  county  was  an  accomplished  fact. 

Isaac  Jenkins  once  told  the  writer  that  he  was  then  a  small  lad  (about 
eight  years  old)  and  that  the  next  morning  after  their  arrival,  "Uncle  Natty" 
commenced  cutting  logs  for  his  cabin,  and  that  he,  Isaac,  hauled  them  together 
with  his  father's  yoke  of  stags,  called  "Buck"  and  "Brandy."  x\fter  erect- 
ing his  log  cabin,  with  Mary  to  drive  the  team,  Mr.  Hamlin  broke  out  forty 
acres  of  prairie  land,  which  he  planted  in  sod  corn,  and  amongst  which 
he  sowed  seven  acres  of  buckwheat  and  planted  some  potatoes  and  turnips. 
The  land  was  not  then  surveyed,  but  Mr.  Hamlin's  claim  afterward  proved  to 
be  situated  in  section  35,  in  what  is  now  Exira  township,  a  selection  of  first- 
class  prairie  and  timber  land.     To  this  he  afterward  added  many  other  acres. 

We  are  indebted  to  John  T.  Jenkins,  Esq.,  of  Brayton,  the  only  survivor 
of  the  Jenkins  family,  for  some  facts  concerning  the  first  settlement.  He 
says  that  when  they  arrived  at  Hamlin's  claim.  Troublesome  creek  was  over- 
flowing its  banks.  The  next  morning  his  father  felled  and  lodged  a  tree 
against  another  tree  on  the  opposite  bank  and  "crooned  over"  on  the  fallen 
tree.  His  horse  was  led  with  a  long  rope  and  swam  the  river.  Then  he 
mounted  his  horse  and  rode  over  to  where  the  town  of  Oakfield  is  now  situ- 
ated and  selected  a  claim  for  his  home  at  the  "big  spring"  in  the  timber,  in 
section  20,  now  in  Exira  township.  To  mark  the  site  of  his  claim,  he  blazed 
a  basswood  tree  and  wrote  on  it:     "This  is  my  claim." 

Mr.  Decker  selected  a  claim  in  section  17,  now  in  Exira  township,  where 
Boy  Herrick  now  resides.  The  Hoggards  settled  in  section  26,  where  Isaac 
Lewis  afterward  resided  many  years.  William  P.  Hamlin  immediately  set- 
tled in  section  6,  in  what  is  now  Benton  township,  Cass  county,  at  the  same 
place  afterward  occupied  many  years  by  Almond  Goodale.  Later,  Mr.  Ham- 
lin settled  on  Buck  creek,  in  Cass  county,  afterward  known  as  the  Barney 
Harris  place.  In  i860  he  moved  to  Exira,  where  he  lived  many  years.  W^ill- 
iam  Powell  came  the  same  year  and  settled  in  section  3,  where  Ad.  Seibert 
now  lives. 

An  important  addition  to  the  new  settlement,  the  same  year,  w^as  Dr. 
Samuel  M.  Ballard,  a  wealthy  man  for  that  period,  and  a  physician. -then 
residing  at  Iowa  City.  I  was  often  entertained  years  ago  by  his  graphic 
recitals  of  earlv  times  and  events  in  this  countv.     He  was  a  rare  storv  teller. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  7 1 

One  event  in  connection  with  the  early  settlement  is  particularly  apropos — • 
his  first  meeting  with  "Uncle"  John  Jenkins.  The  doctor  said  that  he  had 
heard  of  the  fine  land  and  timber  on  the  Botna  river  in  this  county  and  decided 
to  examine  it  personally.  He  had  also  heard  of  the  settlement  here  of  Mr. 
Jenkins,  and,  securing  direction  as  to  his  place  of  abode,  started  afoot  and 
alone  from  Lewis  to  find  the  place.  After  traveling  many  miles,  he  reached 
the  foot  of  the  hill  south  of  the  present  town  of  Oakfield  and  supposed  he 
was  near  the  place  sought,  and  there  discovered  a  new  path  leading  north 
into  the  timber.  Soon  he  saw  some  white  children,  who  fled  at  his  approach. 
Continuing  his  way,  he  soon  met  a  man  with  a  rifle,  who  demanded  of  him : 
"Are  you  for  peace,  or  are  you  for  war?"  "I  replied,"  said  the  doctor,  "  'I 
feel  very  peaceful  at  this  time,  and  I  have  been  traveling  since  morning  and 
am  getting  hungry.  I  am  wanting  to  find  a  man  named  Jenkins,  who  I  sup- 
pose lives  somewhere  in  this  vicinity.'  "  The  doctor  introduced  himself,  and 
Mr.  Jenkins  invited  him  to  his  cabin  and  provided  refreshments.  Then  the 
doctor  explained  the  object  of  his  visit;  that  he  was  seeking  a  tract  of  prairie 
and  timber  land  for  himself,  and  that  what  he  had  seen  suited  him  if  he  could 
secure  it.  ]\Ir.  Jenkins  informed  him  that  the  rules  of  the  Settlers'  Club 
provided  that  no  individual  could  take  a  claim  for  more  than  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land.  But  the  doctor  expressed  a  desire  to  obtain  a  greater 
amount.  At  that  period  the  government  land  was  not  in  market  and  had  not 
been  surveyed.  The  settlers  were  clubbed  together  to  make  rules  and  regula- 
tions regarding  individual  claims  and  for  mutually  protecting  them.  The 
doctor  suggested  the  advisability  of  having  a  physician  in  the  settlement,  also 
the  propriety  of  having  a  man  possessed  of  wealth  among  them  to  assist  in 
developing  the  country,  etc.  And  he  told  the  story  of  a  once  famous  doctor, 
who,  on  sending  his  pupil  out  to  practice  medicine  on  his  own  account,  gave 
this  advice:  "If  you  shall  ever  discover  in  your  practice  that  you  can  do 
the  patient  no  good,  be  sure  that  you  do  no  harm."  The  story  is  too  long 
and  too  awfully  funny  to  relate  here.  But  the  doctor  averred  that  if  he  did 
settle  here  he  would  endeavor  to  do  the  people  no  harm.  The  subject  was 
discussed  among  the  few  settlers,  who  consented  to  make  an  exception  in  the 
case  of  Doctor  Ballard  and  to  allow  him  to  select  his  claim  as  proposed,  and 
to  protect  him  in  it.  The  result  was  that  he  secured  the  beautiful  tracts  of 
prairie  and  timber  lands  since  known  as  the  Ballard  estate  in  Exira  and  Oak- 
field  townships  and  adjoining  in  Cass  county. 

John  M.  Donnel  came  in  185 1,  or  soon  after,  and  lived  in  the  vicinity 
of  Hamlin's  Grove  many  years.  He  drove  the  mail  hack  in  early  days  from 
the  east  to  Hamlin's  Grove. 


•^2  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

After  Mr.  Hamlin  had  finished  his  breaking  and  put  in  his  crops,  he 
returned  to  Mahaska  county,  closed  out  his  business  there  and  returned  with 
his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife,  Margaret  (Aunt  Peggy),  and  children, 
Mary,  Hannah,  Rose,  Melinda  and  W.  Allan.  They  arrived  here  on  Septem- 
ber 13,  185 1.  With  them  came  the  widow  Hoggard,  the  mother  of  John  and 
Betsey  Ann,  and  the  wife  of  Philip  Arthur  Decker.  Probably  John  Hog- 
gard and  Decker  went  back  to  Mahaska  county  for  their  people  with  Mr. 
Hamlin.  Benjamin  and  Isaac  Jenkins  went  back  with  an  ox  team  at  or 
about  the  same  time,  to  move  the  family  of  William  P.  Hamlin  to  Cass 
county. 

There  has  been  contention  as  to  who  was  the  first  settler,  Nathaniel 
Hamlin  or  John  S.  Jenkins.  The  honors  are  easy.  Hamlin  was  here  and 
made  his  claim  in  March,  1851,  and  followed  it  by  actual  settlement  on  May 
6,  185 1.  He  built  the  first  cabin  and  broke  out  his  land  the  same  season  and 
his  family  came  on  September  13,  1852.  Jenkins  came  May  6,  1851,  and 
decided  to  settle  and  made  his  claim  not  earlier  than  May  7.  His  family 
came  with  him,  so  they  were  actually  the  first  family  settled  in  the  county. 
Hamlin  himself  must  be  held  to  be  the  first  actual  settler  here. 

SETTLERS   WHO   CAME   BEFORE    1861. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  settlers  who  came  to  Audubon  county  before 
1861,  with  places  of  residence  and  dates  of  settlement:  David  L.  Anderson 
and  family,  Exira,  1855;  William  S.  Anderson,  Exira,  1855;  Lysanius  M. 
Anderson,  Exira,  1855;  John  A.  Anderson,  Exira,  1855;  Samuel  Anderson, 
Exira,  1855;  Adelbert  Anderson,  Exira,  1855;  Norman  Archer  and  family, 
Oaklield,  1855;  W.  Herbert  Archer,  Oakfield,  1855;  Thomas  Archer,  Oak- 
field,  1855;  Alonzo  N.  Arnold  and  wife,  Oakfield,  1855;  Rev.  Baker  and 
family,  Dayton,  1855;  Dr.  Samuel  M.  Ballard,  Oakfield,  1851;  Osceola  R. 
Ballard,  Oakfield,  1852;  Byron  Ballard,  Oakfield,  1852;  William  F.  Ballard 
and  family,  Oakfield,  1855;  Darius  Barlow  and  wife,  Exira,  1857;  Peter  B. 

Barlow,  Oakfield, ;  Washington  Bartlett,  Oakfield,   1856;  Lee  L.  Bart- 

lett,  Oakfield,  1857;  Hiram  M.  Beck  and  family,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1856;  Will- 
iam P.  Beck,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1856;  Miles  Beers  and  family,  Oakfield,  1854; 
John  W.  Beers,  Oakfield,  1854;  David  B.  Beers,  Oakfield,  1854;  Bradley 
Beers  and  family,  Oakfield,  1857;  Avery  Belcher,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1857; 
James  W.  Benedict  and  family,  Dayton,  1855;  Elijah  Birge  and  family. 
Troublesome,  1856;  James  M.  Blackmar  and  family,  Exira,  1857;  William 
H.  H.  Bowen  and   family,  Hamlin's  Grove,   1853;  John  Bowen,  Hamlin's 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  J-^ 

Grove,  1853;  Hugh  L.  Bowen,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1853;  Erasmus  D.  Bradley 
and  family,   Oakfield,    1855;  Albert  I.   Brainard  and   family,  Exira,    i860; 
J.  C.  Brown,  Hamlin's  Grove,  i860;  James  M.  Brown  and  family,  Oakfield, 
1856;  Franklin  Biirnham  and  family.  Big  Grove,  1856;  Silas  D.  Burns,  Oak- 
field, i860;  John  D.  Bush,  Exira,  1856;  Deacon  Lyman  Bush,  Exira,  1857; 
Mrs.  Mary  Bush  (wife),  Exira,  1858;  William  S.  Bush  and  family,  Exira, 
1858;  Mrs.  Maria  D.  Butler,  Oakfield,  i860;  John  Calder,  Hamlin's  Grove, 
1854;  George  Calder,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1854;  Stephen  T.  Campbell  and  fam- 
ily,  Oakfield,  about    1855-56;  George  W.   Cannon,   Hamlin's  Grove,    1855; 
Reuben  Carpenter  and   family,  Hamlin's  Grove,    1852;  William  Carpenter, 
Hamhn's  Grove,  1852;  Elijah  Carpenter,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1852;  George  Car- 
penter, Hamlin's  Grove,  1852;  John  Carpenter,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1852;  Henry 
Carpenter,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1852;  David  A.  Carpenter,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1852; 
W.  S.  Carter,  Big  Grove,  1855;  Charles  L.  Chapin  and  family,  Big  Grove, 
1856;  John  Countryman  and  family.  Troublesome,  1852;  Daniel  Crane  and 
family,  Exira,   1855;  John  Crane,  Exira,    1855;  VanBeuren  Crane,   Exira, 
1855;  John  W.  Davis,  Exira,   i860;  Robert  N.  Day  and  family,  Oakfield, 
1857;  Stephen  Deborde,  David's  Creek,  before  1856;  Philip  A.  Decker  and 
family.  Big  Grove,  185 1  ;  Boynton  G.  Dodge  and  family,  Exira,  1856;  John 
W.  Dodge,  Exira,   1856;  James  B.  Donnel,  Hamlin's  Grove,    1854;  James 
H.  Donnel,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1854;  John  M.  Donnel,  Hamlin's  Grove,  185 1; 
Henry  T.   Eagan,   Hamlin's  Grove,    1855;  James  Eagan,   Hamlin's   Grove, 
1855;  Samuel  Eagan,  Hamlin's  Grove,   1855;  Leonard  Earley  and  family, 
Exira,  1859;  Joseph  Eaton,  Big  Grove,  1856;  Alfred  Eddy,  Big  Grove,  1856; 
David  Edgerton  and  family,  Exira,  1852;  Zel  Edgerton,  Exira,  1857;  Will- 
iam B.  Felch  and  family,  Exira,  after  1856;  J.  Lyman  Frost,  Hamlin's  Grove, 
1853;  Carlos  E.  Frost  and  family,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1853;  Mr.  Gage,  Exira, 
1853;  Richard  Gault,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1854;  Dawson  Glasgow  and  family, 
Hamlin's  Grove,  1856;  Edward  Gingery,  Oakfield,  1855;  A.  M.  Graves,  Oak- 
field, about  1856;  Howard  J.  Green  and  family.  Big  Grove,  1855;  Isaac  P. 
Hallock,   Sr.,  and  family,  Oakfield,   1856;  Richard  S.  Hallock  and  family, 
Oakfield,  1856;  John  A.  Hallock,  Oakfield,  1856;  Isaac  P.  Hallock,  Jr.,  Oak- 
field, 1856;  Nathaniel  Hamlin  and  family,  Hamlin's  Grove,  185 1 ;  William  P. 
Hamlin  and  family,  Exira,   i860;  John  Hammer,  Exira,   i860;  Andrew  M. 
Hardy  and  family.  Big  Grove,   1859;  George  W.  Hardy,  Big  Grove,   1859; 
Daniel  M.   Harris  and   family,  Hamlin's  Grove,    1854;  William  J.   Harris, 
Hamlin's  Grove,  1854;  Daniel  W.  Harris,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1854;  Asa  Has- 
kins,  Exira,  1857;  Amherst  Heath  and  family,  Oakfield,  1857;  Hiram  Heath 
and  family,  Oakfield,  1857;  Mark  Heath  and  family,  Oakfield,  1852;  Milton 


74  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Heath  and  family,  Oakfield,  1852;  Hiram  Heath  2d,  Oakfield,  1852;  Alvin 
Herrick  and  family,  Big  Grove,  1853 ;  Urbane  Herrick  and  family,  Big  Grove, 
1853;  Edson  Herrick,  Big  Grove,  1854;  Augustus  C.  Herrick,  Big 
Grove,  1854;  Coit  Herrick,  Big  Grove,  1854;  Curtis  Herrick,  Big  Grove,  1854; 
Elisha  D.  Herrick,  Big  Grove,  1854;  Emerson  Herrick,  Big  Grove,  1854;  Jud- 
son  D.  Herrick,  Big  Grove.  1854;  Benjamin  M.  Hyatt  and  family,  Oakfield, 
1852;  William  H.  Hyatt,  Oakfield,  1852;  Alexander  High,  Oakfield,  about 
1855;  Franklin  Hobbs,  Exira.  1855;  Mercy  Hobbs  (wife),  Exira,  1856; 
Moses  Hockman,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1855;  Samuel  Hockman,  Hamlin's  Grove, 
1855;  Mrs.  Hoggard,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1851  ;  Betsey  A.  Hoggard,  Hamlin's 
Grove,  1851;  John  Hoggard,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1851;  William  Holcraft, 
Troublesome,  1855;  Samuel  B.  Hopkins  and  family,  Oakfield,  1853;  A.  B. 
Houston  and  family,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1856;  Henry  B.  Houston,  Hamlin's 
Grove,  1856;  Oswold  J.  Houston,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1856;  Samuel  Howlett  and 
family,  Oakfield,  i860;  James  Howlett  and  family.  Oakfield,  i860;  Samuel 
Howlett,  Jr..  Oakfield,  i860;  Samuel  Howlett,  3d,  Oakfield,  i860;  Lambert 
Howlett,  Oakfield,  i860;  Julius  M.  Hubbard  and  family,  Oakfield,  1857;  Lud- 
wig  Hummel  and  wife.  Troublesome,  before  1857;  Walter  J.  Jardine  and 
family.  Big  Grove,  1853;  Lyman  Jardine,  Big  Grove,  1853;  John  S.  Jenkins 
and  family.  Oakfield,  1851 ;  Benjamin  F.  Jenkins,  Oakfield,  1851 ;  John  T.  Jen- 
kins, Oakfield,  1851;  Isaac  H.  Jenkins,  Oakfield,  1851;  George  Jenkins, 
Oakfield,  185 1;  Samuel  Johnson,  Exira,  1856;  John  S.  Johnston  and  fam- 
ily. Big  Grove,  1855;  Giles  N.  Jones  and  family,  Oakfield,  1856;  James  M. 
Jones  and  family,  Oakfield,  1856;  Orlin  E.  Jones,  Oakfield,  1856;  George  L. 
Kellogg,  Big  Grove,  1856;  Charles  Kemp,  Big  Grove,  1856;  Reuben  C.  Ken- 
yon,  Exira,  1855;  Alexander  Kincaid  and  family.  Big  Grove,  1855;  James 
Kincaid  and  family.  Big  Grove,  1855;  Henry  K.  Kincaid,  Big  Grove,  1855; 
Joseph  S.  Kirk  and  family.  Big  Grove,  1855;  Andrew  J.  Lefifingwell  and 
family,  Big  Grove,  i860;  Horace  F.  Leffingwell  and  family.  Big  Grove,  1856; 
William  Leffingwell,  Big  Grove,  1856;  Mrs.  Sarah  G.  Lewis,  Hamlin's  Grove, 
1854;  Richard  M.  Lewis  and  family,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1854;  Thomas  S. 
Lewis  and  family,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1854;  Isaac  V.  D.  Lewis  and  family, 
Hamlin's  Grove,  1854;  Charles  E.  Marsh,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1855;  Walter 
Marsh,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1855;  John  McConnell,  Big  Grove,  1856;  Allen 
McDonnel,  Troublesome,  1855;  Rev.  Richard  C.  Meek  and  wife.  Big  Grove, 
1855;  Bryant  Milliman  and  wife,  Exira,  1854;  Levi  B.  Montgomery  and  fam- 
ily, Exira,  1856;  William  N.  Montgomery,  1856;  George  S.  Montgomery, 
Exira,  1856;  John  W.  Montgomery,  Exira,  1856;  Joel  B.  Montgomery, 
Exira,   1856;  Eli  Montgomery,  Exira,    1856;  Levi  J.   Montgomery,   Exira, 


AUDUBO-N    COUNTY,    IOWA.  75 

1856;  James  Mounts,  Big  Grove,  1855;  Henry  S.  Myers,  Big  Grove, 
about  1859;  William  N.  Nelson,  Exira,  1856;  Mrs.  Margaret  Nelson, 
Exira,  1857;  William  C.  Norton  and  family,  Oakfield,  1856;  John  C. 
Norton,  Oaktield,  1856;  Charles  H.  Norton,  Oakfield,  1856;  Robert  A. 
Oliphant,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1854;  Ozro  Othout,  Oakfield,  1856;  William 
Pangburn,  Exira,  1859;  Dennis  Parmeley  and  family,  Troublesome, 
1854;  Richard  E.  Parmeley,  Troublesome,  1854;  Lemuel  Parmeley, 
Troublesome,  1854;  John  Patterson  and  family.  Big  Grove,  1856;  James 
Patterson,  Big  Grove,  1856;  Elam  W.  Pearl,  Oakfield,  1857;  Joshua  A. 
Pearl,  Oakfield,  1857;  Hiram  Perkins,  Exira,  1855;  Stillman  H.  Perry  and 
family,  Exira,  1859;  Zelotes  A.  Phelpes,  Troublesome,  about  1856;  James 
B.  Pixler,  Audubon  township,  1859;  James  Poor,  Hamlin's  Grove,  1857; 
Joseph  Porter  and  family,  Oakfield,  after  1856;  William  Powell  and  fam- 
ily, Exira,  185 1;  W.  Scott  Rice,  Oakfield,  i860;  Robert  Robinson  and  fam- 
ily, Exira,  1859;  William  Robinson,  Exira,  1859;  James  Robinson,  Exira, 
1859;  John  Robinson,  Exira,  1859;  Hamilton  Robinson,  Exira,  1859;  Lewis 
Robinson,  Exira,  1859;  Palmer  Rogers  and  family,  Exira,  1856;  Thomas 
T.  Rogers  and  family,  Oakfield,  1857;  Meridith  Rowland,  Big  Grove,  1857; 
Thomas  A.  Rowland,  Oakfi.eld,  1856;  Michael  Scharff,  Hamlin's  Grove, 
1855;  John  Seiford  and  family,  Big  Grove,  1853;  Harry  D.  Shelley,  Oak- 
field, i860;  William  Shirley,  Big  Grove,  1854;  Reverend  Spooner,  Big 
Grove,  i860;  Brad.  Spurling,  Exira,  1853;  George  W.  Sharp  and  family, 
Exira,  1856;  Samuel  Smith  and  family,  Oakfield,  1854;  William  F.  Smith, 
Oakfield,  1854;  James  S.  Smith,  Oakfield,  1854;  John  E.  Smith,  Oakfield, 
1854;  Samuel  Smith,  Jr.,  Oakfield,  1854;  Samuel  Smith,  David's  Creek,  1856; 
Hendrick  R.  Smith,  David's  Creek,  1856;  William  E.  E.  Smith,  David's 
Creek,  1856;  Andrew  Smith,  David's  Creek,  1856;  Oliver  Smith,  Trouble- 
some,   1858-9;   Robert   Stansberry   and   family,   Big   Grove,    1854;   William 

B.  Stone,  Big  Grove,  1853;  Colbert  Strahl  and  family,  Oakfield,  1855; 
Barzilla  Sylvester,  Exira,  1856;  George  W.  Taylor  and  family.  Big  Grove, 
1855;  John  R.  Thacker  and  family.  Big  Grove,  1856;  Isaac  Thomas,  Ham- 
lin's Grove,  i860;  William  Thompson  and  family,  Exira,  1856;  Thomas 
Truman,  Exira,  1858-9;  Charles  Van  Gorder,  Exira,  i860;  John  J.  Van 
Houghton,  Hamlin's  Grove,  i860;  Asahel  Wakeman,  i860;  Wilham 
Walker,    Troublesome,     1855;     Chauncey    E.     Ward,     Big    Grove,     1856; 

C.  Dwight  West,  Big  Grove,  1854;  Peoria  L  Whitted,  Hamlin's  Grove, 
1853  .•  William  Wiggins  and  family.  Big  Grove,  1855;  Nathaniel  Wiggins 
and  family,  Big  Grove,  1855;  Charles  Wiggins,  Big  Grove,  about  i860; 
Whitman  Wilcox  and   family,   Hamlin's  Grove,  after   1856;  John  Wilcox, 


76  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Hamlin's  Grove,  after  1856;  Mr.  Wilkins,  ,  ;  Mr.  Wilkin- 
son,   ,  1853;  Joseph  J.  Williams  and  family,  Brushy,  1859;  George 

Wire,  ,  1855;  George  Wise  and  family,  Oakfield,   1855. 

In  some  instances  in  the  foregoing  list,  the  dates  of  settlement  are 
given  as  before  the  respective  towns  were  actually  laid  out  and  platted.  In 
such  instances,  the  intention  is  to  say  that  the  parties  settled  at  or  near  where 
these  towns  were  afterward  located,  respectively. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  old  settlers  who  came  before  1861  and  now 
reside  here,  with  places  of  residence  and  dates  of  settlement:  Lysanius  M. 
Anderson,  Audubon,  1855;  Mrs.  Nettie  Bartlett,  Hamlin  township,  1855; 
David  B.  Beers,  Brayton,  1854;  Frank  Beers,  Greely  township,  1857;  ^^s. 
Mary  I.  Crane,  Exira,  1854;  Arthur  Dodge,  Hamlin  township,  1855;  Mrs. 
Catherine  L.  Gearheart,  Brayton,  1857;  Mrs.  Hannah  M.  Hawk,  Exira, 
1851;  Hiram  Heath,  Exira,  1852;  Lewis  C.  Heath,  Brayton,  1857;  Judson 
D.  Herrick,  Exira,  1854;  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Hicks,  Exira,  1856;  John  T.  Jenkins, 
Brayton,  1851 ;  Mrs.  Darthula  Jenkins,  Brayton,  1857;  Irving  Jones,  Exira 
township,  1856;  George  Leffingwell,  West  Exira,  i860;  Elbert  M.  Lewis, 
Exira  township,  185  ;  Isaac  V.  D.  Lewis,  Exira  township,  1854;  Mrs.  Jane 
Milliman,  Exira,  1854;  William  H.  Milhman,  Exira,  1855;  Mrs.  MaHnda 
C.  Radcliff,  Exira  township,  185 1;  Horatio  W.  Rogers,  Exira  township, 
1857;  Hendrick  R.  Smith,  Exira,  1856;  Mrs.  Ella  M.  Temple,  Exira  town- 
ship, 185  ;  Charles  Van  Gorder,  Audubon,  i860;  C.  Dwight  West,  Hamlin 
township,  1854;  Mrs.  Louisa  C.  Whitted,  Exira,  1856. 

THE   HOMESTEADERS. 

The  "homestead"'  excitement  of  1870  to  1880  was  an  era  which  brought 
many  new  people  to  Audubon  county,  who  would  not  otherwise  have  settled 
here.  The  facts  were  substantially  these :  The  title  to  the  lands  afterwards 
mebraced  in  Iowa,  was  vested  in  the  United  States  by  the  Louisiana  Pur- 
chase from  France  in  1803,  and  so  remained  when  Iowa  was  admitted  a 
state  in  1845,  except  a  few  small  grants,  notably  Dubuque,  etc.,  made  by 
Spain  before  the  Louisiana  Purchase. 

In  1856  Congress  granted  large  amounts  of  land  in  Iowa  to  aid  in  the 
construction  of  railroads.  One  of  those  grants  was  for  a  railroad  from 
Davenport  to  Council  Bluffs,  made  to  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri  Railroad 
Company.  It  gave  to  the  company  all  land  not  then  already  disposed  of, 
in  odd  numbered  sections  on  each  side  of  the  proposed  route  for  six  miles,  or 
not  to  exceed  fifteen  miles.  The  grant  was  in  the  nature  of  a  float,  the  title  not 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  77 

fully  vested,  but  conditioned  upon  future  acts  of  the  government,  and  of 
their  compliance  by  the  proposed  railroad  company.  The  principal  require- 
ments were  the  survey  of  the  proposed  route,  the  selection  of  their  lands, 
and  the  building  of  the  road.  The  survey  was  soon  made  by  Granville  M. 
Dodge,  of  Council  Bluffs,  who  is  still  living,  and  passed  through  the  town  of 
Exira.  It  was  called  the  Dodge  survey.  The  lands  were  promptly  selected 
in  conformity  with  the  survey.  Afterwards,  the  rights  of  the  Mississippi  & 
Missouri  Company  were  transferred  to  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railroad  Company.  A  new  survey  was  made,  deflecting  south  from  the 
original  line,  the  new  line  running  from  what  is  now  the  town  of  Adair,  by 
way  of  what  is  now  Atlantic,  thence  on  to  Council  Bluffs.  The  new  line  was 
about  thirteen  miles  south  of  Exira.  A  new  and  additional  grant  of  land 
was  made  by  Congress  to  further  aid  in  construction  of  the  road,  giving  to 
the  company  all  lands  not  previously  disposed  of,  for  twenty  miles  on  each 
side  of  the  route. 

The  railroad  was  completed  through  to  Council  Bluffs  on  the  new  route 
in  1869,  and  the  lands  were  certified  by  the  government  to  the  company  in 
conformity  with  the  grants. 

It  was  disclosed  by  the  survey  and  selection  of  the  lands,  that  most  of 
the  government  lands  across  Iowa  along  the  route  of  the  proposed  road,  had 
already  been  disposed  of  at  the  time  the  grants  were  made.  The  bulk  of 
the  lands  actually  selected  for  the  company  were  found  to  be  located  in 
Audubon  and  Shelby  counties. 

About  1870,  a  lawyer,  named  Joseph  A.  Straight,  a  pleasant,  accom- 
plished gentleman,  located  at  Exira.  He  conceived  the  opinion  that  the 
Chicago,  Rock  -Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company  had  forfeited  its  right  to 
the  grants  in  question  in  so  far  as  they  related  to  lands  lying  more  than  twenty 
miles  from  the  line  of  the  road  as  actually  constructed.  His  opinion  was 
promulgated  and  caught  like  wildfire;  people  here  and  from  abroad  adopted 
and  acted  upon  it,  and  by  the  hundreds  rushed  to  secure  the  unoccupied 
railroad  lands  as  homesteads.  They  settled  and  built  upon  the  lands  and 
proceeded  to  improve  and  convert  them  into  farms  and  homes.  It  was 
the  prominent  theme  of  business  in  the  northern  portion  of  the  county  for 
several  years.  Actions  were  brought  against  the  so-called  "homesteaders" 
to  eject  them  from  the  lands.  George  W.  Capron  came  here  from  Illinois, 
bought  land  from  the  railroad  company,  partially  improved  and  built  a  house 
upon  it,  then  sold  the  house  which  was  removed,  and  returned  to  Illinois. 
Three  forty-acre  tracts  of  his  land  were  settled  on  by  William  Emery,  H.  P. 
Emery  and  Robert  Campbell,  respectively,  who  sought  to  hold  the  lands  as 


78  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

homesteads.  Here  was  a  dilemma.  Capron  did  not  desire  to  lose  his  prop- 
erty and  could  not  recover  his  purchase  money  from  the  railroad  company 
until  he  was  legally  ousted  from  the  land.  So  he  reluctantly  brought  actions 
in  1874  against  each  of  the  parties  to  eject  them  from  his  lands.  The  case 
of  George  W.  Capron  vs.  William  Emery  involved  the  title  to  the  south- 
west quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  27,  township  80,  range  35, 
and  was  the  first  of  the  many  homestead  cases.  It  was  tried  by  a  jury, 
before  Hon.  T.  R.  Stockton,  circuit  judge,  and  decree  was  entered  for 
plaintiff,  October  i,  1874.  The  other  two  cases  were  decided  in  favor  of 
plaintiff.  H.  F.  Andrews  was  attorney  for  plaintiff,  assisted  by  Thomas  S. 
Wright  on  behalf  of  the  railroad  company.  Charles  D.  Gray  was  attorney 
for  defendants. 

The  contention  of  plaintiff'  in  these  cases  was  that  the  conditions  in  the 
grants  to  the  railroad  company,  which  had  not  been  actually  performed  by 
the  company,  had  been  waived  by  implication  by  the  government,  and  that 
the  title  to  the  lands  had  fully  vested  in  the  railroad  company  before  the 
attempted  homestead  entries. 

A  large  number  of  ejectment  suits  were  afterwards  maintained  against 
the  homesteaders  by  the  railroad  company.  None  of  the  homestead  claim- 
ants were  successful,  but  they  caused  a  world  of  trouble  and  unsettled  the 
title  to  the  railroad  lands  for  several  years.  A  large  number  of  claimants 
were  forcibly  ejected  and  removed  from  the  lands  by  the  sheriff,  who  set 
out  their  property  and  household  effects  into  the  public  highway.  Some  of 
the  claimants  yielded,  compromised  and  bought  their  lands  from  the  railroad 
company. 

Joseph  Tharnish  was  the  first  homestead  settler  on  Blue  Grass  creek 
about  1871.  His  claim  included  part  of  the  present  site  of  the  town  of 
Audubon. 

These  affairs  engendered  much  bitterness  against  the  railroad  company; 
but,  on  the  whole,  the  contentions  were  conducted  with  decorum.  Happily, 
the  whole  of  that  unpleasantness  has_long  since  vanished. 

FIRST   EVENTS. 

First  Settlers:  Xatbaniel  Hamlin,  May  6,  1851  ;  John  S.  Jenkins  and 
family,  May  6,  1851  ;  Philip  A.  Decker,  May  6,  185 1  ;  John  Hoggard,  May  6, 
1851 ;  Betsey  A.  Hoggard,  May  6,  1851. 

First  log  cabin,   Nathaniel  Hamlin,  May  7,    1851;  first  birth,  child  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  79 

Philip  A.  Decker,  December,  1851:  first  death,  Mrs.  PhiHp  A.  Decker, 
December.  185 1;  first  physician,  Samuel  M.  Ballard,  185 1;  first  saw-mill, 
John  Countryman,  1852-3;  first  frame  building,  John  Countryman,  1852-3; 
first  postmaster.  Nathaniel  Hamlin,  December  5,  1853;  first  lawyer,  Daniel 
M.  Harris,  1854;  first  school  house,  private,  Hamlin  &  Harris,  1854;  first 
school  teacher,  Ellen  Northgraves,  1854;  first  blacksmith.  Charles  Marsh, 
1855;  first  store.  Erasmus  D.  Bradley,  Oakfield,  1855;  first  election,  April  2, 
1855 ;  first  town  platted,  Dayton,  July  9,  1855  ;  first  term  of  court,  November, 
1855;  first  marriage,  George  L.  Kellogg  and  Susannah  Kenyon,  April  16. 
1856;  first  shoemaker,  John  S.  Johnston,  1856;  first  steam-mills,  Green, 
Chapin  &  Burnham  and  Samuel  M.  Ballard.  1856;  first  public 
school  house,  Hamlin's,  1856;  first  Fourth  of  July  celebration,  1856; 
first  brick-makers.  James  Poor.  Avery  Belcher,  Thomas  Stevens,  1857-8; 
first  county  fair,  1859;  first  newspaper,  Audubon  County  Pioneer,  J.  C. 
Brown  and  John  J.  A^an  Houghton,  i860;  first  hotel.  Palmer  Rogers,  Exira. 
1858;  first  harnessmaker,  David  E.  Soar,  Exira,  1866;  first  church  edifice, 
Exira,  1870;  first  brick  building,  H.  F.  Andrews,  Exira,  1873;  first  pool  hall, 
John  Hilton,  Exira,  1874-5;  first  Imnk,  Charles  Van  Gorder,  Exira,  1876; 
first  notary  public,  Alonzo  N.  Arnold,  Oakfield,  1855. 

EARLY    MARRIAGES. 

George  L.  Kellogg  and  Susannah  Kenyon,  April  16,  1856;  William 
Carpenter  and  Martha  H.  Johnson,  June  22,  1856;  Barzilla  Sylvester  and 
Beulah  Thacker,  April  13,  1857;  William  Walker  and  Nancy  J.  Bowen, 
February  iS,  1858;  Charles  E.  Marsh  and  Elizabeth  Millholland,  November 
28,  1858;  Lee  L.  Bartlett  and  Sarah  B.  Jenkins,  1859;  John  C.  Morrison  and 
Margaret  L  Robinson,  December  15.  1859;  John  Crane  and  Mary  L  Harris,. 
December  24,  1859;  John  A.  Hallock  and  Katherine  Crane,  January  30, 
i860;  Peoria  I.  Whitted  and  Louisa  C.  Montgomery,  February  28,  i860; 
John  W.  Dodge  and  Eliza  Smith,  March  12,  i860;  William  Queery  and 
Sarah  E.  Firk,  March  13,  i860;  Isaac  Thomas  and  Mary  M.  Hamlin,  March 
14,  i860;  Thomas  A.  Rowland  and  Melvina  C.  Lewis,  March  16,  i860; 
Richard  Gault  and  Mary  L.  Herrick,  May  i,  i860;  George  H.  Calder  and 
Judith  A.  Howlett,  April  14,  1861  ;  Elam  W.  Pearl  and  Sarah  F.  Norton, 
April  23,  t86i  ;  Thomas  W.  Osborn  and  Lucy  Dungan,  May  5,  1861  ;  James 
B.  Root  and  Martha  L  Donnel,  October  19,  1861  ;  Luke  Imus  and  Caroline 
Parmley,  December  12,  1861 ;  Richard  F.  Parmeley  and  Mary  E.  Johnston, 


8o  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

August  26,  1862;  Avery  Belcher  and  Thersa  Earley,  March  14,  1863;  OHver 
Smith  and  Emily  J.  Beers,  March  20,  1864;  Christian  J.  Wyland  and  Amanda 
H.  Dunington,  April  11,  1864;  James  A.  Poage  and  Priscilla  J.  Hopkins, 
July  28,  1864;  George  W.  Cannon  and  Harriet  Jenkins,  September  27,  1864; 
Samuel  Howlett  and  Mary  E.  Brown,  October  27,  1864;  W.  A.  Ellis  and 
Caroline  Earley,  January  9,  1865;  John  T.  Jenkins  and  Darthula  Rogers, 
January  19,  1865;  Chauncey  E.  Ward  and  Maria  A.  Bowdish,  February  i, 
1865;  Washington  M.  Harmison  and  Sarah  M.  Bailey,  March  7,  1865; 
Franklin  Salter  and  Mary  A.  Crane,  August  27,  1865 ;  Joseph  Dungan  and 
Alice  Carley,  October  8,  1865;  Jacob  Lawrence  and  Martha  Wilson,  Novem^ 
ber  28,  1865;  George  Lawrence  and  Mary  E.  Wilson,  November  28,  1865? 
William  Bice  and  Susan  Wilson,  December  6,  1865;  Robert  A.  Oliphant  and' 
Mrs.  Sarah  M.  Harmison,  January  i,  1866;  Abram  Van  Winkle  and  Harriet 
Schultz,  April  18,  1866;  Charles  H.  Norton  and  Charlotte  Howlett,  April 
29,  1866;  Charles  E.  Hawk  and  Hannah  M.  Hamlin,  May  20,  1866;  Xerxes 
Knox  and  Nancy  C.  Smith,  July  29,  1866;  Judson  D.  Herrick  and  Mrs. 
Louisa  Strickland,  November  8,  1866;  Jaynes  Robinson  and  Mary  Heuthern, 
December  30,  1866;  George  Gingery  and  Virginia  Goodale,  February  2, 
1867 ;  William  Radcliff  and  INIalinda  C.  Hamlin,  February  28,  1867;  Ayers 
D.  Martin  and  Sarah  L.  Whitney,  March  3,  1867;  George  W.  Bowdish  and 
Ellen  Clark,  April  28,  1867;  N.  C.  Maffitt  and  Josephine  Lewis,  June  3,  1867;. 
James  Luckenbill  and  Sarah  A.  Carpenter,  June  19,  1867;  J.  H.  Harrington 
and  Maggie  M.  Montgomery,  June  31,  1867;  Joel  H.  Basham  and  Melissa 
Hallock,  July  2,  1867;  A^incent  Bateham  and  Maria  Paige,  September  'j 
1867;  John  C.  Donnel  and  Hattie  M.  Donner,  September  28,  1867;  Edward 
Calph  and  Martha  J.  Hamlin,  November  17,  1867;  Henry  Decker  and  Mary 
Wilson,  December  25,  1867;  John  C.  Norton  and  Susie  M.  Ostrander,  Febru- 
ary I,  1868;  Isaac  H.  Jenkins  and  Clarissa  W.  Chase,  March  15,  1868; 
Henry  D.  Martin  and  Eliza  V.  Reynolds,  March  28,  1868;  Hugh  E.  McNutb 
and  Sarah  A.  Griffin,  March  28,  1868;  Joseph  Walker  and  Juliet  F.  Bowen, 
April  19,  1868;  Isaac  P.  Hallock  and  Malinda  A.  Norton,  May  10,  1868; 
Samuel  Smith  and  IMrs.  Louann  Bailey,  June  i,  1868;  Henry  T.  Egan  and 
Mary  A.  Reynolds,  July  6,  1868:  David  E.  Soar  and  Rebecca  N.  Harris,  July 
17,  1868;  Lysannius  M.  Anderson  and  Tryphenia  Hopkins,  November  12, 
1868;  Samuel  F.  Donnel  and  Mrs.  Tamzey  Flora,  November  15,  1868;  G.  R. 
Trowbridge  and  Elizabeth  J.  Hamlin,  November  19,  1868;  Adam  B.  Griffin, 
and  Sarah  A.  Wiggins,  November  26,  1868;  Daniel  Heald  and  Mary  J. 
\\'ood,  December  29,  1868. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  8l 

FIRST  SETTLERS   IN   THE   SEVERAL  TOWNSHIPS. 

Exira,  Nathaniel  Hamlin  and  John  T.  S.  Jenkins,  1851;  Oakfield,  Dr. 
Samuel  M.  Ballard,  185 1;  Hamlin,  Hiram  Perkins,  1855;  Audubon,  Daniel 
M.  Harris,  1856;  Greeley,  Samuel  Smith,  1856;  Viola,  Joseph  J.  Williams, 
1859;  Leroy,  Darius  Barlow,  1863;  Cameron,  Robert  Gunn,  1868;  Douglas, 
Thomas  J.  Ellsberry,  1870;  Melville,  Benjamin  F.  Miller,  1869;  Lincoln, 
Isaac  K.  Johnson,  1871. 


(6) 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE   FIRST    SETTLERS. 


THE  HAMLINS. 

The  ancestry  of  the  HamHn  family  beyond  a  certain  hmit  is  unknown. 
Nathaniel  Hamlin,  our  first  settler,  supposed  they  were  English,  which  is 
probably  true.  It  is  an  old  English  name,  as  early  as  the  Norman  conquest, 
1066.  Several  of  the  names  were  among  the  very  early  settlers  of  New 
England.  Monmouth  and  other  places  in  New-  Jersey  were  settled  by  colon- 
ists from  New^  England  before  1700.  The  discovery  of  Hamlins  in  New 
Jersey  at  that  period  suggests  their  emigration  from  New  England. 

A  man  named  Hamlin,  perhaps  John,  lived  in  Suffolk  county,  New- 
Jersey,  as  appears  from  the  records  of  birthplaces  of  his  children.  He  was 
twice  married  and  probably  died  in  New  Jersey.  His  children  l)y  his  first 
wife  were:  Nathaniel,  who  built  the  first  house  in  Columbus,  Ohio;  John, 
who  is  referred  to  in  the  following  paragraph;  Richard,  who  went  to  Ver- 
mont. By  a  second  wife,  there  were  two  children,  James,  who  settled  in 
Lewis  county,  Kentucky,  and  a  daughter. 

John  Hamlin,  son  of  John  (  ?)  above  named,  was  born  in  Huntington, 
New  Jersey,  July  2,  1759,  and  married  Mrs.  Rosannah  (Hayes)  Lard, 
widows  of  James  Lard.  By  a  former  husband  she  had  a  son.  James,  wdio 
was  adopted  by  Mr.  Hamlin.  They  moved  to  XVashington  county.  Penn- 
sylvania; thence  to  Delaware  county,  Ohio.  The  journey  was  by  flatboat 
down  the  Ohio  river.  Later  they  lived  at  the  Salt  Licks,  Lewis  county,- 
Kentucky.  He  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  from  Sussex  county.  New  Jer- 
sey: Private  in  Captain  Hulick's  company  under  General  Dickensen,  one 
month,  1776;  private  in  Captain  Benjamin  McCullough's  company,  under 
General  Dickensen,  three  months,  1776-7;  private  in  Captain  Lock's  com- 
pany, under  General  Dickensen,  one  month.  1777;  private  in  Captain  Hiler's 
company,  one  month,  1777;  private  in  Captain  Ward's  company,  three 
months,  1777.  He  w-as  a  powerful  man  physically  and  a  noted  athlete  and 
fighter  in  his  day.  few  men  being  his  equals  in  personal  encounter.  He 
died  at  Columbus.  Ohio,  when  over  eighty  years  of  age.     His  children  were : 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  83 

James,  adopted,  married  Sally,  daughter  of  Reuben  Hamlin;  William  (see 
record  of  him  in  the  following  paragraph)  :  Eleanor,  married  her  cousm, 
Charles,  son  of  Nathaniel  Hamlin. 

William  Hamlin,  son  of  John,  was  born  in  Lewis  county  Kentucky,  on 
July  9,  1791.  He  married  there,  February  3,  181 1,  Mary,  daughter  of 
James  and  Sarah  (Golden)  Smith,  who  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  May  21, 
1786.  He  was  a  farmer.  He  built  a  log  cabin  at  the  Salt  Licks,  Kentucky, 
and  afterwards  a  more  pretentious  dwelling,  where  he  lived  and  reared  a 
family.  In  later  years  he  was  deputy  sheriff.  He  was  a  private  in  Captain 
Seward's  company,  under  General  Shelby,  Kentucky  militia,  August  28  to 
November  3,  1814.  These  were  mounted  troops,  each  man  furnishing  his 
own  horse  and  equipment.  His  half-brother,  James  (Lard)  Hamlin,  served 
with  him.  His  father  accompanied  them ;  having  been  an  old  soldier,  he 
said  he  would  go  along  to  take  care  of  the  boys.  They  participated  in  the 
battle  of  the  Thames  in  Canada,  under  General  Harrison,  in  which  Col. 
Dick  Johnson  led  an  attack  against  the  Indians  under  Tecumseh.  A  per- 
sonal encounter  ensued  between  Colonel  Johnson  and  Tecumseh,  who  shot 
at  each  other,  and  the  colonel  fell  wounded.  Capt.  James  Johnson,  who 
was  present,  saw  his  brother  fall  and  supposed  he  was  killed;  he  then 
attacked  Tecumseh.  who  fell  mortally  wounded.  It  is  not  settled  who  was 
the  slayer  of  Tecumseh.  Nathaniel  Hamlin  told  the  writer  that  he  had 
heard  his  father  say  that  he  was  present  at  the  fight,  and  that  he  person- 
ally captured  the  headdress  and  tomahawk  of  Tecumseh  as  trophies  on 
that  occasion.  On  the  return  from  Canada,  the  father,  John  Hamlin,  fell 
sick,  and  was  conveyed  home  in  a  horse-litter,  which  required  so  much 
attention  that  he  (William)  neglected  his  baggage,  and  the  trophies  were 
stolen  from  him,  as  he  supposed,  and  were  lost.  William  Hamlin  was  a 
strong  man,  with  black  hair  and  eyes  and  red  whiskers.  He  died  at  Salt 
Lick  on  November  25,  1837.  His  widow  went  to  live  with  her  son,  Will- 
iam, at  Bethel,  Ohio,  then  at  Homer,  Illinois,  and  came  to  Audubon  county 
with  him  in  185 1.  She  located  the  land  warrant  for  the  military  service 
of  her  husband  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  7, 
and  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  and  the  northwest  quarter 
of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  8,  in  township  ']'],  range  36,  on  Buck 
creek,  now  Pymosa  township,  Cass  county,  Iowa.  A  patent  was  issued  to 
her  for  the  same  on  September  20.  1861,  signed  by  Abraham  Lincoln,  Presi- 
dent. She  lived  with  her  son,  William,  at  what  was  known  as  the  Barney 
Harris  place,  on  Buck  creek,  and  at  Exira.  She  returned  to  Ohio  and  Ken- 
tucky in  1865  with  her  daughters,  Mrs.  Beck  and  Mrs.  Glasgow,  but  came 


84  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 

back  to  Audubon  county  in  1867.  Here  she  lived  with  her  son  Nathaniel 
until  her  death,  June  30,  1866,  aged  over  one  hundred  years. 

To  William  and  Mary  Hamlin  the  following  children  were  born  in 
Lewis  county,  Kentucky:  Rosanna,  born  on  January  18,  1812,  married 
Hiram  M.  Beck;  Nathaniel,  March  13,  1814,  married  Margaret  Poage; 
James,  April  i,  181 5,  married  Eliza  Shearer;  John,  September  3,  18 16, 
died  on  October  28,  1826;  Sarah,  January  12,  1818,  married  James  H. 
Denham;  Christiana,  December  7,  1819,  married  Dawson  Glasgow;  William 
Parker,  November  14,  1821,  married  Justenia  Lafargee;  Mary,  March  23, 
1823,  married  John  Johnson. 

We  have  given  the  lineage  of  the  Ha'mlins  and  the  record  of  the  chil- 
dren of  William  Hamlin  with  greater  particularity,  because  several  of  the 
family  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Audubon  county. 

NATHANIEL  HAMLIN. 

The  prominence  of  our  first  settler  merits  a  tribute  to  his  memory. 
Forming  his  acquaintance  in  1865,  and  holding  the  relation  of  his  trusted  legal 
adviser  for  years  in  many  transactions,  furnished  the  writer  the  experience 
and  opportunity  to  form  an  accurate  estimate  of  his  character  as  a  leading 
prominent  man  and  citizen  of  this  community  for  half  a  century.  Our 
political  principles  were  diametrically  opposed.  Mr.  Hamlin  was  a  Ken- 
tuckian,  of  mature  age  when  I  first  knew  him,  imbued  with  southern  ideas; 
a  believer  in  the  Confederacy,  so  much  so  that  he  named  a  son  for  Robert 
E.  Lee.  The  writer  was  a  Yankee  boy  from  Maine,  just  from  three  years' 
service  in  the  Union  army,  a  Republican,  with  all  that  it  implied.  During 
war  times  here  party  spirit  ran  to  extremes,  and  Republicans  and  Democrats 
entertained  bitter  hostile  relations,  which  had  not  subsided.  The  writer  was 
naturally  prejudiced  against  the  views  of  Mr.  Hamlin,  who  was  a  party 
leader,  and  with  those  who  acted  with  him.  Subsequent  years  of  associa- 
tion generated  mutual  respect  for  each  other. 

Perhaps  others  can  tell  the  life  of  Mr.  Hamlin  better  than  the  writer. 
He  was  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity,  truthful  in  an  eminent  degree,  and 
generous  to  the  limit — an  old-fashioned  gentleman.  In  mature  life,  he  was 
of  erect  figure,  five  feet  and  ten  inches  in  stature;  weight,  one  hundred  and 
fifty-five  pounds;  brown  hair  and  eyes;  light  florid  complexion,  with  thin, 
full  beard.  In  later  life  he  became  stooped,  and  his  hair  and  beard  were 
gray.  His  book  learning  was  limited  and  was  received  in  the  rude  hut  used 
for  schools  at  that  period,  furnished  with  desks  and  seats  split  and  hewed 


Tl. 
PUT; 


\RY 


,\3 


OLD  HAMLIN  HOUSE.  WEST  FRONT— Left  to  right:  Hendrick  11.  Smith,  1856; 
Maturiii  L.  Thomas,  grandson  of  Nathaniel  Hamlin;  present  owner.  Isaac  V.  D. 
Lewis,  is.",4.  The  building  at  the  right  was  the  oftiee  of  the  Western  Stage  Co.  up 
to  INUS. 


OLD   HAMLIN   HOUSE.    EAST   FRONT— Left   to   right:    Maturin   L.   Thomas,   grandson 
of  Nathaniel  Hamlin;   Isaac  V.  D.  Lewis,  1S54;  Hendrick  R.   Smith,  185G. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 


85 


from  logs,  and  secured  by  big  wooden  pins.  His  training  was  physical, 
relating  to  the  stern  realities  of  pioneer  life;  hewing  down  the  primeval 
forests  and  forcing  a  home  from  the  wilderness,  rather  than  the  pursuits 
of  literature.  In  youth  he  was  an  expert  hunter,  and,  with  gun  and  dogs, 
roamed  through  timber  and  mountains  in  pursuit  of  bear,  deer  and  other 
wild  game;  and  he  was  rewarded  with  trophies  of  his  prowess  in  the  chase. 
In  reminiscent  moods,  he  sometimes  related  incidents  in  the  lives  of 
himself  and  kindred,  some  of  which  have  been  preserved.     He  related  the 


THE  FIK.ST   SETTLER  IX  AUDUBON  COUNTY 


following:  "I  once  killed  the  largest  bear  ever  found  in  the  neighborhood. 
It  stole  in  one  night  and  destroyed  several  litters  of  pigs,  and  was  discov- 
ered next  morning.  A  Mr.  Carter,  who  had  a  large  pack  of  hounds,  cor- 
ralled him  in  a  thicket;  but  the  bear  dispersed  the  hounds.  I  was  sent  for, 
and,  with  gun  and  dogs,  hastened  to  the  scene.  One  of  my  dogs  attacked 
the  bear  and  was  disabled.  The  bear  escaped  and  crawled  into  a  hollow 
chestnut  log,  where  I  shot,  wounded  and  enraged  it.  It  made  a  rush, 
knocked  me  down  and  escaped.  A  race  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  left  me 
behind,  but  the  dogs  followed  and  brought  the  bear  to  bay  on  a  hillside, 


86  AUDUBON    COUNTY,   IOWA. 

where  a  terrible  fight  took  place  between  the  bear  and  dogs.  I  got  there  in 
time  to  shoot  and  kill  the  bear."  Mr.  Hamlin's  love  for  hunting  continued 
as  long  as  game  was  abundant,  and  he  kept  a  variety  of  guns,  and  several 
noble  hounds  at  his  home  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  The  baying  of 
hounds  was  music  to  his  ear. 

Nathaniel  Hamlin  was  born  in  Lewis  county,  Kentucky,  March  13, 
1814.  On  arriving  at  majority,  he  remained  in  his  native  place  and  worked 
at  whip-sawing  in  the  timber  at  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  a  day. 
One  season  his  crew  got  out  the  frame  for  a  steamboat.  He  remembered 
the  first  saw-mill  set  up  in  that  county.  Before  that  event  they  lived  in  log 
cabins,  floored  with  "puncheons,"  split  out  of  logs  and  roughly  hewed  with 
broad-axes.  After  his  father's  death,  in  the  fall  of  1837,  he  left  the  "old 
Kentucky  home"  and  went  to  Champaign  county,  Illinois,  where  he  worked 
a  season  on  the  Illinois  Central  railroad.  Two  outfits  worked  on  the  job, 
one  company  being  Americans,  the  other  Irishmen.  To  his  disgust  he  was 
put  to  work  with  the  latter  gang;  but  he  soon  discovered  information  which 
he  turned  to  advantage.  In  addition  to  the  regular  wages  paid,  the  labor- 
ers were  allowed  several  "jiggers"  (drinks  of  whisky)  a  day.  Mr.  Hamlin 
exchanged  his  share  for  labor  with  other  workmen,  and  thus  got  to  rest 
while  others  worked — in  the  absence  of  the  "boss." 

On  April  9,  1840,  Mr.  Hamlin  married  in  Vermilion  county,  Illinois, 
Margaret,  daughter  of  Allan  and  Margaret  (Terrill)  Poage.  She  was  born 
in  Greenup  county,  Kentucky,  August  12,  1824.  This  proved  the  best 
adventure  of  Mr.  Hamlin's  life.  For  several  years  after  marriage  they 
had  a  struggle  for  existence.  Times  were  hard,  money  scarce  and  farm 
products  commanded  but  low  prices.  They  were  not  landowners  yet,  but 
were  obliged  to  accept  indulgence  for  subsistence ,  which  was  obtained. 
When  the  time  for  payment  came  thev  were  less  able  to  pay  than  at  the 
start,  so  that  a  note  for  the  debt,  at  twelve  per  cent,  interest,  was  given  for 
extension  of  time.  This  was  paid  at  maturity  out  of  the  proceeds  of  hogs 
raised,  fattened  and  marketed  at  one  and  a  quarter  cents  a  pound.  About 
this  time  he  got  a  job  hauling  grain  to  Chicago,  which  furnished  the  neces- 
sities for  a  living,  and  they  secured  a  small  lot  of  stock.  They  sold  out  in 
Illinois  at  extremely  low  prices  (the  best  cow  brought  only  seven  dollars), 
and  in  the  fall  of  1844  went  to  Sand  Ridge,  near  Trenton,  in  Henry  county, 
Iowa.  The  following  year  he  returned  to  Illinois  to  collect  the  proceeds 
of  the  sale  of  the  previous  year,  and  received  pay  in  Indiana  and  Ohio  bank 
notes,  or  "wildcat"  money,  which  proved  to  be  of  doubtful  value.  This 
reverse  brought  them  to  the  foot  again  financially.     In  the  spring  of   1845 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  87 

they  loaded  their  effects  into  two  wagons  and  started  for  the  new  purchase 
made  from  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  where  he  had  bought  from  his  uncle, 
for  thirty  dollars  on  time,  an  abandoned  claim  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land,  in  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  Mahaska  county,  on  the 
Skunk  river. 

Mr.  Hamlin  related :  ''When  we  got  there  I  had  but  a  five-franc  piece 
left.  Our  claim  had  a  log  hut  on  it,  without  roof  or  floor,  and  we  used 
the  bark  of  basswood  trees  for  a  loft,  the  logs  being  split  for  rails.  We 
lived  there  until  the  following  September.  Some  people  claimed  that  our 
'wildcat'  money  was  worth  fifty  cents  on  the  dollar,  but  I  ga\e  eighty  dollars 
of  it  on  the  Circleville,  Ohio,  bank  for  a  squirrel  rifle,  which  I  still  have 
and  with  which  we  procured  all  the  meat  we  had  for  two  years.  During 
that  time  we  lived  on  the  scantiest  fare,  having  neither  coffee,  except  such 
as  we  made  from  parched  corn,  nor  sugar,  nor  even  soda  for  our  bread. 
On  a  diet  of  cornbread  and  corn  coffee,  I  have  walked  a  mile  and  a  half 
and  split  two  hundred  rails  a  day.  After  we  had  been  in  Mahaska  county 
awhile,  I  went  back  to  Henry  county  to  mill,  and  while  resting  in  an  emi- 
grant camp  I  found  a  half  dollar,  which  was  then  more  highly  prized  than 
one  thousand  dollars  would  be  today.  There  was  no  money  in  the  country 
until  1848,  when  a  colony  of  Hollanders  settled  in  Marion  county.  They 
soon  built  a  grist-mill,  which  was  a  great  relief  to  the  settlers.  I  was  now 
able  to  pay  my  claim.  I  might  possibly  have  borrowed  some  money  at  very 
high  rates,  but  when  I  got  out  of  debt  in  Illinois  I  made  a  vow  never  again, 
if  I  could  avoid  it,  to  get  into  debt,  and  was  determined  to  keep  my  word. 
At  the  end  of  two  years  my  clothes  were  in  tatters;  but  of  two  deer  skins, 
which  I  tanned,  I  made,  with  whangs,  a  pair  of  pants  and  moccasins.  With 
another  buckskin  I  got  my  first  start  of  hogs  by  trading  it  with  a  neighbor 
for  a  shoat,  which  I  carried  a  mile  and  a  half  home  on  my  back.  A  friend 
loaned  us  a  cow,  from  which  we  obtained  milk  and  butter." 

It  was  a  common  thing  for  Mr.  Hamlin  and  his  neighbors  to  grind 
corn  for  meal  in  a  hand-mill.  He  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  1846, 
and  held  the  office  until  he  came  to  Audubon  county. 

In  1848  Mr.  Hamlin  made  a  trip  to  Illinois  to  visit  friends.  He  agreed 
with  a  man  to  put  up  some  hay  for  him  while  he  was  absent,  which  he 
failed  to  do.  The  corn  was  frosted,  and  some  of  it  was  cut  up  and 
shocked  for  feed.  The  snow  came  in  October,  before  the  ground  froze, 
and  laid  all  winter,  so  that  in  the  spring  they  were  able  to  gather  their  pota- 
toes and  turnips,  which  had  laid  in  the  ground  all  winter,  unhurt.  They 
suffered  in  Mahaska  county  from  fever  and  ague,  as  they  had  in  Illinois, 


88  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

and  decided  to  move  again  and  make  another  trial  for  a  home.  So  they 
sold  their  land  in  Mahaska  in  1850  for  one  thousand  dollars,  and  took  most 
of  the  pay  in  oxen  and  young  cattle. 

We  have  previously  given  an  account  of  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Hamlin 
and  his  family  in  Audubon  county  in  185 1.  The  site  of  his  home  was  on 
the  south  side  of  "Unexpected  creek,"  a  tributary  of  Troublesome,  in  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  35,  now  Exira  township.  This  was  on  the 
Mormon  trail,  and  there  he  made  his  home  and  lived  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  It  soon  became  the  overland  route  to  California,  and  later  to  Pike's 
Peak  and  the  west,  and  brought  traffic  to  his  very  door.  "Hamlin's  Grove" 
was  known  across  the  state  of  Iowa,  from  Davenport  to  Council  Bluffs, 
as  well  as  outside  the  state.  A  postoffice  of  the  same  name  was  established 
there  and  he  was  appointed  the  first  postmaster  in  the  county,  receiving  his 
commission  under  President  Zachary  Taylor  in  1853,  and  held  the  office 
until  removed  by  President  Lincoln  for  political  reasons,  in  1861.  The 
Western  Stage  company  afterwards  established  a  station  at  his  place,  of 
which  he  was  agent,  and  continued  until  the  advent  of  the  railroad  in  1869. 

He  acquired  a  large  amount  of  land  and  was  extensively  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock  raising.  He  employed  many  to  work  for  him,  and  for 
many  years  was  one  of  the  most  prosperous  men  in  the  county  and  one  of 
the  two  most  wealthy.  His  situation  enabled  him  to  dispose  of  his  prod- 
ucts to  emigrants  at  good  prices.  In  the  early  days  he  kept  goods  for  sale. 
He,  with  Charles  Marsh,  started  the  first  blacksmith  shop  in  the  county. 
He  kept  large  numbers  of  horses  and  mules,  which  pastured  over  the  prairies 
about  Indian  Grove  and  Crooked  creek,  in  what  is  now  Audubon  township, 
and  had  many  cattle  and  hogs.  For  several  years  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  later,  he,  with  G.  T.  Poage  and  Levi  Zaner,  operated  the  steam  saw 
and  grist-mill,  and  did  a  thriving  business  at  Old  Louisville,  the  busiest 
place  in  the  county,  then  and  up  to  about  the  time  of  the  advent  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroad  to  Atlantic.  In  1855  he  was 
elected  first  treasurer  and  recorder  of  the  county,  and  held  the  office  until 
1864.  For  several  years  he  was  trustee  of  Audubon  township,  when  it 
embraced  the  entire  county.  The  following  incident  in  his  official  career 
illustrates  his  offhand,  characteristic  honesty  and  fairness.  In  1868  he 
was  one  of  the  judges  of  election.  Audubon  township  was  strongly  Demo- 
cratic, and  the  county  was  nearly  divided  in  politics.  The  election  board 
convened  in  the  schoolhouse  near  Lewis's,  and  received  votes  until  noon, 
when  they  adjourned  for  dinner  at  Mr.  Hamlin's  house.  We  suppose  they 
had  a  good  dinner  there,  as  was  usual,   with  the   "trimmings"   that   went 


FIKEl'LACE    IN    OLD    HAMLIN    IIOT'SE.      FIRST 

COUNTY,  1858. 


BRICK     MADE     IN     ATDUBON 


BIG  TItEE,  23  FEET  IX  CIRCUMFEKEXCE.  ON  OLD  HAMLIN  ESTATE. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  89 

with  it.  Walter  J.  Jardine,  a  Scotchman,  was  a  member  of  the  board.  They 
took  with  them  the  ballot  box,  which  was  fashioned  from  a  cigar  box,  with 
a  slit  cut  in  the  top  for  reciving  the  ballots.  It  was  a  fragile  affair,  and 
the  custodian  had  too  much  dinner — or  something — and  crushed  the  box 
while  carrying  it  under  his  arm.  Some  of  the  ballots  dropped  out,  unno- 
ticed at  the  time,  and  were  lost.  On  reassembhng  at  the  voting  place,  the 
accident  was  discovered  and  the  judges  were  in  a  dilemma  as  to  how  to 
proceed.  "By  gr-r-racious !  What  shall  we  do?"  said  Mr.  Jardine,  and 
they  discussed  the  matter.  "I'll  be  ganned,  sir,  I'll  tell  you  what  we  will 
do,"  said  ^Ir.  Hamlin.  "Look  at  the  names  on  the  pollbook  and  see  how 
many  Democrats  and  how  many  Republicans  have  voted  (which  was  not 
difficult  to  do,  for  voters  did  not  scratch  tickets  much  in  those  days)  ;  then 
open  the  ballot  box  and  see  how  many  ballots  of  each  kind  have  been  lost, 
and  put  in  enough  more  of  each  kind  to  make  the  count  good."  And  it 
was  so  done.  It  was  afterwards  proposed  to  contest  the  election  and  throw 
out  the  vote  of  Audubon  township,  which  would  have  changed  the  result 
as  declared  and  have  elected  the  Republican  ticket  by  a  handsome  majority. 
But  better  judgment  prevailed.  While  the  action  of  the  judges  was  clearly 
illegal  in  tampering  with  the  ballot  box,  no  actual  fraud  was  intended.  The 
result  was  as  the  voters  intended. 

In  1854-5  Hamlin  and  his  neighbors  built  a  log  building  for  a  private 
school  house,  the  first  in  the  county,  and  hired  a  private  teacher  to  teach 
his  own  children  and  those  of  Judge  Harris.  He  was  an  influential  man 
in  the  early  days,  and  if  a  school  house,  highway,  bridge  or  other  public 
improvement  was  wanting,  it  was  well  to  secure  his  assistance  to  insure 
success. 

In  politics  Hamlin  was  an  old-fashioned,  Andrew  Jackson  Democrat, 
for  whom  he  cast  his  first  presidential  vote,  and  he  supported  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  for  President  in  i860.  A  pro-slavery  man,  in  his  opinion  it  was 
a  more  heinous  ofi^ense  to  steal  a  "nigger"  than  to  steal  a  horse  or  any 
other  kind  of  property.  He  strongly  advocated  opposition  to  the  Civil 
War  and  the  Republican  administration,  during  that  period;  but  he  never 
committed  any  overt  act  of  treason  against  the  government.  His  senti- 
ments were  tinctured  by  the  conduct  of  J.  Lyman  Frost  toward  himself. 
Mr.  Hamlin  was  a  high-spirited  man.  a  leader  in  public  affairs,  and  held 
prom.inent  offices.  Frost  was  a  meddlesome,  revengeful  man,  a  dabbler  in 
partizan  politics  in  a  small  way.  He  and  his  party  spied  upon  Mr.  Hamlin 
and  his  party,  and  watched  for  an  opportunity  to  injure  and  discredit  him. 
It  came  by  the  removal  of  Hamlin   from  the  postoffice   for  political   rea- 


go  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

sons,  and  Frost  was  appointed  in  his  place,  which  Mr.  Hamhn  keenly 
resented,  rightly  believing  it  was  accomplished  by  Frost  to  injure  him  in 
public  estimation.  And  it  probably  caused  Hamlin  to  become  a  more  bitter 
partizan.  It  is  justice  to  Mr.  Frost  to  add  that  he  was  a  zealous  Union  man, 
and  believed  that  he  was  doing  his  duty  to  the  country. 

In  other  respects  Hamlin  was  a  good  citizen,  and  was  deeply  interested 
in  the  progress  and  prosperity  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  A 
prominent  citizen  once  remarked  concerning  him :  "He  was  a  good  friend, 
but  not  a  bad  enem3^"  If  he  disliked  a  person  he  let  him  severely  alone. 
Many  a  poor  man  in  this  county  has  received  substantial  aid  and  assistance 
from  Mr.  Hamlin,  and  his  kindness  of  heart  many  times  led  him  into  obli- 
gations on  behalf  of  his  neighbors  which  left  him  many  thousands  of  dol- 
lars out  of  pocket.  He  possessed  a  keen  sense  of  honor  and  integrity.  "His 
word  was  as  good  as  his  Ijond." 

No  little  of  Mr.  Hamlin's  prosperity  was  attributable  to  his  excellent 
wife.  "Aunt  Pegg}'"  was  admirably  suited  to  pioneer  life.  The  Hamlin 
home  was  the  synonym  for  hospitality.  The  hungry  never  left  their  door 
unfed.  No  woman  in  Audubon  county  ever  fed  so  many  mouths,  free 
gratis,  as  did  this  good  lady.  It  seemed  to  make  no  difference  how  many 
dropped  in  at  meal  times,  nor  whether  they  came  unannounced ;  she  was 
equal  to  the  occasion,  and  without  excuses  or  ostentation,  in  a  plain,  com- 
mon sense  way,  in  surprising  readiness,  fed  the  multitude  in  a  substantial 
manner.  Their  ordinary  household  was  large,  with  their  many  children 
and  hired  help;  then  later,  the  employees  of  the  stage  company,  who  boarded 
and  lodged  there,  and  the  passengers  on  the  stages,  and  other  travelers 
made  uncertain  numbers  to  feed  and  were  numerous.  People  from  all  parts 
congregated  there  socially  and  on  business,  and  the  young  people  on  Sun- 
days made  Hamlin's  a  public  resort. 

A  prominent  citizen  told  the  writer  years  ago  that  in  early  times  here 
money  was  very  scarce :  that  he  was  una1)le  for  months  at  a  time  to  obtain 
enough  specie  to  pay  postage  on  letters  to  his  friends.  Mr.  Hamlin  was  an 
exception  to  this  condition.  The  money  which  came  into  this  county  gen- 
erally found  its  way  into  his  hands  as  postmaster  or  county  treasurer.  To 
facilitate  the  stringency  of  money,  during  war  times,  Mr.  Hamlin  issued 
script  money,  written  on  pasteboard.  The  artist  who  made  it  was  our  old- 
time  friend,  the  late  A.  B.  Houston,  who  ornamented  the  cards  in  his  own 
particular  method  with  pen  and  various  colored  inks.  The  following  is  a 
copy  of  a  piece  of  the  Hamlin  script : 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 


91 


50 

A.  B 

.  HOUSTON 

50 

Pav 

•> 

Ham 

the 

lin's 
bearer 

Grove  and  E 

XIRA. 

in    Currency 

Fifty    Cents 

when 

Dresented  in 

sums  of  Five, Dollars. 

N 

.  HAMLIN. 

Exira, 

Iowa 

,  Jan. 

15,  1863. 

.  50 

50 

Mr.   Hamlin  was  considered  amply  good,   where   he   was  known,    for 
everything  to  which  his  name  was  attached. 

The   following  statement  shows  a  difficulty  with  the  money  of  those 
early  days : 

"Fort  Des   Moines,   October   25.    1854. 
"This  is  to  certify  that  I  paid  Mr.   N.   Hamlin  for  J.   Frink  &  Co.  a 
ten-dollar  bill  on  the  State  Bank  of  Ohio,  which  he  cannot  pass.     It  is  said 
to  be  counterfeit.     I  took  the  bill  for  good  money,  but  do  not  know  who 
gave  it  to  me. 

"Edwin  Taylor." 
election  certificate. 


"State  of  Iowa,  Audubon  County,  ss. : 

"This  is  to  certify  that  at  an  election  held  in  the  town  of  Dayton,  in 
said  county  and  state,  on  the  3rd  day  of  August,  1857,  Nathaniel  Hamhn, 
was  elected  treasurer  and  recorder  for  said  county  for  the  term  of  two 
years,  he  having  given  bond  and  taken  the  oath  of  office  prescribed  by  law. 

"Given  under  my  hand  and  seal  of  office,  August  8,  1857. 

"D.  M.  Harris,  County  Judge." 

Like  many  old-fashioned  people,  Mr.  Hamlin  was  partial  to  the  fa\or- 
ite  beverage  of  Kentucky,  which  he  used  in  moderation  all  his  life,  and  in 
early  times  kept  it  for  sale.  He  usually  had  a  generous  supply  in  his  house, 
which  he  was  pleased  to  offer  his  friends  and  guests  when  under  his  hos- 
pitable roof. 

In  1870,  before  the  resumption  of  specie  payment,  during  an  absence 
of  Mr.  Hamlin  in  Colorado  on  business,  the  writer,  who  was  his  attorney, 


92  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

had  occasion  to  look  among  his  private  business  papers.  He  was  shown 
into  a  secret  place  back  of  the  chimney,  and  there,  in  a  trunk,  search  was 
made  for  the  necessary  papers.  In  examining  the  contents  of  the  trunk 
there  were  found  two  shot  sacks,  apparently  filled  with  coins.  Mentioning 
the  fact  to  Mr.  Hamlin  years  afterwards,  he  admitted  that  he  had  kept 
that  specie  on  hand  many  years,  all  through  the  war  period.  He  was  one 
of  those  who  did  not  have  faith  in  the  paper  money  of  the  United  States, 
and  believed  that  it  would  share  the  same  fate  as  the  old  "wildcat"  money. 

Mr.  Hamlin  was  not  a  church  member,  but  favored  the  Baptist  faith. 
Mrs.  Hamlin  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church.  He  died  at  his  home, 
of  paralysis  on  April  17,  1897.  After  his  death  Mrs.  Hamlin  moved  to 
Exira,  and  died  there  on  September  13,  1906.  Most  of  the  Hamlin  estate 
has  passed  out  of  the  hand  of  his  descendants.  A  grandson,  Maturin  L. 
Thomas,  owns  the  old  homestead  proper,  on  Troublesome  creek. 

The  children  born  to  this  worthy  couple  were  as  follow :  Mary  Mar- 
garet, who  married  Isaac  Thomas;  Hannah  Maria,  married  Charles  C. 
Hawk;  Sarah  Rosannah,  married  Benjamin  F.  Thomas;  Malinda  Christi- 
ana, married  William  Radcliff;  William  Allan,  married  Florence  A.  Lewis; 
Martha  Jane,  married  Edward  Calph;  Eliza  Angeline,  died  in  1859;  Susan 
Parker,  married  John  V.  Plantz;  Clara  Harris,  married  John  M.  Allen; 
Nathaniel  Douglas,  married  Elva  Crane;  Fernando  Burton,  married  Emma 
E.  Kilworth;  Robert  E.  Lee,  married  Sadie  J.   Wheeler. 

WILLIAM   p.    HAMLIN. 

William  P.  Hamlin  came  with  the  first  settlers  in  May,  1851,  but 
soon  moved  to  Cass  county,  a  short  distance  south  of  the  Exira  township 
line.  His  place  was  afterward  owned  for  many  years  by  Almond  Goodale. 
From  thence  he  moved  to  Buck  creek,  a  short  distance  south  of  the  Audu- 
bon county  line  on  the  place  owned  for  many  years  by  Barney  Harris.  He 
moved  to  Exira  in  i860  and  bought  the  residence  of  Judge  Harris,  who 
at  once  built  a  larger  dwelling  on  the  site  of  the  present  Park  hotel.  Hamlin 
was  a  hunter ;  had  done  a  little  farming ;  kept  a  small  stock  of  merchandise 
in  his  dwelling  for  sale,  brought  by  his  own  team  from  Des  Moines,  Council 
Bluffs  and  other  places ;  and  he  sold  liquors.  He  was  conspicuous  for  quar- 
rels and  petty  lawsuits,  and  was  frequently  prosecuted  for  illicit  dealing  in 
liquors.  He  was  a  visionary  man  and  dabbled  in  patent  rights.  He  was 
proprietor  of  "Hamlin's  Omaha  Liniment."  In  collecting  testimonials  for 
advertising  the  nostrum,  he  solicited  one  from  Peoria  I.  Whitted,  who  said 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  93 

that  he  had  used  the  article  and  appreciated  its  vakie,  and  that  it  would  be 
a  pleasure  for  him  to  oblige  Mr.  Hamlin.  Whitted  said  that  on  one  occa- 
sion a  strange  dog  was  harboring  about  his  place,  and  in  trying  to  drive 
it  away,  he  threw  an  ax  at  the  dog,  which  cut  off  its  tail;  that  he  was  sorry 
for  the  suffering  of  the  poor  brute  and  bathed. the  wounded  stump  from  which 
the  tail  was  cut  with  "Hamlin's  Liniment,"  and,  behold,  a  new  tail  grew 
out  from  it.  He  was  surprised  at  the  result,  and  some  time  later  he  discov- 
ered the  dissevered  caudal  appendage,  and  recalling  the  marvelous  effect 
of  the  liniment  on  the  former  occasion,  he  applied  a  dose  of  it  to  the  defunct 
member,  when,  wonderful  to  relate,  a  new  dog  was  grown  out  of  it.  This 
romance  of  Whitted's  produced  no  small  amount  of  merriment  at  Ham- 
lin's expense,  who  did  not  take  to  it  kindly.  While  a  member  of  the  grand 
jury  in  1869,  he  was  himself  indicted  for  selling  liquor,  and  pleaded  guilty. 
On  coming  before  Judge  Maxwell  for  sentence,  he  was  given  permission 
to  make  a  statement  in  mitigation,  and  gave  an  ingenious  excuse.  He  said 
that  he  was  the  manufacturer  of  "Hamlin's  Omaha  Liniment,"  one  of  the 
ingredients  of  which  was  alcohol,  which  he  kept  on  hand,  and  that  he  had, 
out  of  friendship,  let  his  neighbors  have  some  of  it.  The  Judge  first  cau- 
tioned him  not  to  interrupt  while  he  pronounced  sentence;  ordered  him  to 
stand  up  and  proceeded  to  censure  him  unmercifully  and  poured  out  the 
vials  of  his  wrath  on  the  heinousness  of  rum-selling,  until  Hamlin  could 
stand  it  no  longer,  and  he  said :  'T  did  have  a  United  States  license,  Judge." 
"What  did  you  get  that  for?"  mockingly  said  the  Judge.  "I  did  it  because 
I  thought  it  would  be  no  child's  play  to  get  into  the  United  States  court," 
humbly  replied  Mr.  Hamlin.  "I  will  tell  you  now,  Mr.  Hamlin,  before  you 
are  through  with  my  court  that  it  is  no  child's  play,"  savagely  responded 
the  Judge.     And  a  stiff  fine  was  imposed. 

In  1870  Hamlin  resisted  an  officer  who  was  searching  his  premises  for 
illicit  liquors,  and  hid  himself  out  for  many  days  to  escape  arrest.  His 
liquor  was  seized  and,  pending  trial,  it  was  stolen  and  the  receptacle  filled 
with  water.  Mr.  Scott  was  prosecuting  the  case  before  Squire  Dodge,  who 
solemnly  condemned  the  stuff,  and  ordered  it  destroyed.  The  sheriff  car- 
ried it  into  the  street,  broke  up  the  cask  and  spilled  the  contents.  Mr. 
Dodgre  himself  tried  to  set  it  on  fire  Avith  a  match,  but  it  would  not  burn. 
He  remarked  that  any  one  who  kept  such  miserably  poor  whisky  ought  to 
be  punished!  But  the  way  Scott  and  Griggs  convulsed  with  laughter  at 
sight  of  the  iustice  trying  to  set  water  on'  fire  with  a  match,  indicated  that 
they  might  have  known  what  became  of  the  whisky.  It  was  pronounced 
bonus  by  those  supposed  to  be  judges  of  the  article. 


94  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

A  warrant  was  issued  for  the  arrest  of  Hamlin,  and  delivered  to  Henry 
Huyck,  constable,  for  service,  who  was  afraid,  and  consulted  Mr.  Leffing- 
well,  ex-sheriff,  as  to  his  duty  in  the  matter.  Leffingwell,  observmg 
Huyck's  dilemma,  and  his  fear  and  inexperience,  saw  a  chance  for  some  fun. 
He  caused  him  to  believe  that  Hamlin  was  a  dangerous  man,  and  cautioned 
him  to  be  on  the  alert  and  to  avoid  injury.  Huyck  armed  himself,  prac- 
ticed firing  a  revolver,  called  Lefiingwell  out  to  witness  his  shooting  and 
requested  his  opinion  as  to  his  chances  of  arresting  Mr.  Hamlin.  In  firing 
off  his  gun,  one  of  the  chambers  missed.  "There,"  said  Lefiingwell,  "What 
could  you  do  now  if  Hamlin  was  after  you?,"  It  so  worked  on  Huyck's 
nerves  and  alarmed  him  that  he  resigned  his  office,  and  Hamlin  was  not 
apprehended.  He  sold  out  and  went  to  Arkansas,  but  kept  in  hiding  until 
he  got  away.  He  had  an  idea  that  a  Democrat  was  the  salt  of  the  earth 
and  could  do  no  w^ong.  His  favorite  appellation  was  to  call  Republicans 
"Thundering  Puritan  Hounds."  His  favorite  byword  was  "By  gosh!" 
which  was  the  extent  of  his  profanity.  It  is  fair  to  say  that  he  was  hon- 
orable and  honest  in  financial  matters  and  his  word  was  considered  good. 
He  had  a  strong  dislike  at  that  time  for  the  writer,  whom  he  classed  with 
the  "Puritans,"  but,  in  later  years,  this  attitude  changed  to  that  of  firm 
friendship  and  mutual  confidence.  If  there  w^as  one  thing  more  than 
another  which  he  despised  it  was  a  "Yankee."  When  leaving,  he  w^as 
owing  me  a  small  sum,  which  he  sent  in  and  paid  in  full.  Many  were 
delighted  at  his  departure  and  would  not  have  detained  him  for  sake  of 
seeing  him  punished.  He  returned  to  Exira  about  1874-5  and  drove  a  hack- 
line  several  years.  During  the  same  time  he  resumed  selling  wine  and  beer, 
for  which  he  was  again  prosecuted-  He  returned  again  to  Arkansas  about 
1879.  On  a  visit  here  a  few  years  later,  he  said  that  he  had  modified  his 
political  views,  and  that  he  strongly  opposed  the  liquor  traffic,  having  seen 
so  much  of  its  evils.  He  also  said  to  me :  "Frank,  you  used  to  think  I  was 
on  'Old  Moss  Back,'  but  I  wish  you  could  see  some  of  the  natives  in  Arkan- 
sas. They  called  me  a  'Yankee.'  I  tell  you  it  was  tough."  He  died  on 
January  17,  1909. 

THE  JENKINSES. 

John  Shacket  Jenkins  was  born  near  Elizabeth,  Meade  county,  Ken- 
tucky, October  14,  1799.  His  father  bore  the  same  name.  His  wife  was 
Malinda  Miller.  He  was  a  stone  mason  In-  trade  and  a  farmer.  He  lived 
in  Meade  county  until  about  1838,  when  he  moved  to  Perry  county,  Indi- 
ana; thence  to  Dablonega,  Wapello  county,  Iowa,  in  1850.     This  place  did 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 


95 


not  please  him  and,  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1851,  he  started  west  again 
without  any  particular  place  in  view,  to  discover  a  suitable  place  for  a  home. 
At  the  Quaker  Divide,  near  Winterset,  Iowa,  he  fell  in  with  Nathaniel 
Hamlin  and  his  party,  who  were  on  their  journey  to  settle  in  Audubon 
county.  As  stated  elsewhere,  the  company  arrived  at  Mr.  Hamlin's  claim 
on  May  6.  With  him  came  his  wife  and  children.  He  had  three  yoke  of 
oxen,  a  cow  and  a  horse.  The  next  morning  after  the  arrival  at  Hamlin's 
place  he  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  over  to  the  Nishua  Botna  river,  to  the 
site  of  the  present  town  of  Oakfield,  where  he  selected  a  claim  for  his  home. 


JOHN  S.  JENKINS 

near  the  "Big  Spring,"  and  near  where  the  old  school  house  at  Oakfield  used 
to  stand.  To  mark  out  his  claim  he  blazed  a  basswood  tree  and  upon  it 
wrote,  "This  is  my  claim,"  and  signed  his  name  to  it.  Soon  after  a  party 
of  men  came  there  from  down  river  about  Indian  Town  or  Lewis,  among 
whom  was  one  Jerry  Bradshaw,  who  took  a  fancy  to  the  same  location  and 
proceeded  to  blaze  trees  to  mark  out  a  claim. 

Mr.  Jenkins  soon  learned  about  Bradshaw's  operations  and  went  to 
ascertain  what  he  was  doing.  William  Hamlin,  who  went  with  him,  nar- 
rated the  event  many  years  ago.  They  were  at  first  in  doubt  whether  Brad- 
shaw was  attempting  to  "jump"  "Uncle  Johnny's"  claim,  but  found  where 


g6  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

he  had  blazed  trees  on  Jenkins's  claim  and  soon  discovered  that  he  had  cut 
down  one  of  Jenkins's  witness  trees  and  thrown  it  into  the  river.  This 
aroused  the  ire  of  "Uncle  Johnny,"  who  said  to  Mr.  Hamlin :  "This  shows 
to  me,  sir,  that  they  are  not  innocent  progressors."  Then  they  came  to 
"Uncle  Johnny's''  blazed  basswood,  and  found  that  Bradshaw  had  written 
beneath  Jenkins's  claim :  "This  is  my  claim  and  you  had  better  get  off." 
We  shall  have  occasion  to  show  later  how  Bradshaw  was  disposed  of.  Mr. 
Jenkins  held  his  claim  and  soon  built  a  cabin  on  it.  This  claim  he  sold  in 
1854  to  Samuel  B.  Hopkins  and  it  subsequently  became  the  Hallock  place 
and  the  town  of  Oakfield  was  located  on  part  of  it.  Mr.  Jenkins  soon 
located  in  section  29  in  what  is  now  Exira  township.  At  first  he  built 
another  log  cabin,  later  a  commodious  dwelling,  which,  if  not  the  first,  was 
among  the  earliest  plastered  houses  in  the  county  before  1865.  This  place 
he  sold  about  1870,  and  moved  to  near  the  present  town  of  Brayton.  He 
was  a  Kentuckian  of  the  old  school,  a  stern  man,  physically  and  morally,  and 
of  lofty  sentiments;  of  the  strictest  integrity;  honorable  and  trustworthy  in 
e\ery  way.  His  word  was  reliable  and  always  promptly  defended  and  sus- 
tained. Nothing  insulted  him  more  than  to  dispute  or  cast  doubt  upon  it. 
At  the  first  election  in  the  county,  held  at  his  cabin  in  April,  1855,  he  was  one 
of  the  judges  of  election.  A  dispute  arose  between  him  and  Walter  Marsh 
over  the  candidates  for  county  judge — Daniel  M.  Harris  and  Thomas  S. 
Lewis — during  which  IMarsh  disputed  his  word  and  called  him  by  a  hard 
name.  "Uncle  Johnny"  at  once  seized  his  rifle  and  took  it  down  from  the 
deer  horns  where  it  rested  and  attempted  to  shoot  Marsh,  but  the  bystanders' 
prevented  it. 

In  a  large  sense,  Jenkins  was  one  of  nature's  noble  men.  His  marked 
characteristics  were  worthy  of  record.  His  courage  was  undaunted;  but  he 
was  kind,  friendly  and  courteous.  In  a  rude  way,  his  utterances  often 
approached  remarkable  poetic  charm  and  force.  His  hospitality  was  of  the 
peculiar,  old-fashioned  Kentucky  style,  always  with  an  open  welcome,  and 
to  offer  recompense  for  entertainment,  even  by  a  stranger,  was  next  to  an 
insult — never  desired  and  almost  sternly  refused,  if  tendered.  His  book 
learning  was  deficient ;  he  was  evidently  reared  in  the  stern  surroundings 
of  pioneer  life — better  acquainted  with  the  methods  of  acquiring  the  neces- 
saries of  life  than  with  the  accomplishments  of  social  enjoyment. 

In  his  younger  days  it  was  considered  honorable  for  men  to  engage  in 
contests  for  physical  superiority,  with  only  such  power  and  advantages  as 
nature  provided  and  for  the  mere  gratification  of  deciding  who  was  the 
best  man  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight.     We  have  heard  him  relate  taking  part 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  97 

in  such  contests.  His  friends  and  admirers  once  desired  to  match  him  with 
a  noted  champion  on  a  pubHc  occasion  for  such  a  fight.  He  was  then 
recovering  from  an  illness  and  did  not  consider  himself  in  condition  for 
such  a  trial;  but  he  was  persuaded,  against  his  judgment,  made  the  fight, 
and  was  defeated.  It  wounded  his  pride  and  injured  his  reputation,  and 
he  decided  to  fit  himself  and  fight  the  victor  again.  Another  match  was 
arranged  at  a  general  muster  of  the  militia,  and  a  long  savage  fight  was 
pulled  oft',  in  which  the  combatants  used  ex'ery  effort  of  skill  known  to  such 
encounters,  striking,  grappling,  wrestling,  choking,  gouging,  etc.  Mr.  Jen- 
kins won  the  victory  and  completely  vanquished  his  antagonist.  He  added 
after  relating  the  story:  "But,  my  God,  sir,  how  he  gouged  me!  And 
my  eyes  have  never  been  right  since."  The  fact  was  noticeable  that  his 
eyes  had  been  injured.  Gouging,  which  was  employed  in  such  fights,  con- 
sisted in  the  fighter  forcing  his  thumb  into  the  eye  of  his  antagonist  until 
sometimes  the  eye  was  forced  from  the  socket.  Barbarous  and  inhuman 
as  this  practice  seems,  such  events  were  common  in  old  times  in  Kentucky 
and  elsewhere.  A  champion  in  such  aftairs  was  considered  a  popular,  prom- 
inent citizen,  and  excited  admiration.  An  old  Kentucky  favorite  once 
remarked  that  in  his  youth  every  man  was  expected  to  be  ready  to  fight  at 
the  drop  of  the  hat,  and  "that  unless  he  was  a  fighter  the  girls  wouldn't 
have  anything  to  say  to  him.  That  he  was  looked  upon  as  a  coward." 
What  a  marked  evolution  in  public  opinion  on  the  subject  exists  today. 

After  Mr.  Bradshaw  attempted  to  jump  Mr.  Jenkins's  claim,  his  party 
made  claim  to  some  of  the  land  claimed  by  Doctor  Ballard.  The  settlers 
collected  and  proceeded  to  defend  the  rights  of  the  Doctor.  The  meeting 
was  on  the  Botna,  in  the  timber,  near  the  county  line.  The  Doctor  was 
present,  addressed  the  meeting,  and  explained  what  he  was  doing  and 
desired  to  do ;  that  he  proposed  to  become  an  actual  settler  and  desired  a 
good-sized  estate,  which  he  had  selected,  and  was  able  to  pay  for  it,  when 
it  came  into  market  and  requested  protection,  etc.  Bradshaw  and  his 
party  urged  that  the  action  of  the  Doctor  was  unfair;  that  he  was  asking 
too  much ;  that  it  deprived  others  from  settling  there,  and  added  that  they 
had  equal  right  to  the  land  as  much  as  the  Doctor  had;  that  they  had 
selected  some  of  the  land  chosen  by  the  Doctor,  and  intended  to  settle  on 
and  hold  it. 

This  brought  the  matter  to  an  issue.  Mr.  Jenkins,  who  was  "captain" 
of  the  Settlers'  Club,  addressed  the  meeting  and  delivered  an  ultimatum. 
Said  he:     "Men,  we  think  we  understand  you.     Now,  if  you  are  for  peace, 

(7) 


98  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

we  are  for  peace;  but  if  you  are  for  war,  we  are  for  war,  by  G ,  sirsi 

Now,  you  get  off  from  this  land."     It  had  the  desired  effect.     None  of  the 
Bradshaw  party  settled  on  the  land  claimed  by  Doctor  Ballard. 

The  early  settlers  endured  many  hardships  and  privations.  There  was 
hardly  such  a  thing  as  sawed  lumber  in  the  settlement,  unless  it  was  a  wagon 
box  or  some  article  of  furniture  of  that  kind.  Nearly  everything,  except 
food  or  clothing,  required  for  use  had  to  be  hewed  from  the  forest  trees 
by  hand  work  with  axes,  saws,  etc.,  or  had  to  be  obtained  from  a  distance. 
There  were  neither  mills,  workshops  or  stores  here,  and  the  nearest  were 
many  miles  distant.  The  settlers  ground  corn,  buckwheat,  etc.,  in  hand 
mills,  or  grated  new  corn  as  a  substitute  for  meal.  On  one  occasion,  about 
1852,  the  supply  of  flour  and  meal  was  at  low  ebb.  Mr.  Jenkins  and  Ben- 
jamin Hyatt  took  a  load  of  corn  and  grain,  with  an  ox  team,  and  started 
for  mill  in  Missouri.  Their  route  was  down  the  Botna,  and  on  reaching 
Indian  Town  (near  Lewis)  they  met  a  company  of  Mormons,  who  were 
suffering  for  breadstuff,  who  requested  them  to  set  a  price  on  their  grain, 
for  they  must  have  it.  They  sold  the  load  at  two  dollars  and  a  half  a 
bushel  and  returned  home,  took  another  supply  of  grain  and  proceeded  to 
the  mill  in  Missouri.  On  arriving  there  they  were  told  that  there  was  a 
large  amount  of  custom  work  ahead  of  them,  and  that  their  grist  could  not 
be  ground  for  two  weeks,  but  they  persuaded  the  miller  to  grind  it  sooner. 

Jenkins  once  related  that  the  Democrats  here  during  war  times  prophe- 
sied that  the  "greenback"  and  United  States  bonds  would  become  worthless, 
as  continental  money  did  in  time  of  the  Revolution.  That  he  then  had  a 
few  hundred  dollars  surplus  money  which  he  desired  to  invest  for  safe- 
keeping. He  consulted  the  county  judge,  A.  B.  Houston,  Esq.,  for  advice, 
who  recommended  him  to  let  the  United  States  money  alone  and  to  invest  in 
Audubon  county  warrants,  then  worth  seventy-five  cents  on  the  dollar,  say- 
ing that  they  would  pay  six  per  cent  interest,  and  that  he  (Houston)  would 
assist  him  in  getting  them  cashed.  Afterwards  Mr.  Houston  was  elected 
county  treasurer,  and  occasionally  Jenkins  called  on  him  and  presented  his 
warrants  for  payment ;  but  there  were  always  other  demands  for  the  county 
revenue,  and  the  warrants  were  not  paid  during  Houston's  term  of  office, 
but  were  paid  by  his  successor,  Van  Gorder.  In  mentioning  the  matter 
years  afterward.  "Uncle  Johnny"  remarked:  "I  think  that  'App'  (Mr. 
Houston)    pulled  the  wool  over  my  eyes." 

It  does  not  appear  that  Mr.  Jenkins  made  any  profession  of  religion; 
but  that  he  was  liberal  in  religious  matters.  In  1865  Elder  Richard  C. 
Meek,  a  noted  preacher  in  his  day,  and  his  wife  visited  at  the  home  of  Mr. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  99 

Jenkins  several  months,  and  while  there  held  family  religious  services  eve- 
ning and  morning.  At  bedtime  good  "Aunty  Meek"  would  bring  the  large 
Bible  and  place  it  before  the  elder,  who  would  read  a  portion  of  Scripture 
and  then  offered  a  prayer,  in  which  he  suggested,  "We  know  not  that  we 
shall  live  to  see  the  light  of  another  morning,"  etc.  Next  morning  he 
returned  thanks  for  protection  through  the  night,  and  again  referred  to  the 
uncertainty  of  life  and  recommended  preparation  for  the  future.  This  con- 
stant reference  at  prayer  time  to  the  uncertainty  of  life  went  on  with  con- 
tinual monotony  for  weeks,  to  the  annoyance  of  Mr.  Jenkins,  until  one  day 
the  elder  and  "Uncle  John"  took  a  stroll  together.  The  elder  made  the 
mistake  of  again  introducing  the  unwelcome  subject,  and  advising  the  pro- 
priety of  preparation  for  the  hereafter.  "Uncle  John"  called  a  halt 
abruptly.     Said  he :     "Elder  Meek,  if  you  are  going  to  die,  sir,  why  don't 

you  die  like  a  man,  and  not  be  dying  every  day  of  your  life,  like  a  d 

coward?"  He  was  a  life-long  Democrat;  was  elected  county  judge  in  1865 
and  held  the  office  one  year.  We  shall  have  occasion  to  notice  other  events 
in  his  career  at  other  parts  of  this  work.  He  died  at  Brayton  on  July  11, 
1886,  and  his  wife  died  on  March  10,  1882.  Their  children  were  as  follow: 
Benjamin  Franklin  married  Maria  Byrd  and  Josephine  Gilbert,  John  Taylor 
married  Darthula  Rogers,  Sarah  Blauset  married  Lee  L.  Bartlett,  Isaac 
Hughes  married  Clarissa  Chase  and  Mollie  Devine,  Harriet  married  George 
Cannon,   George  Washington  married  Caroline  Woody. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Jenkins  (son  of  John  S.),  came  to  Audubon  county 
with  his  father's  family  in  1851.  He  married,  first,  Maria  Byrd.  They 
were  divorced,  and  she  became  Mrs.  Joseph  C.  Yetzer,  of  Atlantic,  Iowa. 
For  his  second  wife  he  married  Josephine  Gilbert.  He  was  a  prominent 
farmer,  and  lived  near  Brayton,  Iowa.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
supervisors.  He  died  on  December  24,  1887;  his  wife  survived  him  and 
died  later.  To  Benjamin  and  Josephine  Jenkins  were  born  these  children: 
Olive,  who  married  Clarence  Keese  Hallock;  Charles  W.,  who  married  Eva 
Walker;  Hayden;  Margaret,  who  married  Charles  Sykes;  May,  who  mar- 
ried Ernest  Cotton,  and  Pearl. 

John  Taylor  Jenkins  (son  of  John  S.),  was  born  in  Meade  county, 
Kentucky,  November  14,  1838.  He  married,  in  Audubon  county,  on  Jan- 
uary 19,  1865.  Darthula,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  Rodgers,  who 
was  born  in  IHinois.  He  came  to  Audubon  county  with  his  parents  in  1851. 
He  lived  at  home  with  his  parents  until  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Iowa  Bat- 
tery on  August  19,  1 86 1,  and  served  in  the  Sixteenth,  Seventeenth  and 
Eighteenth  Army  Corps,  under  Generals   Pope,   McPherson,    Sherman  and 


lOO  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

Grant.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Corinth,  V^icksbiirg,  luka  and  Tu- 
pelo, and  was  mustered  out  on  September  4,  1864.  Upon  the  organization 
of  the  Audubon  county  militia,  the  same  year,  he  was  elected  second  lieu- 
tenant of  the  Audubon  Mounted  Infantry  company,  which  saw  no  service 
and  became  obsolete  at  the  close  of  the  war,  the  following  year.  Upon  the 
return  of  peace,  he  became  a  prominent  farmer  near  his  former  home,  and 
is  a  large  landowner.  He  was  proprietor  of  the  town  of  Brayton  in  1879, 
and  was  a  merchant  in  Brayton  from  1879  to  1887,  afterwards  being  a 
dealer  and  shipper  of  live  stock.  He  was  postmaster  at  Brayton.  A  life- 
long Republican,  he  has  been  an  active  worker  in  the  party,  and  many  times 
has  been  a  delegate  to  Republican  conventions.  He  has  served  as  township 
clerk,  township  trustee,  member  of  the  school  board  and  member  of  the 
board  of  supervisors.  He  has  a  fine  home  near  Brayton  and  is  the  last 
survivor  of  the  little  company  which  first  settled  in  Audubon  county  on 
May  6,  185 1.  He  is  a  member  of  Pymosa  Lodge  No.  18,  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons;  Audubon  Lodge  No.  217,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Mrs.  Jenkins  was  a  popular  school  teacher  before  marriage.  Their 
children,  born  in  Audubon  county,  are  as  follow :  Jeanette,  who  married 
Horace  M.  Bartlett ;  Marion  Elver,  who  married  Mame  Black,  now 
deceased,  and  Frank  Granger,  who  married  Josephine  Cypher. 

SAMUEL   M.    BALLARD,   M.    D. 

One  of  the  prominent  characters  in  the  early  settlement  of  Audubon 
county  was  Doctor  Samuel  M.  Ballard.  His  ancestors  were  said  to  have 
been  Virginia  Quakers.  In  youth  he  lived  in  Hillsboro,  Ohio,  where  he 
studied  medicine  under  a  preceptor  in  the  old-fashioned  way,  and  after- 
wards attended  medical  lectures,  perhaps  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  He  was  an 
incomparable  story  teller  and  a  delightful  companion  in  some  ways;  but 
some  incidents  of  his  life  as  told  by  himself  will  not,  in  the  light  of  moral- 
ity, bear  repetition.  He  once  related  an  amusing  incident  which  occurred 
during  his  early  medical  experience.  A  council  of  surgeons  were  convened 
to  perform  an  operation  upon  the  patient  of  his  preceptor,  and  through  his 
courtesy  the  student  (Ballard)  was  invited  to  attend  and  witness  the  case. 
A  lady,  who  acted  as  nurse,  prepared  the  room  for  the  occasion  and  notified 
the  surgeons  that  it  was  ready  for  their  reception.  They  proceeded  to  the 
room,  and  Ballard  followed  until  reaching  the  entrance  where  the  others 
had  preceded  him.     Upon  recognizing  him,  the  nurse  declined  to  let  him 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  IQI 

pass.  His  preceptor,  observing  the  interruption,  said  to  the  nurse :  "You 
may  admit  Doctor  Ballard."'  She  acquiesced,  but  in  a  deprecatory  tone 
remarked:  "Oh,  you  are  a  'stujent,'  are  ye?"  The  memory  of  that  event 
was  a  pleasing  recollection  to  the  old  doctor.  He  was  a  noble  specimen  of 
manhood — six  and  a  half  feet  in  stature,  and  of  powerful  physique,  a  ver- 
itable giant.  His  presence  was  at  once  noticeable,  even  in  the  largest  assem- 
bly. In  early  life  his  hair  had  been  sandy;  his  eyes  were  flashing  blue,  with 
an  eagle  gaze,  and  one  of  them  was  blind.  When  the  writer  first  saw  him, 
in  1865,  his  hair  and  long  flowing  beard  were  snowy  white.  He  v/as  a 
self-made  man,  largely;  not  classically  educated  and  never  a  student  of 
books.  His  stock  of  sound,  practical  common  sense  was  varied  and  exten- 
sive. He  was  a  thorough  business  man  of  the  world  among  pioneers.  His 
reputation  as  a  skillful,  successful  physician  rested  upon  his  own  personal 
experience,  rather  than  upon  any  book  knowledge.  But  few  facts  concern- 
ing his  life  have  been  recorded  in  print.  No  biography  of  him  has  been 
discovered.  He  once  related  that  he  came  down  the  Ohio  river  on  a  steam- 
boat to  St.  Louis;  thence  up  the  Mississippi  river  to  Iowa.  He  was  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Iowa  City  as  early  as  1842,  and  there  he 
established  an  extensive,  lucrative  business.  He  said  that  he  kept  relays  of 
saddle  horses  to  carry  him  about  the  country ;  that  he  would  start  from 
Iowa  City  and  ride  north  several  miles;  thence  west  to  Oxford,  and  south 
to  the  settlements  on  English  river;  thence  east  and  north  again  to  West 
Liberty  and  then  home,  after  visiting  and  prescribing  for  patients  along  the 
route;  that  he  made  such  trips  in  a  single  day  and  night  and  often  rode 
asleep  in  the  saddle ;  that  for  weeks  at  a  time  he  slept  but  four  hours  out 
of  twenty-four  on  an  average,  sometimes  falling  asleep  in  the  saddle  against 
his  will  power  to  keep  awake.  On  such  occasions  as  he  was  able  to  go  to 
bed,  he  would  order  that  he  be  permitted  to  sleep  but  for  a  half  hour,  then 
to  be  awakened  at  all  hazards  by  dragging  him  from  bed  and  throwing  cold 
water  in  his  face.  He  would  then  eat  something  and  drink  some  coffee, 
and  proceed  to  the  next  patient,  taking  another  short  sleep  when  wearied 
nature  would  resist  no  longer.  His  fees  sometimes  exceeded  two  hundred 
dollars  in  a  day.  He  was  a  wealthy  man  before  coming  to  Audubon  county. 
He  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1851,  and  his  meeting  with  "Uncle  Johnny" 
Jenkins  is  told  in  another  part  of  this  work. 

Doctor  Ballard  owned  thousands  of  acres  of  the  best  timber  and  prairie 
lands  in  what  is  now  Exira  and  Oakfield  townships,  and  adjoining,  in  Cass 
county.  His  dwelling,  situated  in  section  25,  Oakfield  township,  was  a  very 
common  aft'air.     It  stood  in  an  open  space  in  the  timber  on  the  north  side 


I02  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA, 

of  the  old  state  road  leading  south  from  his  dwelling  place,  and  was  a 
one-story  building,  boarded  up  and  down  with  rough,  undressed  oak  boards, 
fattened,  unpainted  and  unplastered.  It  would  not  have  been  supposed  by 
strangers  that  it  was  the  abode  of  the  richest  man  in  the  county.  Every- 
thing about  the  house  was  of  the  most  common  kind,  there  being  neither 
fine  furniture,  books  or  anything  to  indicate  elegance,  refinement,  luxury 
or  wealth,  except  the  lands.  Mrs.  Ballard  did  not  come  to  the  country  until 
1855,  and  remained  here  but  a  short  time,  when  she  moved  to  Council 
Bluffs,  and  was  maintained  there  is  good  style  the  remainder  of  her  life. 
The  relation  which  existed  between  the  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Ballard  was  never 
understood  by  outsiders,  but  probably  was  not  congenial.  Hon.  William  P. 
Hepburn,  who  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the  family  at  Iowa  City, 
recently  told  the  writer  that  the  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Ballard  were  members  of 
the  Universalist  church  in  Iowa  City,  and  further  related  that  on  one  occa- 
sion Mrs.  Ballard  told  him  that  she  once  believed  she  was  a  Universalist, 
but  that  she  doubted  if  God  would  pardon  or  save  so  wicked  a  man  as 
Doctor  Ballard.  Evidently  she  was  aware  of  his  wrong-doings.  In  his 
last  sickness  Mrs.  Ballard  came  to  his  residence  and  cared  for  him  several 
days  until  he  was  moved  to  her  home  in  Council  Bluffs,  where  he  soon  died. 
The  house  above  mentioned  was  claimed  by  him  as  his  home  and  domicile, 
and  he  voted  in  Oakfield  township  until  his  death.  Many  families  lived 
there  and  kept  house  for  him,  among  whom  were  Benjamin  M.  Hyatt, 
Samuel  Smith,  Stephen  T.  Campbell,  Milton  Heath  and  others  in  early 
times,  and  many  others  afterwards. 

Large  areas  of  Doctor  Ballard's  lands  in  Audubon  and  Cass  counties 
were  in  cultivated  farms,  with  the  cheapest  kind  of  dwellings  and  buildings 
upon  them.  It  was  a  small  principality,  partaking  the  appearance  of  ancient 
times,  when  such  estates  were  tenanted  by  serfs  and  peasants,  rather  than 
a  modern,  up-to-date  American  settlement.  His  pastures  were  filled  with 
large  herds  of  fine  cattle,  and  droves  of  hogs.  He  received  large  quantities 
of  corn  and  grain  from  his  tenants.  He  erected  a  saw-mill  near  his  resi- 
dence about  1855-56,  and  got  out  considerable  lumber  from  his  own  timber 
and  for  his  neighbors,  until  after  the  railroad  came  to  Atlantic,  about  1869. 
While  surrounded  by  such  wealth  and  advantages,  he  was  unpopular  with 
his  neighbors.  He  was  not  a  public-spirited  citizen,  his  ambition  being  to 
accumulate  lands  and  property  for  his  own  selfish  aggrandizement,  along 
the  primitive  methods  indicated.  He  did  nothing  for  the  upbuilding  of  his 
neighbors,  or  of  the  community  in  which  he  dwelt,  consequently  he  had  no 
friends,  even  among  his  kindred.     He  lived  hermit-like,  not  allowing  him- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  IO3 

self  a  respectable  subsistence,  considering  his  wealth;  only  providing  for 
himself  the  bare  necessities  of  life,  food  and  raiment.  Such  methods  of 
existence  failed  to  enlist  the  favorable  opinions  of  the  people  among  whom 
he  resided.  In  business  affairs  he  was  disagreeable  and  a  hard  man  to  deal 
with.  He  constantly  differed  and  quarreled  with  his  tenants,  hired  help 
and  others  who  dealt  with  him.  It  was  said  that  he  was  a  hard  master  to 
his  sons. 

He  complained  of  losing  many  cattle  and  hogs  by  thieves,  and  to  have 
lost  large  amounts  of  wood  and  timber  by  trespassers.  Once,  when  riding 
with  him  near  Oakfield,  a  man  was  met  with  a  load  of  shoats.  The  Doctor 
stopped  and  claimed  them.  The  driver  said  he  was  delivering  them  to  a 
man  whom  he  named.  The  Doctor  said  he  had  not  sold  any  hogs  to  that 
man,  and  directed  him  to  return  them  to  his  place,  and  not  take  away  any 
more  without  his  order.  The  depredations  became  so  flagrant  that  he  was 
obliged  to  dispose  of  all  the  live  stock  on  his  estate.  He  negotiated  the 
sale  of  all  his  cattle,  and  they  were  turned  into  the  woods  pasture  south  of 
the  Ballard  bridge,  temporarily,  for  delivery  a  few  days  later.  On  the 
day  of  delivery,  fifty  head  of  the  cattle  had  disappeared,  and  no  trace  of 
them  could  be  discovered.  It  was  supposed  that  some  of  the  Doctor's 
agents  had  made  away  with  them.  After  he  became  too  old  and  feeble  to 
superintend  his  business,  for  several  years  large  amounts  of  boards  from 
his  fences  were  stolen  and  carried  away.  A  barn  was  discovered  near  his 
estate  built  from  such  lumber,  the  marks  on  the  boards  plainly  showing 
where  they  had  been  fastened  to  fence  posts.  The  owner  of  the  barn  was 
accused  of  the  theft,  and  admitted  that  he  had  bought  the  boards  from  an 
agent  of  the  Doctor;  but  he  reluctantly  paid  for  them,  saying  that  the  money 
he  paid  was  part  of  that  stolen  from  the  Doctor  when  he  was  robbed  at 
his  residence  in  1882-83,  as  hereafter  related.  In  the  fall  of  1882  it  was 
discovered  where  nine  of  the  Doctor's  fat  hogs  had  been  stolen,  killed  in 
the  timber  and  carried  away.  It  was  supposed  they  went  into  the  pork  bar- 
rels of  his  neighbors. 

During  the  last  winter  of  his  life,  1882-83,  while  sick  and  confined  to 
his  bed  at  his  residence,  one  night  two  robbers,  Northgrave  and  Van  Winkle, 
as  was  afterwards  learned,  entered  the  house,  broke  open  his  bedroom,  and 
robbed  him  of  about  two  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars  in  money,  which 
the  Doctor  had  negligently  allowed  to  accumulate  in  the  house,  the  pro- 
ceeds of  rents  collected,  etc.,  which  was  contained  in  a  leather  valise  near 
his  bed.  The  robber  seized  the  valise  containing  the  money  and  was  about 
getting  away  with  it  when  the  Doctor  sprang  from  the  bed,  grasped  the 


I04  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

retreating  robber  around  the  legs,  felled  him  to  the  floor  and  shouted  for 
help.  The  only  other  persons  in  the  house  at  the  time  were  the  wife  of  the 
Doctor's  hired  man  and  two  boys.  The  latter  fled,  but  the  lady  was  plucky 
and  came  to  the  rescue,  beating  the  robbers  with  a  club.  In  the  struggle 
the  robber  kicked  himself  loose  and  the  Doctor  was  seriously  injured  in 
the  encounter,  trying  to  defend  his  property;  but  the  robber  escaped  with 
the  booty.  The  Doctor  at  once  sent  to  Exira  for  his  attorney,  H.  F.  An- 
drews, who  promptly  responded,  although  it  was  a  bitter  cold  night,  taking 
Richard  W.  Griggs  along  with  him.  On  arriving  at  the  residence  of  the 
Doctor,  several  of  his  neighbors,  having  learned  of  the  outrage,  were  assem- 
bled there.  The  Doctor  privately  informed  the  lawyers  that  he  believed  he  had 
a  clue  to  the  robbers,  who  had  not  then  been  identified;  that  in  the  struggle 
with  the  one  he  had  attacked  he  had  torn  off  his  suspenders  and  a  button 
with  a  strip  of  cloth  attached,  which  he  still  possessed,  and  proceeded  to 
produce  it  from  under  his  pillow.  The  trophy  was  examined  and  it  was 
thought  it  might  lead  to  the  identity  of  the  culprits.  Next  morning  the 
tracks  of  the  robbers  and  their  horses  were  discovered  in  the  snow.  With 
a  team  driven  by  Joseph  Doner,  the  Doctor's  hired  man,  Mr.  Andrews  and 
Mr.  Griggs  followed  the  trail  several  miles  into  Cass  county,  when  a  snow 
storm  obliterated  the  tracks  and  the  trail  was  lost.  Returning  to  the  Doc- 
tor's place,  the  captured  suspenders  and  bit  of  cloth  were  again  examined. 
It  was  thought  that  the  cloth  looked  familiar  and  resembled  the  pants  usu- 
ally worn  by  the  Doctor  and  which  usually  hung  near  his  bed.  Search  was 
made  for  them  without  success  and  it  was  concluded  that  the  robber  had 
also  stolen  the  Doctor's  pants,  and  that  the  Doctor  had  pulled  off  the  sus- 
penders from  his  own  pants  in  the  struggle  with  him.  which  in  the  end 
proved  true.  The  stolen  valise  and  the  pants  were  afterward  found  together 
not  far  from  the  residence,  where  they  had  been  left  by  some  one  other 
than  the  robbers.  In  following  the  trail  of  the  escaped  robbers,  the  saddle 
cloth  of  one  of  them,  which  had  been  lost  by  them,  was  fortunately  dis- 
covered, and  it  subsequently  led  to  their  identity;  other  facts  developed 
which  identified  them  beyond  reasonable  doubt.  It  appeared  that  others 
were  associated  with  them  and  that  the  money  was  divided  between  the 
gang  of  villains  who  participated  in  the  nefarious  affair.  One  man  who 
was  killed  in  the  county  soon  afterwards  was  said  to  have  received  a  fine 
span  of  horses  for  taking  the  rogues  from  the  county.  The  principal  rob- 
bers soon  left  the  community,  but  the  money  was  never  recovered.  Doctor 
Ballard  soon  went  to  Council  Bluffs  and  died  there  shortly  afterward. 
Nothing  further  was  done  about  the  crime.     Near  the  time  of  his  death,  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  IO5 

Doctor  informed  the  writer  that  the  amount  of  his  losses  by  thieves,  tres- 
passers, robbers,  etc.,  in  the  past  twenty  years  would  aggregate  fully  twenty 
thousand  dollars.  And  he  also  said :  "Andrews,  I  am  living  a'mong  the 
wolves." 

Hon.  William  F.  Smith,  late  of  Farrall,  Wyoming,  a  few  years  since 
described  some  scenes  in  the  home  life  of  Doctor  Ballard.  He  said:  "In 
1854  Dr.  S.  M.  Ballard  came  from  Iowa  to  Ohio  to  place  his  sons,  Byron 
and  Osceola,  in  school,  and  while  my  parents  were  visiting  the  family  of 
Frederick  Ballard  they  met  the  Doctor.  I  should  say  that  one  of  the  objects 
of  the  Doctor's  visit  was  to  purchase  machinery  for  a  saw-mill.  My  par- 
ents were  wanting  to  locate  where  land  was  cheap  and  secure  a  home.  Doc- 
tor Ballard  gave  a  very  glowing  account  of  Iowa,  and  of  Audubon  county 
in  particular,  and  offered  them  work  at  good  wages  until  they  could 
establish  a  home  of  their  own,  which  was  accepted.  So,  in  the  spring  of 
1854,  we  started  down  the  Ohio  river  by  way  of  St.  Louis,  and  then  up  the 
Missouri  river  to  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  On  account  of  low  water,  we  were 
a  long  time  making  the  trip,  and  then  went  to  Doctor  Ballard's  place  with 
teams.  We  had  expected  to  find  a  fine,  large  house  in  good  shape ;  but  the 
house  was  a  small  log  cabin  of  one  room,  eighteen  Iw  eighteen  feet,  and  he 
had  a  fairly  large  log  barn,  where  the  men  slept.  When  we  arrived  there, 
my  brothers  and  myself  went  to  the  house  and  looked  in  at  the  door  and 
the  sight  gave  us  a  fright.  The  doctor  was  eating  his  supper  out  a  pan, 
and  a  woman,  one  of  Mr.  Hyatt's  family,  was  waiting  on  him.  The  Doctor 
spoke  to  us  in  a  loud  voice  and  said :  "Come  in.  boys."  But  when  we  saw 
those  long  white  whiskers  and  the  strange  surroundings  we  beat  a  hasty 
retreat  for  the  wagons  and  told  what  we  had  seen.  Our  parents  had  to  tell 
the  Doctor  about  it.  and  we  had  a  good  laugh  over  it.  We  stopped  at  the 
Doctor's  place.  My  father  worked  on  the  farm  and  my  mother  and  sisters 
cooked  for  hired  help.  That  fall  my  folks  and  the  Doctor  disagreed,  and 
we  quit  him  and  moved  to  "Uncle  Johnny"  Jenkins's  house,  and  soon  after- 
ward to  Jimmy  Bird's  place  in  Cass  county,  where  we  lived  that  winter. 
Early  the  next  spring  we  went  back  to  the  Doctor's  place.  The  machinery 
for  the  saw-mill  had  arrived,  ^^^ith  the  farmhands  and  our  own  family  and 
the  mill  crew,  my  poor  mother  and  sisters  had  to  work  early  and  late  to 
cook  and  wash  for  the  outfit,  making  butter  and  caring  for  the  milk  from 
several  cows.  etc.  The  Doctor  had  put  up  several  other  buildings,  so  we 
had  more  room.  ]\Iyself  and  brothers  and  the  hired  men  slept  in  the  hay- 
mow above  the  horses.     *     *     *     About  this  period  the  wife  and   family 


I06  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

of   Doctor   Ballard   came   out    from    Iowa   Gity   to   the    farm   in   Audubon 
county.    (The  sons  of  Doctor  Ballard  came  to  Audubon  county  in   1852.) 

Doctor  Ballard  was  lirst  receiver  of  the  United  States  land  office  at 
Kanesville  (Council  Bluffs),  Iowa,  in  1853.  It  is  said  that  he  once  carried 
a  large  amount  of  public  funds  in  specie  from  Kanesville  to  Iowa  City 
in  the  false  bottom  of  his  bugg}^  to  conceal  it  and  escape  robbery.  He  was 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Council  Bluffs  and  Nebraska  Ferry  Company 
in  1853-54.  He  was  a  Whig,  and  a  prominent  man.  The  lozi'a  Standard 
was  begun  in  1841  at  Iowa  City,  and  suspended  publication  in  1848.  It 
was  bought  about  that  time  by  Doctor  Ballard,  the  name  changed  to  the 
Iowa  City  Republican,  and  he  continued  its  publication  as  the  Whig  organ 
of  the  party  in  Iowa.  Among  those  employed  on  the  paper  were  William 
P.  Hepburn,  Tom  Ballard,  a  natural  son  of  the  Doctor;  Clay  Johnson,  and 
others.  We  are  not  fully  advised  as  to  the  history  of  the  paper  under  the 
management  of  Ballard,  or  when  he  severed  his  connection  with  it. 

Ballard  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Republican  party  in  Iowa, 
along  with  such  men  as  Grimes,  Lowe,  Kirkwood  and  others  of  that  period. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Republic  state  central  committee  in  1856.  In  1859 
he  appears  on  the  ticket  for  representative.  He  was  of  ability  to  have  graced 
high  political  offices,  but  does  not  appear  to  have  sought  such  preferment. 
He  was  patriotic  and  a  sound  Union  man  during  the  war,  so  far  as  his 
voice  and  vote  went,  but  did  not  contribute  financially  to  the  party  cam- 
paign expenses  while  residing  in  Audubon  county.  He  sometimes  attended 
state,  district  and  county  conventions  as  a  delegate.  During  the  war  at 
one  time  he  was  sent  by  Governor  Kirkwood  on  some  mission  to  the  Iowa 
soldiers  in  the  army  down  the  Mississippi  river. 

A  remarkable  instance  occurred  in  the  Republican  state  convention  of 
1875,  when  Doctor  Ballard  was  chiefly  responsible  for  the  nomination  of 
Hon.  Samuel  J.  Kirkwood  for  governor  for  the  third  term.  Probably  no 
man  ever  went  into  a  convention  more  confident  of  success  than  did  Hon. 
James  B.  Weaver  on  that  occasion.  Pie  had  been  a  brilliant,  gallant  soldier, 
was  justly  popular  as  a  politician,  especially  with  the  old  soldier  element  of 
the  party,  and  richly  deserved  the  office  as  governor  of  Iowa.  Doctor  Bal- 
lard was  a  delegate  to  the  convention.  He  and  some  of  the  old-guard 
Republicans  did  not  take  kindly  to  the  candidacy  of  General  Weaver,  or, 
perhaps.  Weaver  did  not  sufficiently  court  their  support.  Their  importance 
and  influence  was  probably  overlooked,  or  not  properly  considered.  Some 
of  the  old-timers  decided  to  give  Kirkwood  a  complimentary  vote  for  gov- 
ernor.    When  the  nominations  came  on,  and  after  the  name  of  Weaver  had 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  IO7 

been  presented  as  a  candidate,  Doctor  Ballard  arose,  a  majestic  figure,  with 
snowy-white  hair,  long  flowing  beard  and  eagle  eye,  his  giant  form  tower- 
ing above  the  assembly.  With  his  powerful,  leonine  voice,  he  announced : 
"I  nominate  for  governor  that  old  war  boss,  Sam  J.  Kirkwood."  The  mag- 
ical effect  attracted  every  eye  and  ear  present.  An  alert  supporter  of  Gen- 
eral Weaver  demanded :  "By  what  authority  does  the  gentleman  from 
Audubon  present  the  name  of  Governor  Kirkwood?"  Others  shouted: 
"Governor  Kirkwood  is  not  a  candidate.  He  won't  have  the  office,"  etc. 
The  Doctor  impressively  responded :  "By  authority  of  the  great  Republican 
party  of  Iowa."  The  psychological  effect  produced  was  instantaneous. 
That  patriarchical  figure  and  voice  in  the  midst  of  Iowa's  sons  assembled 
won  the  contest  beyond  recall,  and  Kirkwood  was  promptly  nominated,  to 
the  disappointment  and  chagrin  of  General  Weaver  and  his  followers. 
Never  has  a  parallel  to  that  act,  of  such  momentous  importance,  occurred 
in  the  political  history  of  Iowa.  The  shock  was  directed  by  the  extempo- 
raneous act  of  a  single  man — Doctor  Ballard.  It  was  a  powerfully  dra- 
matic scene,  which  arose  spontaneously,  without  preparation,  on  the  spur 
of  the  moment. 

Who  can  say  that  but  for  this  act  of  Doctor  Ballard,  Hon.  James  B. 
Weaver  would  not  have  continued  an  ornament  to  the  Republican  party. 

Many  years  ago,  at  the  Walker  house  in  Audubon,  during  court  time. 
Doctor  Ballard,  Judge  Reed,  Judge  Maxwell,  the  writer  and  others  were 
having  a  pleasant  evening  together.  The  Doctor,  being  in  a  reminiscent 
mood,  related  a  thrilling  account  of  the  experience  of  himself  and  "Uncle" 
John  Jenkins,  who  were  once  lost  in  a  snowstorm  while  out  hunting.  The 
story  ran  substantially  in  this  way :  "In  December,  1852,  the  United  States 
surveyors,  including  myself,  were  camped  at  Blue  Grass  Grove  engaged 
in  sudividing  township  80,  range  35  (now  Leroy  township).  My  friend, 
John  S.  Jenkins,  and  his  son  John  came  up  from  Big  Grove  to  our  camp 
for  a  hunt  with  me,  game  being  plentiful.  We  two  started  off  together, 
westward  from  camp.  During  the  day  a  heavy  snowstorm  came  on ;  we 
got  bewildered,  lost  all  idea  of  direction  and  wandered  around  long  into  the 
night,  completely  lost.  At  one  time  we  heard  a  strange  noise  near  us,  as  of 
many  large  animals  running  through  the  snow,  making  the  peculiar  whist- 
ling sound  of  the  elk  when  startled.  We  supposed  we  had  run  into  and 
startled  a  band  of  those  animals,  but  it  was  too  dark  to  see  them.  (The 
writer  has  heard  this  sound  made  by  elk.  By  old  hunters  it  is  called 
'Bugling,'  and  is  made  by  the  bull  elk  as  a  challenge  or  note  of  defiance.  It 
is  a  peculiar  sound  and  somewhat  resembles  the  notes  of  a  bugle.)      Con- 


I08  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

tinuing  our  tramp  later  into  the  night,  we  entered  a  brush  patch  and  stopped 
to  rest,  being  tired  out  and  hungry.  Mr.  Jenkins  was  in  worse  pHght  than 
myself  and  complained  that  his  feet  were  hurting  him.  I  suspected  that 
his  feet  were  frozen,  which  afterwards  proved  to  be  the  case.  We  gathered 
fuel  and  started  a  fire.  Mr.  Jenkins  proposed  to  remove  his  boots  and 
examine  his  feet;  but  I  persuaded  him  not  to  do  so,  as  he  would  have  dififi- 
cutly  in  putting  them  on  again.  We  made  a  bed  of  brush  and  dried  grass 
and  he  laid  down  and  slept,  while  T  watched  and  tended  the  fire.  Towards 
morning  the  clouds  parted  and  I  got  a  fair  view  of  the  Great  Handled  Dip- 
per and  the  North  star,  and  so  fixed  the  direction  in  my  mind.  When  morn- 
ing came  it  was  still  cloudy  and  the  sun  was  obscured  all  day.  Jenkins 
awoke  very  much  discouraged,  still  complaining  of  his  feet,  and  expressed 
doubt  that  we  should  ever  reach  home  again.  I  tried  to  encourage  him  and 
pointed  out  the  direction  I  thought  we  should  travel.  He  disputed  me  and 
said  he  thought  we  should  travel  in  nearly  the  opposite  course.  I  said, 
'There  is  north,'  pointing,  as  I  believed,  in  that  direction.  He  had  no  idea 
that  I  knew  the  direction  any  better  than  he  did,  and  he  replied :  'And 
who  in  h — ,  sir,  told  \-(m  that  was  north?'  I  explained  to  him  of  my  see- 
ing the  North  star  while  he  had  slept,  and  he  cooled  down,  but  apparently 
not  convinced  and  despondent;  said  we  were  lost  beyond  hope  of  discovery; 
that  no  one  would  know  where  to  search  for  us,  and  that  if  anyone 
attempted  to  find  us  there  was  hardly  a  chance  of  success,  and  that  he 
believed  we  must  perish.  I  urged  that  w^e  should  succeed  by  following  the 
course  I  suggested.  He  admitted  that  he  was  in  dou1)t  what  direction  we 
ought  to  travel,  and  finally  consented  to  follow  me  that  day,  but  did  not 
hope  to  succeed.  We  took  up  the  march  tow'ards  the  east,  as  it  afterwards 
proved.  W^e  came  out  on  what  must  have  been  the  main  divide  between  the 
w^aters  of  the  East  and  \\'est  Botna  rivers,  and  there  Mr.  Jenkins  rebelled 
and  became  more  obstinate  than  before.  He  insisted  we  were  traveling  the 
wrong  direction,  and  that  w^e  should  change  our  course  and  proceed  north- 
west along  the  divide.  I  was  confident  we  w^ere  on  the  right  course,  Imt 
pleaded  with  him  in  vain.  We  shook  hands,  parted,  and  each  pursued  his 
chosen  course,  he  to  the  northwest,  along  the  divide,  and  I  took  a  south- 
east course  down  a  ridge,  until  nearly  out  of  sight  of  each  other,  when, 
turning  to  take  a  parting  look  at  him,  I  saw  him  wave  his  hat.  I  made  a 
similar  response  and  waited  for  him  to  return.  When  he  joined  me  he 
said  he  had  forgotten  his  promise  to  follow  during  the  day,  apologized  and 
promised  to  make  his  word  good.  We  proceeded  again  until  Mr.  Jenkins 
became  more  discouraged  and  complained.     I  carried  his  rifle  to  relieve  him 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  IO9 

and  took  him  by  the  arm  to  encourage  him  to  proceed.  Late  in  the  after- 
noon, in  crossing  a  slough,  his  feet  became  entangled  in  the  long,  wet  grass, 
matted  down  by  the  heavy  snow,  and  he  fell.  I  offered  to  assist  him  to 
arise,  but  he  refused;  said  it  was  useless;  that  we  were  lost  beyond  help; 
that  his  feet  were  used  up;  that  we  were  without  food  or  fire  and  must 
perish;  that  he  might  as  well  stop  where  he  was  to  punish  himself  by 
attempting  to  travel  farther.  I  stooped  down  and  struck  him  a  smart  blow 
with  the  back  of  my  hand  on  his  face.  The  effect  was  instantaneous.  He 
sprang  to  his  feet  like  a  steel  trap  and  demanded  why  I  had  insulted  him. 
I  told  him  it  was  to  show  him  that  he  was  not  so  near  dead  as  he  imagined, 
and  that  I  had  proved  it.  He  accepted  my  explanation  and  we  again  pro- 
ceeded. Upon  reaching  the  top  of  another  ridge  I  thought  the  surrounding 
country  and  lay  of  the  land  looked  familiar.  I  believed  we  were  in  the 
vicinity  of  our  camp  and  so  informed  my  companion.  I  then  remembered 
my  dog,  a  favorite  white  hound,  who  was  at  the  camp,  and  told  Mr.  Jen- 
kins that  if  I  could  make  'Zack'  hear  my  voice  he  would  come  to  us.  So  I 
began  to  shout  and  halloo,  long  and  loud,  and  kept  it  up.  Soon  I  heard 
the  hound  bay  and  called  the  attention  of  Mr.  Jenkins  to  it,  but  he  was  not 
convinced.  He  said  we  could  not  be  near  camp,  and  that  i  must  have  heard 
a  wolf  howl.  But  soon  the  dog  came  over  the  hill  in  full  cry.  I  saw  him, 
with  the  black  spot  on  his  head,  coming  towards  us,  and  no  mistake,  and 
he  soon  reached  us,  plainly  expressing  his  pleasure  at  seeing  us.  A  little 
later  Uncle  Ben  Hyatt,  our  cook,  came  following  on  the  dog's  track.  When 
he  got  near  enough  I  shouted  for  him  to  hurry  back  to  camp  and  prepare 
some  food  for  us.  Uncle  John  clasped  the  dog  around  the  neck  and  burst 
into  tears,  and  ever  afterwards  declared  that  the  dog  saved  our  lives." 

I  had  previously  heard  the  Doctor  tell  the  story,  and  Mr.  Jenkins  had 
also  told  it  to  me.  When  the  Doctor's  narrative  was  finished  and  his  hear- 
ers had  expressed  their  appreciation.  I  said  to  him :  "Doctor,  I  think  you 
told  the  story  to  a  party  of  gentlemen  at  Exira  several  years  ago."  "Why 
do  you  say  so?"  said  he.  "Since  I  first  heard  you  tell  it,  I  have  heard  Mr. 
Jenkins  tell  it."  "And  don't  he  tell  it  as  I  do?"  "Yes,  with  one  excep- 
tion." "And  what  is  that?"  "He  didn't  mention  that  you  slapped  him  in 
the  face."  "But  I  did,"  said  the  Doctor.  John  T.  Jenkins,  of  Brayton,  says 
that  he  was  at  the  camp  at  the  time  mentioned  and  well  remembers  the  inci- 
dent. He  says  that  the  people  at  the  camp,  Ben  Hyatt,  Byron  Ballard,  the 
Doctor's  son,  and  others,  were  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  his  father  and  the 
Doctor,  and  were  anxiously  hoping  all  day  for  their  return;  that  old  "Zack" 
was  uneasy  and  whined  at  times,  and  that  all  of  a  sudden  he  bawled  out  and 


no  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

broke  away  from  camp  on  the  run  over  the  hills.  No  one  in  camp  had 
heard  the  Doctor's  call,  but  the  dog  evidently  had  a  keener  ear,  and  dashed 
away  to  find  his  lost  master.  Neither  of  the  participants  knew  exactly 
where  their  wanderings  had  taken  them. 

The  writer  surveyed  land  in  this  county  for  years  in  earlier  times  and 
became  well  acquainted  with  the  lands  in  the  west  part  of  the  county  where 
this  adventure  took  place.  There  used  to  be  a  little  clump  of  hickory  sap- 
lings in  a  deep  ravine  near  the  line  between  Douglas  and  Sharon  townships 
near  the  west  part  of  the  county,  which  was,  perhaps,  the  spot  where  Bal- 
lard and  Jenkins  stopped  on  the  night  as  related.  Mr.  Jenkins  more  than 
onc/j  referred  to  this  adventure  with  gratitude  towards  Doctor  Ballard,  and 
invariably  expressed  liis  belief  that  the  Doctor  had  saved  his  life  on  that 
occasion.  He  was  financially  interested  with  Captain  Perry  and  the  Hen- 
dersons in  contracts  for  the  survey  of  several  townships  of  government 
lands  in  Audubon  county  and  perhaps  elsewhere.  His  son  Byron  was  actu- 
ally engaged  in  the  work  as  flagman  and  chainman.  The  Doctor  was  prob- 
ably overseer  of  the  working  party. 

During  the  last  winter  of  his  life  he  spoke  about  his  son,  "Bolly,"  as 
he  was  familiarly  called,  and,  like  King  David  of  old.  lamenting  over  his 
son  Absalom,  said  that  he  could  be  a  prince  if  he  would  be,  intimating  that 
he  would  be  pleased  for  him  to  have  the  home  place,  but  feared  that  if  he 
should  give  it  to  him  he  would  squander  it.  He  suggested  that  there  might 
be  some  of  his  descendants  some  time  who  might  make  good  use  of  his 
property,  if  he  only  knew  to  whom  to  leave  it.  The  terms  of  his  will  indi- 
cate that  it  was  perhaps  framed  with  such  ideas  in  view.  He  left  a  hand- 
some estate.  Besides  his  lands  and  property  here,  he  had  large  possessions 
in  other  places.  At  his  death  he  gave  his  son  Osceola  a  life  estate  in  four 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Cass  county,  which  he  soon  lost.  To  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  Robinson,  he  gave  a  life  estate  in  nearly  two  thousand  acres  of  land 
near  Marne,  Iowa,  with  remainder  to  her  children  after  her  death.  The 
residue  of  his  fortune  went  to  his  wife.  The  home  place  here  has  passed 
entirely  out  of  possession  of  his  descendants.  Doctor  Ballard  was  unfor- 
tunate in  his  family.  Byron  was  killed  by  the  falling  of  a  tree ;  Eugene  was 
drowned,  and  two  daughters  died  young.  He  was  the  first  senior  warden 
of  Iowa  City  Lodge  No.  4.  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  which  was 
chartered  on  January  8.   1844. 

Old  settlers  will  recall  the  heroic  figure  of  the  old  Doctor,  with  his 
black  plug  hat.  mounted  on  his  favorite  saddle  horse.  "Old  Tige."  as  he.  in 
former  times,  rode  about  the  county.     He  died  at  Council  BlufTs  in  1883. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  Ill 

Mrs.  Ballard  survived  him,  but  has  been  dead  many  years.  Their  children 
were :  Byron,  unmarried ;  Virginia,  who  married  George  Robinson  and  is 
dead;  Osceola  is  dead;  Oletippe  and  another  daughter  are  both  dead. 

DAVID    EDGERTON. 

David  Edgerton  visited  Audubon  county  with  Nathaniel  Hamlin  and 
others  in  March,  1851,  and  settled  here  in  1852.  His  first  residence  was  a 
log  cabin  on  lot  5,  in  section  3,  Exira  township.  He  had  the  title  to  the 
land  upon  which  the  town  of  Exira  was  laid  and  was  nominal  proprietor 
of  the  town;  but  Judge  Daniel  M.  Harris  was  real  owner  of  the  undivided 
one-half  thereof,  and  conducted  the  business  of  laying  out  and  platting  the 
town.  Mr.  Edgerton  owned  considerable  other  lands  contiguous  to  Exira. 
He  reserved  all  of  block  4,  Exira,  for  his  home,  upon  which  he  erected  his 
dwelling  house  and  the  present  old  barn  on  the  same  block.  Part  of  his 
old  dwelling  is  now  embraced  in  the  present  residence  of  Mrs.  Sturgeon, 
which,  with  the  old  barn,  all  on  the  same  block,  are  owned  by  Mrs.  Stur- 
geon. Mr.  Edgerton  sold  out  in  1867,  and  he  and  his  family  went  to 
Kansas. 

REUBEN    CARPENTER. 

Reuljen  Carpenter  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1852  and  settled  in  sec- 
tion 35,  Exira  township.  He  sold  out  there  in  1853  to  William  H.  H.  Bowen 
and  moved  to  section  18,  Audubon  township.  His  children  were,  Elijah, 
William  (who  married  Martha  Johnston),  George,  John,  David,  Henry,  and 
several  daughters. 

THE    HEATHS. 

Alilton  Heath,  a  carpenter  and  farmer,  married  Elizabeth  Parent.  He 
cam,e  from  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  in  1852,  and  lived  first  on  Doctor  Bal- 
lard's place ;  then  moved  a  mile  west  of  Ballard  bridge,  where  he  built  a 
dwelling,  made  of  poles  covered  with  hay.  He  went  to  Shelby  county  in 
1855,  and  there  laid  out  the  now  obsolete  town  of  Simoda.  He  went  back 
to  Indiana  in  i860,  returned  to  Audubon  county  in  1869,  and  lived  about 
Oakfield  and  other  places.  He  was  a  Republican.  He  died  in  1897,  and 
his  wife  died  in  1873.  Their  children  were:  Hiram,  referred  to  in  the 
following  paragraph;  Josiah,  who  married  Mary  Huntsinger;  Wilfred,  who 
married  Sarah  Eastis ;  Albert,  who  married  Caroline  Goodale,  and  Arthur, 
who  married  Mary . 


I  1 2  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Hiram  Heath  came  to  Audubon  county  with  his  parents.  He  mar- 
ried in  1871,  Evahne,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Julia  A.  (  Bolton)  Grans- 
berry.  He  was  a  farmer  at  Exira,  and  a  Republican  in  politics.  His  chil- 
dren were,  Henry  M.,  who  married  Mary  B.  Kline;  Elizabeth  J.,  who  mar- 
ried George  B.  Martin;  Rosall,  who  married  Monroe  Higgins;  Olga  G., 
who  married  William  Powers,   and  AA'innie   I.,  unmarried. 

Mark  Heath,  a  farmer,  who  married  Lucy  Driver,  came  from  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana,  in  1852.  and  settled  on  the  hill  south  of  Oakfield,  in  section 
29.  He  lived  there  the  remainder  of  his  life  and  died  there.  He  was  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  His  children 
were,  Marcellus,  who  married  Emma  Brinckley ;  Lovice,  married  Chauncey 
Aldrich;  C.  Adelbert.  married  Francina  Pottle;  Kittie,  married  Frank  Lam- 
bert. 

Amhert  Heath,  brother  of  Mark  and  Milton,  came  from  Indiana  in 
1857.  He  was  a  farmer  and  well  digger.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  served 
as  county  judge.  He  lost  his  life  in  a  well  at  the  Huyck  place  in  1868.  He 
married  Loly  A.  Monts  and  after  his  death,  his  widow  married  David  B. 
Beers.  He  was  the  father  of  the  following  children :  Catherine  Lovetta, 
who  married  \A^illiam  Gearheart ;  Rose  Ella,  married  Henry  Carpenter; 
Lewis  Comb,  married  Ina  Smith ;  Frank  Byron,  married  Ida  Merrick ; 
Owen  Elmer,  married  Grace  Hawk;  ]\[artha  Almeda,  married  Lewis  M. 
Parrott. 

William  Henry  Harrison  Bowen  married  Eliza  Watson.  In  1853 
he,  with  Walter  J.  Jardine  and  John  Seifford  and  families,  came  here 
from  Jones  county,  Iowa.  Mr.  Bowen  bought  out  the  claim  of  Reuben 
Carpenter  and  was  a  farmer.  He  went  to  Pikes  Peak  in  i860  and  moved 
to  Colorado  in  1862.  He  returned  to  Audubon  county  in  1865,  but  later, 
went  to  Nebraska,  where  he  lived  several  years  and  then  returned  to  Cass 
county,  near  his  old  home.  He  was  a  Republican,  a  member  of  the  board 
of  supervisors  in  1871-2,  and  the  first  assessor  of  Audubon  county.  He 
married  for  his  second  wife,  Josephine  Smith.  His  son,  the  late  Hugh 
Bowen,  succeeded  to  the  home  place  many  years  ago.  To  WiUiam  and 
Eliza  Bowen  the  following  children  were  born :  Nancy  Jane,  who  married 
Hon.  William  Walker;  Rachel  Elizabeth,  married  William  B.  Stone;  John 
Wesley,  married  Nancy  Cannon;  Anna  L.,  died  unmarried;  Sarah  E.,  mar- 
ried Wilham  Bales;  Hugh,  married  Alaggie  Selladay;  Juliette,  married 
Joseph  W.  Walker;  Emma  Caroline,  married  John  Lorah;  James  W.,  died 
unmarried;   Charles   E.,   married   Mary    Allen.      By   his   second   wife,    Mr. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  II3 

Bowen  had  four  children,  Kittie,  who  married  Leonard  J.  Whitney,  Burns, 
Harry  and  Edward. 

Peoria  Irwin  Whitted,  son  of  WilHam  and  Armena  (Howard) 
Whitted,  was  born  in  WilHamsport,  Tennessee,  February  29,  1832.  He 
married  in  Audubon  county  on  February  28,  i860,  Louise  C,  daugh- 
ter of  Levi  B.  and  Fannie  (Boyls)  Montgomery,  and  who  was  born 
in  Hancock  county,  Illinois.  Mr.  Whitted  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Vigo  county,  Indiana;  thence  to  Parke  county,  Indiana,  in  1833;  to 
Vermilion  county,  Indiana,  in  1838;  to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  in  1845;  to 
Muscatine  and  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  in  1850;  to  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  in 
1851,  whence  he  returned  to  Iowa  City.  In  1853  he  came  to  Hamlin's 
Grove,  Iowa.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  came  to  Exira,  where  he  hved  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  a  Democrat,  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church  and  an  Odd  Fellow.  He  was  eilected  county  surveyor  in  1855,  and 
held  the  office  many  years;  was  deputy  sheriff  in  1869  and  assessor  for 
several  years.  He  was  a  prominent  man  and  is  frequently  mentioned  in 
this  work.  He  died  at  Exira  on  December  29,  1907.  His  children  were  as 
follow :  John  Clinton,  married  Hester  Coglin ;  Florence  May,  married 
Albert  L.  Sewell;  Minnie  Arena,  married  James  D.  Barber;  Forest  Bates, 
married  Mabel  Dickay;  Elbridge  Irving,  married  Blanche  Myers;  Carlton 
Calm,  married  Mildred  Bechfold;  Clara  Bell,  married  Nels  Johnson. 

A   NOTED   CHARACTER. 

J.  Lyman  Frost,  with  his  son,  Carlos,  and  Peoria  I.  Whitted,  came 
from  Iowa  City  to  Audubon  county  in  1853.  He  was  an  old  man,  a 
widower,  and  lived  alone  in  a  shanty  made  of  poles,  near  his  son,  Carlos, 
in  the  northwest  part  of  section  35,  Exira  township.  He  was  a  contentious 
man  and  had  a  special  faculty  for  stirring  up  the  animals.  He  was  an  ardent 
Republican,  a  strong  Union  man,  had  no  use  for  anyone  not  strictly  up  to 
the  highest  pitch  of  party  requirements,  and  he  practically  demonstrated 
his  opinions  on  all  possible  occasions.  (See  account  of  him  in  sketch  of 
Nathaniel  Hamlin.)  He  became  postmaster  at  Hamlin's  Grove  during  war 
times.  He  was  heartily  despised  by  the  Democrats  and  was  not  in  unison 
with  many  of  his  own  party.  He  was  a  discordant  element  at  best.  One 
of  the  patrons  of  his  postoffice  was  one  Martin  Shults,  whom  Frost  took 
occasion  publicly  to  call  a  "copperhead."  Shults  was  a  mild,  inoffensive 
man,  religiously  inclined,  and,  although  the  imputation  was  not  wholly  mis- 

(8) 


114  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

applied,  from  the  standpoint  of  the  times,  the  insult  rankled  in  his  bosom. 
Later,  at  a  public  gathering  in  Oakfield,  Shults  spied  his  quarry,  removed 
his  coat  and  handed  it  to  his  good  old  wife,  "Aunt  Julie,"  remarking  that 
he  had  a  duty  to  perform,  and  then  "waded  in  and  proceeded  to  "tan  Frost's 
dog  skin."  That  exercise  performed,  he  proceeded  to  ride  in  haste  to  Exira 
in  search  of  a  justice  to  whom  he  might  "plead  guilty."  But  he  was  pur- 
sued by  the  constable,  John  Crane,  and  arrested  for  assault  and  battery. 
It  was  said  that  Crane  was  so  desirous  of  gaining  popularity  that  he  over- 
rode and  injured  a  fine  horse  in  making  the  arrest.  And  it  was  also  said 
that  his  promptness  in  the  matter  afterwards  cost  him  an  election  to  office. 

Mr.  Frost  was  easily  a  party  leader  locally.  -He  held  the  ear  of  Gov- 
ernor Kirkwood,  with  whom  he  was  personally  acquainted  at  Iowa  City, 
and  stood  in  with  the  administration  at  Washington.  He  made  the  weather 
and  crop  reports,  etc. ;  received  his  contingent  of  government  documents, 
seeds,  etc.,  which  he  conscientiously  distributed  among  the  faithful.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  to  raise  an  apple  orchard  and  other  tame  fruit  in  the 
county.  He  was  prompt  and  zealous  in  attending  to  party  affairs  and  in 
managing  the  Republican  political  machinery  in  the  county,  being  sometime 
chairman  of  the  county  central  committee.  But,  after  a  disagreeable  fac- 
tional contest  with  the  Ballards  and  others  in  a  county  convention  at 
Green's  school  house,  in  1868,  he  soured  on  party  work  and  ne\er  after- 
wards took  an  active  part  in  politics.  He  went  to  Nebraska  with  his  son, 
Carlos,  about  1884,  when  very  aged. 

Carlos  E.  Frost  came  here  with  his  father  from  Iowa  City  in  1853,  ^^^ 
was  a  farmer.  He  lived  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  35,  Exira  town- 
ship. He  ^\•as  a  Republican  and  a  popular  gentleman.  He  was  clerk  at  the 
first  county  election,  April  2,  1855;  county  treasurer,  1864-5,  and  during 
that  period  lived  in  Exira.  in  the  Charles  Chapin  house,  which  was  on  the 
site  of  the  present  John  Mertis  residence,  block  16,  Exira. 

In  1883  he  was  a  merchant  in  Brayton.  where  his  store  was  burglarized 
by  the  "Crooked  Creek  Gang."  His  son,  Lew  C.  Frost,  and  son-in-law,  Dan 
P.  McGill,  held  the  office  of  count v  survevor.  He  moved  to  Stuart, 
Nebraska,  about  1884.  His  children  were,  Lew  C,  who  married  Alice 
Ilartman ;  Salina ;  Eva,  who  married  Dan  P.  ]\IcGill ;  Edward,  Eliza  and 
another  daughter. 

Richard  Gault,  son  of  Francis  and  Deborah  (Stewart)  Gault,  was 
born  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  August  21,  1830,  and  was  married  in  Audubon 
county.  May  i,  i860,  to  IMary  Leffingwell.  daughter  of  Alvin  and  Paulina 
(Leffingwell)    Herrick,   and   who  was   born   in   Massachusetts   about    1832. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  II5 

Mr.  Gault  came  to  Philadelphia  with  his  parents,  about  1837;  thence  to 
Wisconsin  in  185 1;  to  Appanoose  county,  Iowa,  in  1853,  and  to  Hamlin's 
Grove  in  1854.  He  served  as  clerk  for  Nathaniel  Hamlin,  and  was  clerk 
01  the  district  court  in  1861-2.  About  1863  he  settled  on  a  farm  in  section 
9,  Exira  township,  where  he  lived  many  years  and  where  his  wife  died. 
During  the  last  years  of  his  life  he  resided  in  Exira.  He  was  a  Democrat 
and  Odd  Fellow  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias.  He  died  in  Exira,  April  13, 
1904.  His  children,  who  were  born  in  Audubon  county,  were :  Henry 
Franklin,  who  married  first,  Dora  Smith,  and  second,  Melissa  Cook; 
Augusta  Collins,  married  Naomi  Campbell ;  Mildred  Ann,  married  John  B. 
Hash;  Charles  Richard,  who  first  married  Maud  Wilcutt,  and  second, 
Anna  Glasscock ;  Caroline,  married  Ernest  D.  Powell ;  Anna  Belle,  married 
Charles  W.  Houston;  Mary  Leffingwell,  married  Albert  Britner. 

THE    HERRICKS. 

The  Herrick  lineage  is  a  proud  one.  It  is  an  old  one,  extending  back 
to  the  period  when  English  people  bore  but  a  single  name,  and  it  was  then 
Eric.  But,  through  \-arious  transformations  and  the  prefix  of  the  Cockney 
"h,"  it  became  (H)eyricke,  which,  in  later  times,  became  Herrick.  It  is 
traditional  that  the  very  ancient  family  of  the  Ericks  descended  from  Eric, 
the  Forrester,  a  great  commander,  who  raised  an  army  to  oppose  the  in- 
vasion of  William  the  Concperor  into  England,  1066,  by  whom  he  was 
vancjuished;  but  he  was  afterwards  chosen  to  command  some  of  the  forces 
of  that  king.  In  old  age  he  returned  to  his  estate  in  Leicestershire,  where 
the  descendants  became  free  tenants,  holding  two  virgates,  the  fourth  of 
a  hide,  or  about  fifty  acres  of  land,  which  they  held  on  payment  of  an 
annual  quit-rent  to  the  king  of  a  pound  of  pepper.  Eyrick,  of  Great 
Stretton  and  of  Houghton  in  Leicester,  England,  in  time  of  King  Henry 
III,   1216-72,  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Eric,  the  Forrester. 

Henry  Heyricke,  or  Herrick,  was  tenth  in  lineal  descent  from  Eyrick 
last  named.  He  was  born  at  Beaumont,  England,  August  6,  1604,  and  was 
named  by  command  of  Prince  Henry,  eldest  son  of  King  James  I.  His 
sponsors  were  Sir  David  Murray,  Sir  John  Spellman  and  Lady  Aston.  He 
emigrated  to  \^irginia ;  thence  to  Salem,  Massachusetts,  where  he  married 
Editha,  daughter  of  Flugh  and  Alice  Laskin.  They  were  members  of  the 
First  church  in  Salem,  1629.  He  was  made  a  freeman.  May  18,  1631. 
They  moved  to  Bass  River,  now  Beverly,  Massachusetts,  July  4,  1667, 
where  they  joined  the  church  the  same  year.     They  were  founders  of  the 


ii6 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 


Herrick  family  in  New  England.     Their  descendants  are  numerous  and  are 
well  settled  over  the  Northern  and  Western  states. 

Alvin  Herrick  was  supposed  to  have  descended  from  Henry  Herrick, 
of  Salem,  Massachusetts,  1629,  but  his  ancestry  has  not  been  traced.  He 
was  the  son  of  Elisha  Herrick  and  was  born  in  Westfield,  Massachusetts. 
He  married  Pauline  Leflingwell.  He  was  a  dairyman  at  Westfield.  He 
moved  to  Chautauqua,  New  York,  as  early  as  1844;  thence  to  Buffalo, 
New  York;  thence  to  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  about  1850.  In  the  spring  of 
1853  he  migrated  again,  and  arrived  in  Audubon  county  in  June,  of  that 


AIAIN  HKKItICK 


year,  accompanied  by  his  son,  Urbane,  and  family.  He  at  once  bought  out 
the  claim  of  Ralph  Arthur  Decker,  which  had  a  cabin  on  it,  and  in  the 
same  year  entered  the  land  from  the  government,  it  being  the  east  half  of 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  17,  now  Exira  township,  and  also  the  south- 
east quarter  of  the  same  section,  embracing  some  first-class  farm  land  and 
the  best  timber  in  the  county,  which  shows  that  he  did  not  come  here  empty 
handed.  Part  of  the  present  farm  of  his  grandson,  Julius  E.  Herrick,  is 
situated  in  his  original  purchase.  The  remainder  of  his  family  came  in 
1854  and  brought  with  them  several  hundred  sheep,  the  first  brought  to 
Audubon  county.  "Folly"  Herrick.  his  son.  says  that  it  was  his  job  to  tend 
the  sheep,  and  that  they  were  herded  along  the  ridge  north  of  the  road, 
which  runs  on  the  north  line  of  section  16.     Mr.  Herrick  sold  his  farm  land 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  II7 

to  his  son,  Elisha,  and  about  1856  moved  to  a  place  half  a  mile  north,  in 
section  9,  where  he  erected  a  dwelling,  built  for  him  by  Howard  J.  Green 
and  Alfred  Eddy,  which  is  still  in  existence.  About  1863  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Herrick  separated,  and  she,  with  several  of  the  children,  Coit,  Curtis,  Elisha, 
Judson  D.,  Orra  and  Lawrence,  emigrated  to  Stockton,  California.  Herrick 
sold  his  home  place  to  another  son,  Augustus  C.  Herrick,  and  son-in-law, 
Richard  Gault,  and  it  was  known  for  many  years  as  the  Gault  place.  About 
1865  his  son,  Judson  D.,  called  "Folly,"  returned  from  California,  and  the 
father  and  son  moved  to  Bear  Grove,  Iowa,  but  soon  returned  to  Audubon 
county,  where  he  died  in  December,  1875.  He  was  about  five  feet  and  six 
inches  in  stature;  dark  complexion,  hair  and  eyes.  His  descendants  are 
numerous,  being  mostly  farmers  and  Democrats,  and  have  been  substantial, 
prosperous  citizens;  people  who  attend  to  their  own  affairs  and  let  others 
alone;  honest,  honorable,  kind,  social  neighbors — good  types  of  old  Yankee 
stock. 

Alvin  Herrick's  children  were  as  follow :  Caroline,  married  Lucius 
Collins;  Edson,  married  Mrs.  Mary  A.  West,  nee  Bigelow;  Sarah  Ann, 
married  John  Benedict;  Urbane,  married  Charlotte  Spurling  and  Keziah 
Smith;  Coit,  married  Helen  Bartlett;  Emerson,  married  Mary  Seiford; 
Curtis,  married  Hannah  Holdcroft;  Mary,  married  Richard  Gault;  Elisha, 

never    married;    Augustus    C,    married   Teters;    Judson    deForest, 

married  Mrs.  Louisa  Strickland,  nee  Roeser;  Orra,  married  William  Arnett; 
Lawrence,  married  Helen  Teters. 

Edson  Herrick  married  Mrs.  Mary  A.  West,  nee  Bigelow,  who  had  a 
son,  named  C.  Dwight  West,  by  her  former  husband.  They  came  here 
from  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  bringing  with  them  her  son,  who  still  lives  here. 
But,  fearing  Indian  troubles,  they  returned  to  Wisconsin,  and  came  back  to 
Audubon  county  in  June,  1856.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a  Democrat.  He 
entered  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  15,  Exira  township,  but  settled  on 
an  adjoining  tract  in  the  northeast  corner  of  section  16,  where  William 
Carpenter  and  other  afterwards  lived.  He  next  built  a  residence  farther 
west  in  the  same  section,  which  he  sold  to  G.  T.  Poage.  It  contained  one  of 
the  first  plastered  rooms  in  the  county.  About  1864  he  bought  the  farm 
first  improved  by  his  brother,  Urbane  Herrick,  in  sections  8  and  9,  Exira 
township,  where  his  son-in-law,  Walter  B.  Temple,  now  lives,  and  where 
he  lived  until  near  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  medium-sized  man, 
with  dark  complexion,  hair  and  eyes.  His  name  may  justly  go  down  to 
posterity  as  a  model  citizen.  He  was  one  who  had  no  enemies.  Neither 
should  his  particular  by-word,  "By  Jocks,"  be  forgotten.     He  survived  his 


Il8  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

wife,  but  both  have  been  dead  many  years.  Their  children  were:  Ella 
Mary,  who  married  Walter  B.  Temple;  Ida  F.,  married  Henry  B.  Houston, 
and  is  dead;  Lilly  Ann,  married  Elihu  Myers;  Emma  P.,  married  J.  Mack 
Love;  Julius  Earl,  married  Jessie  Wilcutt;  Cora,  married,  first,  Grant 
Brown  and,  second,  Lloyd  Hinkle,  and  Laura  B.  died  unmarried. 

Urbane  Herrick  married,  first,  Charlotte  Spurling,  who  died,  and  he 
then  married  Keziah  Smith.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a  Democrat.  He  came 
from  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  with  his  father  in  1853.  He  entered  and  settled 
on  the  place  where  Walter  B.  Temple,  Esq.,  now  lives,  which  he  sold  to  a 
Doctor  Hager,  in  Illinois,  who  sold  it  to  Edson  Herrick  about  1864.  He 
then  settled  on  and  improved  the  farm  in  section  36  in  Hamlin  township, 
where  Willie  Jenson  now  lives.  Then  he  moved  to  lot  12,  in  section  3, 
Exira  township^  and  built  the  present  residence  in  the  northeast  corner 
thereof.  It  embraced  the  townsite  of  Exira  Heights  and  the  site  of  the 
school  house  at  Exira.  He  was  justice  of  the  peace  and  sheriff.  He  was 
a  small  man,  with  dark  complexion,  hair  and  eyes.  He  died  at  Exira  many 
years  ago,  and  his  widow  is  now  the  wife  of  Frank  Persing,  of  Exira.  The 
children  by  his  first  wife  were,  Urbane  Scott,  deceased,  who  married  Clara 
M.  Blackmar;  Orra  D.,  married  Samuel  Beers;  Lorinda  D.,  married  Hiram 
Young;  Rosa  M.,  married  Clark  Gray.  By  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Herrick 
became  the  father  of  three  children :  Robie  K.,  who  married  first,  John 
Peterman  and,  second,  jMichael  Flynn;  Mary  E.,  married  Hans  P.  Hansen, 
and  Maggie  E.,  married  Grant  Smith  and  J.  O.  HoAvard. 

Judson  DeForest  Herrick,  who  was  born  in  Chautauqua,  New  York, 
in  1844,  came  to  Audubon  county  from  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  in  1854.  He 
went  to  California  in  1863;  returned  to  Audubon  county  in  1865,  and 
moved  to  Bear  Grove,  Iowa,  and  there  married  Mrs.  Louisa  Strickland, 
nee  Roeser.  He  later  returned  to  Audubon  county  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
section  31,  in  Greeley  township,  where  he  lived  many  years.  He  is  now 
retired  and  lives  in  the  town  of  Exira.  He  is  a  Democrat.  Physically,  he 
is  a  small  man,  with  dark  complexion,  hair  and  eyes.  His  children  are : 
Alvin,  who  married  Sarah  Winchell ;  Lenora.  married  John  Crees ;  Curtis, 
married  Edna  White;  Herbert,  married  Harriet  Jenkins,  and  Essie  M., 
married  George  Scott. 

HON.    DANIEL    M.    HARRIS. 

Judge  Daniel  M.  Harris  was  a  gentleman  with  whom  it  was  a  pleasure 
to  have  been  acquainted.     No  man  in  Audubon  county,  during  the  period 


HON.  D.  M.  HAlUtLS 


/  ^ 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,   IOWA.  II9 

of  his  residence  here,  from  1854  to  1862,  did  more  than  he,  as  a  citizen  and 
pubhc  officer,  for  the  advancement  of  the  community.  He  was  worthy, 
genial,  friendly  and  a  highly-intelligent  gentleman.  He  was  born  in  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  July  21,  1 82.1.  In  1837  he  went  to  Williamsport,  Tennessee, 
where,  in  1841,  he  married  Martha  Minerva  White.  He  was  a  carpenter 
and  merchant  in  Williamsport,  whence  he  migrated  and  arrived  at  Hamlin's 
Grove  on  November  8,  1854.  He  settled  in  section  36,  now  Exira  town- 
ship, improved  land  there  and  worked  at  his  trade.  In  1857  he  moved  to 
section  14,  now  Audubon  township,  and  improved  land  there. 

He  was  elected  county  judge  in  1855  and  held  the  office  until  1862. 
It  was  the  most  important  office  in  the  county,  its  duties  embracing  many 
now  exercised  by  the  board  of  supervisors,  relative  to  elections,  taxation, 
roads,  and  the  general  county  business,  besides  jurisdiction  in  probate  mat- 
ters, and  concurrent  jurisdiction  with  justices  of  the  peace.  Alost  of  the 
public  county  records  were  installed  under  his  direction,  and  many  of  the 
first  records  were  written  with  his  own  hand,  showing  very  neat  penman- 
ship, and'  intelligent,  painstaking  work,  a  monument  to  his  memory.  He 
was  the  first  lawyer  in  the  county,  and  the  factotum  for  all  kinds  of  legal 
and  official  business  for  the  people  of  the  county  during  the  period  from 
1854  to  1861,  inclusive,  which  compares  favorably  with  that  conducted  at 
the  present  time.  This  is  remarkable  when  it  is  considered  that  Iowa  was 
then  in  its  infancy  and  that  the  forms  and  methods  of  transacting  such 
aflrairs  were  not  then  well  settled.  Lawyers  and  officers  were  then  required 
to  make  their  own  forms  of  documents  and  legal  records,  without  the  aid 
of  the  codes,  hand  books  of  forms,  practice  and  procedure  which  are  now 
possessed. 

Judge  Harris  was  highly  esteemed  as  a  citizen  and  his  friends  were  co- 
extensive with  his  acquaintance.  If  he  had  enemies,  they  were  few  and 
were  confined  to  his  rivals.  His  integrity  was  unquestioned.  He  was  an 
eminently  public-spirited  man.  In  1855-6  he  originated  the  idea  and  as- 
sisted to  build  the  first  school  house  in  the  county,  a  log  building  at  Hamlin's 
Grove,  a  private  enterprise,  erected  by  the  donations  and  labor  of  the  set- 
tlers. In  1856-7  he  and  Peoria  I.  Whitted  erected  the  first  public  school 
house  in  the  county,  at  the  cost  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  dollars,  built 
by  subscription,  at  Audubon  City   (Hamlin's  Grove). 

In  1857  Judge  Harris  bought  from  David  Edgerton  for  four  hundred 
dollars,  an  unrecorded  one-half  interest  in  the  land  upon  which  the  town  of 
Exira  was  laid  out  and  platted.  And  while  the  business  was  conducted  in 
the  name  of  Mr.  Edgerton,  Harris  was  the  real  promoter  and  did  the  busi- 


I20  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

ness.  The  first  sale  of  lots  was  on  May  7,  1857,  ^^-  Harris  being  the  auc- 
tioneer, and  the  sale  aggregated  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 
He  reserved  all  of  block  8  in  the  town  for  his  own  home  lot,  and  in  the 
same  year  built  for  himself  the  first  dwelling  in  town.  This  he  sold,  about 
i860,  to  William  P.  Hamlin,  and  then  built  for  himself  another  dwelling, 
which  stood  where  the  Park  hotel  is  located.  Soon  afterwards  he  built 
another  building,  about  sixteen  feet  square,  on  block  8,  for  a  carpenter 
shop,  where  Ernest  Voss's  residence  is  situated,  and  which  was  afterwards 
used  for  a  postofiice.  It  was  sold  to  the  county,  moved  upon  the  public 
square  and  used  for  the  county  offices  until  1874,  when  it  degenerated  into 
a  beer  saloon.  The  same  year  he  originated  a  plan  for  building  the  first 
school  house  at  Exira,  and  which  was  erected  with  less  than  one  hundred 
dollars  in  actual  cash.  The  contract  price  of  the  building  was  one  thou- 
sand three  hundred  dollars.  The  taxpayers  brought  to  the  contractor  grain, 
labor,  lumber,  etc.,  for  which  the  county  treasurer  gave  a  receipt  as  for 
cash,  and  the  contractor  receipted  to  the  treasurer  for  it.  And  so  the  house 
was  erected  and  paid  for. 

Judge  Harris  served  as  postmaster  at  Exira  from  1857  to  1861.  He 
was  elected  representative  to  the  Legislature  in  1859  from  the  twenty- 
sixth  district,  composed  of  the  counties  of  Audubon,  Guthrie,  Harrison 
and  Shelby,  and  served  in  the  sessions  of  the  ninth  General  Assembly.  He 
said:  "I  supported,  as  representati\e,  all  the  war  measures  of  Iowa,  and 
was  as  good  a  real  Union  man  as  any  in  Iowa.  I  was  opposed  to  much  of 
the  legislation  of  the  Republican  party  of  that  day,  believing  then,  as  I  do 
now,  that  much  of  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  robbing  the  people  of  the 
South,  whom  I  consider  as  much  entitled  to  the  protection  of  the  United 
States  government  as  the  people  of  the  North."  He  supported  Douglas 
for  President  in  i860.  It  is  said  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  war.  in  1861. 
he  made  a  strong  Union  speech  at  Exira,  at  which  the  Democrats,  and 
especially  Uncle  Natty  Hamlin,  were  offended.  John  T.  Jenkins,  of  Bray- 
ton,  says,  that  when  he  enlisted  in  1861,  Judge  Harris  praised  his  conduct 
in  going  to  war  and  said  that  it  was  the  duty  of  young  men  to  serve  their 
country  in  time  of  its  peril.  His  son,  William  J.  Harris,  enhsted  in  1862, 
in  Company  B,  Thirty-ninth  Iowa  Infantry,  and  was  captured  at  Altoona 
in  1864. 

The  Harris  home  at  Exira  was  noted  for  hospitality  and  was  the 
favorite  resort  of  the  elite  of  Audubon  county  in  early  times,  being  the 
scene  of  gayety,  festivity  and  pleasure.     The  normal  condition  was  that  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  121 

house  was  full  to  overflowing,  and  all  comers  were  always  made  welcome 
and  happy.     The  family  rarely  set  down  to  the  table  alone  at  meal  time. 

Judge  Harris  moved  to  Panora,  Iowa,  in  the  spring  of  1862,  and  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm  of  Harris  &  Fogg,  prominent  lawyers  there. 
At  the  same  time  he  was  proprietor  and  editor  of  the  Guthrie  County 
Ledger,  notorious  in  its  opposition  to  the  Republican  party  and  administra- 
tion. In  1867  he  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  lieutenant-governor  of 
Iowa.  He  moved  to  Missouri  A'^alley  in  1868  and  there  conducted  the 
Missouri  Valley  Times.  Returning  to  Exira  in  1873,  he  conducted  the 
Audubon  County  Defender,  and  later,  moved  to  Atlantic,  Iowa,  and  there 
established  the  Cap  Sheaf.  He  again  removed  to  Missouri  Valley,  about 
1876,  and  continued  the  publication  of  the  Missouri  Valley  Times  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life. 

Exceptions  were  taken  to  Judge  Harris  along  political  lines,  as  a  news- 
paper editor  and  proprietor  and  politician,  especially  during  war  times  and 
the  reconstruction  period.  He  was  prominent  in  the  Democratic  party 
and  in  harmony  with  its  doctrines,  tenets  and  traditions.  He  denounced 
the  war  in  strong  terms,  and  was  in  sympathy  with  the  South.  His  paper 
was  considered  detrimental  to  the  Union  cause.  The  soldiers,  who  were 
then  dodging  rebel  bullets  in  the  army,  looked  with  disfavor  and  hatred 
upon  those  in  the  rear  who  were  acting  against  their  best  interests,  and  re- 
garded those  who  were  not  with  them  as  against  them.  It  was  a  desperate 
situation — a  case  of  life  or  death  to  the  soldiers  who  were  fighting  in  a 
just  cause  for  their  rights — which  is  now  the  verdict  of  the  world,  including 
the  Southern  people  themselves.  To  err  is  human.  Judge  Harris  probably 
lived  to  regret  some  things  he  said  and  did.  Near  the  time  of  his  death 
he  published  in  his  paper :  "In  looking  back  over  the  past  ninety  years' 
history  of  our  life,  we  feel  that,  with  our  experience,  if  we  had  the  journey 
to  make  over,  we  would  shun  politics  as  we  would  a  plague."  In  the  year 
of  his  death  there  appeared  in  his  paper  an  article  from  his  own  pen  on  the 
centennial  of  the  birth  of  Lincoln,  the  tenor  of  which  was  all  that  a  patriotic 
American  could  desire ;  but  in  marked  contrast  with  the  sentiments  ex- 
pressed in  his  earlier  writings.  He  was  for  many  years  a  Free  Mason  and 
an  Odd  Fellow.  He  died  at  Missouri  Valley,  October  9,  191 1.  Mrs.  Harris 
died  in  1898.  Their  children  were  as  follow:  Mary  Isabella,  married  John 
Crane;  WilHam  James,  married  Flora  Townsend;  Daniel  Webster,  never 
married;  Clarinda  Campbell,  married  John  Lahman;  John  Wiley,  married 
Hattie  Toft;   Robert  Henry,   married   Frances   Chapman;   Ellis   Nathaniel, 


122  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

married  Essie  Rainberger;  Edwin  Freeman,  married  Emma  Jones;  Virginia 
Tennessee,  married  Will  Rutledge;  Emma  Eudora,  married  Charles  Russell. 

THE   LEWISES. 

Thomas  T.  Lewis  married  Sarah  G.  Meek,  a  sister  to  Rev.  Richard  C. 
Meek.  They  lived  in  Wayne  county,  Indiana,  whence  they  moved  to  Niles, 
Michigan,  in  1833.  The  family  then  migrated  to  Jones  county,  Iowa; 
thence  to  Kansas.  Mr.  Lewis  had  died  before  the  family  came  here,  and 
Mrs.  Lewis  lived  with  her  son,  Isaac,  afterwards.  The  family,  consisting  of 
three  sons,  Richard  M.,  Thomas  S.,  and  Isaac  V.  D.,  and  their  families,  and  a 
married  daughter,  the  wife  of  Dennis  Parmeley,  came  to  Audubon  county 
in  October,  1854. 

Richard  Meek  Lewis,  who  married  Elizabeth  Lewis,  sister  of  Hon. 
William  Walker,  was  a  carpenter,  who  settled  in  section  26,  now  in  Exira 
township,  and  sold  his  place  to  Whitman  Wilcox.  It  is  now  part  of  the 
Benjamin  F.  Simpson  estate.  They  then  settled  and  lived  many  years  in 
Oakfield;  moved  to  Sheridan,  Wyoming;  thence  to  Casper,  Wyoming.  He 
was  a  class  leader  and  prominent  in  the  Methodist  church  many  years.  He 
died  at  Casper.  Before  marriage  to  Mr.  Lewis,  Mrs.  Lewis  had  a  daughter, 
Malvina,  who  married  Thomas  Roland,  who  settled  in  Audubon  county. 
Mr.  Lewis  died  in  Casper.  He  had  two  daughters,  Josephine,  who  married 
H.  Moffit,  and  Albertine,  who  married  William  Allan  Hamlin. 

Thomas  Shelton  Lewis,  married,  first,  Josephine  B.  Caylor,  and,  second. 
May  Jorden.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a  Democrat.  He  settled  in  section  25, 
Exira  township.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  he  moved  to  another 
place,  about  a  mile  west  of  his  former  home.  He  was  the  first  county  judge 
in  1855.  In  his  official  capacity  he  laid  out  the  town  of  Dayton,  as  the  first 
county  seat  of  Audubon  county,  on  July  9,  1855,  on  the  land  of  his  uncle, 
Rev:  Richard  C.  Meek,  the  east  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  22, 
Exira  township.  His  first  farm  adjoined  that  of  his  brother,  Isaac,  and  for 
many  years  they  were  embraced  in  Audubon  civil  township  as  the  county 
was  originally  divided.  The  township  was  overwhelmingly  Democratic 
and  it  was  his  fortune  for  many  years  to  hold  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace;  and  he  also  often  served  as  judge  of  election.  In  early  times,  before 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  he  figured  in  actions  before  justices  of  the  peace 
and  inferior  tribunals.  Some  amusing  incidents  transpired  relative  to  him 
in  his  legal  capacity.  Once  he  was  counsel  for  a  party  sued  on  a  promissory 
note.     The  defendant,  under  oath,  denied  his  signature  to  the  note,  and  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  I23 

affidavit  was  prepared  by  Mr.  Lewis.  The  proof  was  overwhelming  that 
the  signature  to  the  note  was  genuine,  and  the  man  was  afterwards  prose- 
cuted for  perjury  before  John  A.  Hallock,  justice  of  the  peace,  for  making 
the  false  affidavit,  the  present  writer  acting  for  the  prosecution.  Mr.  Griggs 
defended  and  the  defendant  made  an  affidavit  for  change  of  venue,  in 
which  he  swore  that  he  could  not  obtain  justice  before  Mr.  Hallock,  or  Mr. 
Harrington,  or  Mr.  Smart,  who  were  justices  of  the  peace,  or  before  any 
other  justice  of  the  peace  in  Audubon  county,  except  T.  S.  Lewis.  And  the 
case  was  sent  to  Mr.  Lewis  for  trial.  Of  course,  the  state  could  not  obtain 
a  change  of  venue  from  him.  The  defense  attempted  to  exclude  from  the 
evidence  the  false  affidavit  of  the  defendant,  in  which  he  swore  that  his 
name  signed  to  the  note  sued  on  was  not  his  genuine  signature.  The  trial 
took  up  a  day  and  part  of  the  night,  and  the  contest  was  over  the  admis- 
sion of  the  affidavit  in  evidence.  It  was  repeatedly  offered  and  admitted, 
only  to  be  stricken  out  on  objection  of  defendant's  counsel,  the  court  being 
too  ready  to  accept  any  subterfuge  offered.  The  affidavit  was  not  only 
false,  but  it  compromised  Mr.  Lewis,  who  had  prepared  and  filed  it  for  the 
defendant.  The  situation  was  uncomfortable  for  the  court,  as  well  as  for 
the  defendant.  Finally  the  court  suggested — I  believed  to  assist  me — "Mr. 
.Andrews,  state  your  question  thusly."  And  the  interrogatory  was  framed 
accordingly.  Mr.  Griggs  apparently  supposed  that  the  court  was  about  to 
admit  the  evidence,  but,  out  of  abundant  obstinacy  and  force  of  habit,  ob- 
jected, supported  by  the  usual  harangue,  when,  to  the  amazement  of  every 
one  present,  the  court  sustained  the  objection  to  his  own  question,  cun- 
ningly observing:  'T  suggested  the  question  to  enable  the  court  to  be  con- 
sistent with  its  former  ruling."  The  laugh  was  certainly  on  me  with  a 
vengeance.  Uncle  Charley  Gray,  a  bright  old  lawyer,  present,  exploded  with 
laughter,  and  said  that  it  was  the  most  ridiculous  performance  he  ever  wit- 
nessed in  court.     The  prosecution  was  abandoned  in  despair. 

On  another  occasion,  Mr.  Churchill,  of  Atlantic,  was  trying  a  case  be- 
fore Mr.  Lewis,  where  Mr.  Griggs  and  John  W.  Scott  were  defending.  The 
plaintiff  sought  to  introduce  the  testimony  of  the  wife  of  defendant  against 
her  husband,  to  which  proper  objection  was  made,  and  a  heated  discussion 
arose  over  it.  The  court  ruled  that  the  lady  should  answer,  upon  which 
Griggs  directed  the  witness  not  to  answer.  But  she  said :  "The  court  orders 
me  to  answer."  "Never  mind  what  he  says.  You  are  not  compelled  to 
testify  against  your  husband.  Observe  my  directions  and  I  will  protect 
3^ou."  The  court  informed  Griggs  that  he  was  in  contempt,  and  that  he 
should  fine  him  if  he  repeated  his  conduct.     Mr.  Griggs  replied  that  he  re- 


124  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

spected  the  court,  but  that  he  had  utter  contempt  for  his  ruhng,  and  the 
court  fined  him.  The  contest  continued  along  the  same  hne  until  Griggs 
was  repeatedly  fined,  when  an  adjournment  was  taken.  During  intermis- 
sion J\lr.  Lewis  and  Mr.  Griggs,  who  were  personal  friends,  had  a  private 
interview,  and  when  court  convened  "His  Honor"  announced:  "I  was  not 
aware  of  the  position  of  counsel  in  this  matter,  and  the  fines  for  contempt 
are  remitted."  Then  ]\Ir.  Churchill  interfered  and  objected  to  the  order  of 
court,  when  Mr.  Scott  took  a  hand,  pointedly  asked  Mr.  Churchill  if  it  was 
any  of  his  business,  and  offered  to  whip  him  on  short  notice.  Churchill 
admitted  that  it  was  not  his  affair,  and  the  case  proceeded  again,  with  ill 
temper  between  counsel.  Another  question  arose  and  was  discussed  pro 
and  con  until  the  lawyers  got  weary  and  sat  down,  when  the  court  inquired : 
"What  is  the  question,  gentlemen?" 

Years  ago  there  was  a  place  near  the  center  of  Audubon  township, 
called  "Indian  Grove,"  from  the  fact  that  it  was  a  large  tract  of  burr  oak 
trees,  which  were  desirable  for  fence  posts  and  were  slyly  sought  and  ap- 
propriated by  some  of  the  new  settlers  in  that  vicinity  by  "jayhawking" 
them.  ]\Ir.  Griggs  was  employed  to  prosecute  the  offenders  and  proceeded 
to  the  scene  of  action,  accompanied  by  the  justice  of  the  peace,  Mr.  Lewis, 
and  the  sheriff',  Mr.  Comrardy.  Arriving  there,  they  surprised  the  tres- 
passers at  work  and  took  them  redhanded,  cutting  down  trees  and  loading 
timber,  causing  a  panic  and  stampede.  Some  of  the  bushwhackers  escaped, 
but  three  were  arrested,  including  a  preacher,  who  in  the  "skeddadle"  lost 
his  plug  hat  and,  in  attempting  to  rescue  it,  was  nabbed.  Court  was  held  on 
the  field,  occupying  a  stump  for  the  forum.  Fines  and  costs  were  assessed 
calculated  to  discourage  further  transgressions.  The  court  and  counsel 
returned  well  satisfied  with  their  success.  The  affair  was  afterward  styled 
"The  Circle  Court  of  Audubon  County."  Mr.  Lewis  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  along  in  the  seventies.  He  moved  to  Atlantic,  Iowa,  where  he  died  in 
1904. 

His  children  liy  his  first  wife  were,  Emery  V.,  who  married  Mary 
;  Eliza,  deceased,  who  married  Thomas  Adams ;  Eldora,  who  mar- 
ried, first.  Roland  Strahl  and.  second,  Smith  Burton;  Marilla.  married  Bert 
Poaee;  ]\Iinnie,  married  Samuel  Crane.  Bv  his  second  wife.  Mr.  Lewis 
became  the  father  of  Herman.  Thomas  S.  and  Todd. 

Isaac  VanDorsey  Lewis,  carpenter  and  farmer,  married  Mary  Jane 
White.  He  resided  many  years  in  section  26,  Exira  township,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  highway  opposite  from  his  brother,  Thomas  S.,  and.  later,  a 
short  distance  north  in  section  24.     \^^hile  living  at  this  place,  his  house  was 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  I25 

burned.  He  has  since  lived  many  years  with  his  son,  Elbert,  in  section  22. 
He  is  a  Democrat  and  has  been  a  prominent  citizen.  He  was  one  of  the 
judges  of  election  at  the  organization  of  the  county,  in  1855,  and  has  been 
assessor,  trustee,  school  director,  school  treasurer  and  county  supervisor. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  first  Methodist  church  society  organized  in  the 
county,  and  the  scribe,  in  1855,  and  for  many  years  a  faithful  worker  and 
supporter  of  the  church.  A  large  amount  of  information  concerning  the 
history  of  Audubon  county  for  this  work  was  obtained  from  him.  Mrs. 
Lewis  died  years  ago.  Their  children  are :  Elbert,  who  married  Elizabeth 
Slonaker;  Edward,  married  Blanch  E.  Spry;  Estella,  married  Ralph  Hawk; 
Henry  Clay,  married  Bertha  Spry;  William  E.,  married  Winifred  Hawk; 
Malvina,  married  Charles  Spry. 

Bryant  ]\Jilliman  was  born  in  Sandusky  county,  Ohio,  November  16, 
1828.  His  parents  died  when  he  was  two  years  old  and  he  lived  with  his 
grandfather,  near  Niagara  Falls,  New  York,  until  fifteen  years  old,  when  he 
\\ent  to  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana.  He  was  married  there  on  December  5,  1852, 
to  Jane  Heath,  sister  of  Amherst,  Milton  and  Mark  Heath.  Mr.  Milliman 
and  wife  came  with  a  team  from  Fort  Wayne  and  arrived  in  Audubon 
county  in  June,  1854.  He  soon  became  owner  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
ihe  southeast  quarter  and  lots  17,  18  and  19,  in  section  4,  Exira  township, 
having  bought  the  claims  of  William  Powell  and  William  Shirley  to  some 
of  thes^  tracts  of  land,  and  the  remainder  was  entered  from  the  govern- 
ment. He  owned  over  one  hundred  acres  of  this  land  and  resided  on  it  at 
his  death.  His  first  house  and  barn  were  erected  on  lot  17.  The  old  house 
now  forms  the  kitchen  of  the  dwelling  of  Miss  Amber  Kelsey  in  the  town 
of  Exira.  He  was  a  Democrat.  He  died  in  August,  1912.  "Aunt  Jane" 
lives  on  the  old  homestead.  Their  children  were :  William  H.,  unmarried ; 
Frank,  who  went  blind  and  died  unmarried;  Charles  N.,  married  lone 
Brinkerhoff;  George  W.,  married  Mrs.  Maggie  Johnson;  Jessie  M.,  un- 
married; Marsh  Edgar,  married  Lillie  Johnson. 

Miles  Beers,  wife  and  family,  came  from  Delaware  county,  New  York, 
in  1854,  and  settled  on  section  18,  Exira  township.  He  was  a  farmer  and 
a  Democrat.  He  was  the  first  treasurer  and  recorder  of  Audubon  county 
in  1855.  His  farm  is  now  owned  by  Owen  F.  Ide,  Esq.  He  and  his  wife 
died  many  years  ago.  Their  children  were,  John  W.,  unmarried;  David  B. 
and  Jane,  who  married  Oliver  Smith. 

John  W.  Beers  came  with  his  father.  He  was  one  of  the  clerks  at  the 
first  election  in  Audubon  county  in  April,  1855,  at  which  he  was  elected 
clerk  of  the  district  court  and  county  surveyor.     He  died  early. 


126  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 

David  B.  Beers  and  his  father  lived  together  many  years,  until  his 
father's  death.  He  married,  first,  late  in  life,  Mrs.  Lowly  A.,  widow  of 
Amherst  Heath.  For  his  second  wife,  he  married  Mrs.  Leigan.  He  was 
a  farmer  and  a  school  teacher.  He  succeeded  to  his  father's  farm.  After 
marriage  he  lived  in  section  29,  Exira  township,  on  his  wife's  estate,  but  is 
now  living  in  Brayton,  Iowa.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  served  as  county 
superintendent  and  county  surveyor.  His  children  are,  Eva,  who  married 
Calvin  Dimick ;  Nellie,  married  ]\Ir.  Badd,  and  Lona  C,  also  married. 

Samuel  Smith  was  born  near  Liverpool,  England,  and  married  Mary 
Farrell.  He  was  a  farmer  and  gardener.  The  family  left  Liverpool  and, 
six  weeks  later,  landed  in  Xew  Orleans ;  thence  he  went  to  Cincinnati.  Ohio, 
during  the  holidays  of  that  year,  and  located  in  Clifton,  a  suburb  of  that 
city,  and  thence  to  Loveland,  Ohio,  two  years  later.  In  the  spring  of  1854 
they  came  to  Auduljo.n  county.  (See  sketch  of  Samuel  AI.  Ballard.)  He 
bought  land  in  section  14,  Hamlin  township,  which  he  sold  to  Joseph  us 
Lewis.  His  wife  died  in  1856-7,  and,  late  in  life,  he  married  Mrs.  Louaim 
Bailey,  and  went  to  live  on  her  estate  in  section  14,  Exira  township,  where 
he  soon  died.  He  was  an  upholder  of  the  Union  and  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican. His  sons,  John,  James  and  William,  were  soldiers  in  the  Union  army. 
The  children  born  to  him  were  as  follow :  Betsey,  who  remained  in  Eng- 
land, and  died  in  1856  or  1857;  Sarah,  who  died  in  Ohio  in  1856;  Alary  F., 
married  James  Dalton;  John  F.,  unmarried;  Eliza,  married  John  W.  Dodge; 
^Villiam  F.,  married  Cimanthia  Hamlin;  James,  married  Elizabeth  O'Con- 
nell ;  Samuel,  unmarried;  a  son  who  died  at  sea,  and  Lizzie  E.,  who  mar- 
ried  James  Peaslee. 

Rev.  Richard  Collins  Meek  was  born  in  Kentucky,  whence  he  went  to 
Wayne  county,  Indiana,  where  he  was  educated,  taught  school  and  enteied 
the  ministry  in  the  Methodist  church.  He  preached  in  Indiana  until  1833. 
ihen  went  to  Xiles.  Michigan,  and  continued  preaching  in  northern  Indiana 
and  in  Michigan  until  1850.  When  the  Methodist  church  split,  in  1844.  he 
joined  the  Methodist  church.  South.  He  went  to  Holt  county.  "Missouri, 
whence  he  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1855.  He  bought  his  first  home 
here  from  Walter  J.  Jardine  in  section  27,  in  what  is  now  Exira  township. 
He  entered,  and  also  secured  by  purchase,  several  hundred  acres  of  brush 
land  east  and  south  of  the  "Big  Grove."  The  town  of  Dayton,  in  section 
22.  was  laid  out  on  his  land.  He  was  a  Democrat,  and  his  sympathies  were 
with  the  South.  During  the  war  he  was  at  an  Indian  mission  school  in 
Kansas,  and  returned  here  at  the  close  of  the  war.  in  1865.  He  was 
deeply   interested   in    religious   affairs,    and    was   a   preacher   of   more   than 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 


127 


ordinary  ability,  but  exceedingly  old-fashioned.  He  often  preached  here  to 
attentive  audiences.  His  wife  was  Eliza  Tatman,  better  known  as  "Aunty 
Meek."  They  were  truly  pious  people,  and  of  most  unblemished  characters. 
She  was  a  homeopathic  physician,  but  not  a  general  practitioner.  He  bought 
the  old  first  school  house  in  Exira,  and  converted  it  into  a  dwelling,  where 
he  sometimes  lived,  and  alternately  on  his  farm.     Once,  in  early  times,  there 


REV.  R.  C.  MEEK  AND  WIFE 


was  a  log-rolling  just  across  the  county  line  south  of  Ballard's  timber,  to  put 
up  a  log  cabin.  As  was  usual  on  such  occasions,  they  had  some  whisky  to 
help  the  job  along.  While  the  work  was  progressing,  the  crowd  saw  Air. 
Meek  approaching  and  proposd  to  joke  him.  Knowing  that  he  opposed 
tippling,  they  offered  him  the  bottle  and  invited  him  to  drink.  Good 
naturedly,  he  accepted  the  bottle,  remarking:  "Yes,  I  think  I  will.  Airs. 
Meek  has  been  wanting  some  to  make  'Camfine,"  and  will  1)e  pleased  to  get 
it,  thank  you."     And  he  put  it  in  his  pocket  and   rode   away.      The   boys 


128  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

concluded  that  the  joke  didn't  work  as  intended.  He  died  on  his  farm 
about  1873-4.  After  his  death,  there  was  considerable  controversy  over 
his  estate.  He  attempted  to  convey  a  large  part  of  it  to  the  church  and  to 
other  kindred  purposes,  contrary  to  law,  as  it  turned  out.  The  provisions 
of  the  will  in  that  respect  were  defeated.  John  AI.  Griggs  displayed  marked 
ability  in  conducting  the  cases  for  the  estate,  and  recovered  most  of  the 
property  for  j\Irs.  Aleek. 

Griggs's  success  with  the  business  exalted  him  to  the  top' notch  in  the 
estimation  of  "Aunty,"  besides  netting  him  a  handsome  reimbursement  for 
his  professional  skill  and  service.  And,  perhaps,  learning  that  he  was  the 
son  of  a  Methodist  presiding  elder,  did  not  decrease  her  admiration.  At 
any  rate,  from  that  time  onward  he  stood  in  "high  feather"  with  Mrs.  Meek 
— so  much  so,  that  she  made  it  a  point  to  frequently  consult  his  opinion  on 
divers  subjects.  During  the  "grasshopper  year,"  1875,  the  prospect  of 
losing  the  crops  by  those  pests,  looked  probable.  One  day,  in  the  worst  of 
the  scare,  "Aunty"  called  at  John's  office  to  take  advice  whether  it  would  be 
propitious  to  call  the  people  together  for  a  general  meeting  to  pray  to  have 
the  grasshoppers  removed,  and  earnestly  sought  his  best  judgment  on  the 
subject  in  the  very  best  of  good  faith.  John  was  puzzled  for  once.  It  was 
out  of  his  line.  So  he  cautiously  told  the  old  lady :  "It  can  do  no  harm  to 
try."  And  then  the  spirit  of  mischief  and  mirth  tempted  him  further  to 
advise :  "When  the  people  come  to  the  meeting,  let  them  all  go  down  into 
the  timber  and  each  secure  a  good  brush,  and  then  they  can  kill  a  great 
many  grasshoppers  in  that  way."  She  accepted  his  remark  with  a  cool- 
ness which  savored  of  her  doubt  of  his  sincerity.  However,  about  that 
time  the  hoppers  unanimously  rose  up  in  a  twinkling  and  flew  away,  never 
since  to  return.  Who  can  say  whether  the  good  intentions  of  "Aunty" 
Meek  did  not  hasten  their  departure?  She  was  a  strong  temperance  woman, 
a  thorn  in  the  flesh  in  her  day  to  the  "booze  venders,"  and  she  actively  en- 
gaged in  prosecution  of  the  dealers  in  intoxicating  liquor.  Mr.  Meek  and 
his  good  wife  were  childless. 

THE    HALLOCKS. 

Isaac  Peter  Hallock,  Sr.,  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  Peter  Hallock, 
who  came  from  Hingham,  Norfolk,  England,  to  New  Haven,  Connecticut, 
in  1640.  and  who  settled  at  Southold.  Long  Island,  New  York.  He  was 
born  in  Clinton,  New  York,  January  6.  1802,  and  married  Abigail  Howland 
Smith,   a  native  of   Massachusetts.     He  moved   from   New  York  state  to 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  I29 

Chicago  in  1830,  and  soon  settled  in  Kendall  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
lived  many  years.  He  then  went  to  Earlville,  Illinois,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business  a  short  time.  In  1854-5  he  and  his  son-in-law, 
Erasmus  D.  Bradley,  bought,  from  Samuel  B.  Hopkins,  the  John  S.  Jenkins 
claim  in  section  20,  now  Exira  township,  and  upon  which  Mr.  Bradley  and 
his  partner,  Alva  B.  Brown,  afterwards  laid  out  the  town  of  Oakfield  upon 
Mr.  Bradley's  portion.  The  balance  of  the  purchase  remains  in  possession 
of  the  Hallocks  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  Hallock  and  his  son,  Isaac,  and 
perhaps  other  members  of  the  family  went  to  Omaha,  Nebraska,  about  the 
time  of  making  this  purchase,  but  returned  to  Oakfield  in  1856,  and  per- 
manently settled  there  on  the  site  of  the  present  Hallock  homestead.  They 
resided  with  their  son,  Isaac,  who  succeeded  to  his  father's  estate,  which 
is  now  possessed  by  a  grandson,  Isaac  Percy  Hallock.  They  were  Quak- 
ers. He  and  his  sons  were  stanch  Republicans.  He  served  as  county 
judge  in  1863-4,  and  afterwards  was  postmaster  and  justice  of  the  peace. 
Both  died  at  Oakfield  years  ago.  Their  children  were  as  follow :  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  Thomas  Dissmore;  Richard  S.,  married  Julia  Burr; 
Julia  Ann,  married  Erasmus  D.  Bradley;  John  Addison,  married  Catherine 
Crane;  Sarah  Melissa,  married  Joel  H.  Basham,  and  Isaac  Peter,  married 
Malinda  Ann  Norton. 

Richard  S.  Hallock.  M.  D..  married  Julia  Burr.  He  came  from 
Omaha,  Nebraska,  to  Oakfield,  in  1856,  where  he  was  a  successful  physician 
and  surgeon  many  years.  He  owned  several  farms  and  timber  lands.  He 
was  surgeon  of  a  United  States  colored  regiment  in  the  Union  army.  He 
was  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  moved  to  Salida,  Colorado,  where  he 
died  about  1890.  He  was  the  father  of  the  following  children:  Robert 
Burns,  who  married  Ossia  Orton;  Kansas  Irene,  married  Hardy  M.  Clark; 
Julia,  married  George  Simmons ;  Jennie,  married  William  Fuller,  and  Burr. 

Hon.  John  Addison  Hallock  married  Catherine,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Ann  (Eckman)  Crane.  He  came  to  Audubon  county  about  1856,  and 
was  a  farmer  and  successful  school  teacher.  He  settled  on  lot  13,  section 
3,  adjoining  the  town  of  Exira  on  the  east.  He  taught  school  in  Guthrie 
Center,  at  Exira  and  at  the  Green  school.  As  the  town  increased  his  land 
was  required  for  suburban  residences,  and  now  forms  a  large  part  of  the 
town.  The  Congregational  church  was  built  on  his  land.  A  Republican  in 
politics,  he  was  clerk  of  the  district  court,  1863-4;  justice  of  the  peace, 
1868,  and  later  representative.  In  1878  he  was  a  merchant  at  Exira,  but 
moved  to  Salida,  Colorado,  in  the  eighties,  where  Mrs.  Hallock  died.  He 
(9) 


130  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

was  an  agnostic.  There  was  an  unusual  amount  of  gun  play  in  this  family. 
The  son,  Charles,  was  accidentally  wounded  by  a  mob  in  Colorado;  George 
shot  and  killed  Colbert  Strahl  and  at  the  same  time  wounded  Jesse  Mill- 
hollin  near  Oakfield,  in  1883;  Willis  was  shot  and  seriously  wounded  in 
Elkhorn  the  same  year,  in  the  celebrated  horse  thief  mob  case,  and  Frank 
was  afterwards  shot  and  killed  in  Colorado.  The  children  were :  Charles, 
who  married  Anna  Burbank;  George,  married  Lucy  Norton;  Willis,  mar- 
ried Belle  Overholt;  Frank,  Grace  and  Ray. 

Isaac  Peter  Hallock,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Kendall  county,  Illinois,  on 
March  21,  1840.  He  married  at  Oakfield,  Iowa,  in  1868,  Malinda,  the 
daughter  of  William  Canfield  and  Harriet  Ruth  (Thayer)  Norton,  and  who 
was  born  at  Springwater,  New  York,  May  16,  1845.  He  was  a  farmer, 
stock  grower  and  merchant.  He  came  to  Oakfield  in  1856,  with  his  father, 
before  the  town  was  laid  out,  and  they  afterwards  lived  there  together  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  He  was  a  quiet,  busy  man,  generally  loved  and 
respected  by  his  kindred  and  neighbors.  He  had  a  large  landed  estate  and 
was  a  wealthy  man  at  his  death.  j\t  one  time  he  owned  a  flouring-mill  at 
Oakfield  and  had  a  general  store  there  several  years.  He  had  a  fine  deer 
park,  containing  a  large  herd  of  native  wild  deer,  which  finally  escaped  and 
were  lost.  He  was  a  Republican,  was  county  supervisor  in  1883,  and  held 
local  offices.  His  landed  estate  is  now  possessed  by  his  sons,  Keese  and 
Percy.  He  is  dead  and  his  wife  died  in  1907.  Their  children  were: 
Harriett  Abbie,  who  married  John  Curry;  Clarence  Keese,  married  Olive 
Jenkins,  and  Isaac  Percy,  unmarried. 

Hon.  William  Walker,  son  of  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Sheridan) 
Walker,  was  born  in  Huron  county,  Ohio,  March  2,  1834.  On  February 
18,  1858,  he  married  Nancy  Jane,  daughter  of  William  Henry  Harrison 
and  Eliza  (Watson)  Bowen.  His  father  was  a  native  of  England,  and  it 
is  traditional  that  he  served  in  the  British  army  under  the  Duke  of  Welling- 
ton. William  Walker  was  a  farmer  and  stockraiser.  He  went  with  his 
parents,  in  1835,  to  Niles,  Alichigan,  and  came  to  Audubon  county  in 
1855.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics  and  served  as  representative.  He 
was  large  landowner,  and  resided  on  Troublesome  creek,  in  Audubon 
township.  He  was  also  a  merchant  in  Exira  for  several  years.  He  was  a 
member  of  Exodus  Lodge  No.  342,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and 
in  religion  was  a  Congregationalist.  He  died  at  Exira  in  1899.  His  chil- 
dren were  as  follow:  John  E.,  who  married  Ida  VanSlyke;  Charles  W., 
deceased;  Francis  A.,  deceased;  Laura  A.,  married  James  D.  Barhan; 
Ulysses  S.,  married  Louisa  Marsh;  Lula  May,  married  James  B.   Rendle- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  I3I 

man;  Olive  M.,  married  Ralph  D.  Hawk;  Eva  J.,  married  Charles  Jenkins; 
Jay  Grant,  married  Jessie  Pratt. 

David  L.  Anderson,  a  native  of  Virginia,  married  in  Highland  county, 
Ohio,  in  1840,  Mary  Smith.  He  was  a  blacksmith  and  farmer.  He  went 
to  Highland  county,  Ohio,  in  1839;  thence  to  Wappelo  county,  Iowa,  in 
1849;  to  Marion  county,  Iowa,  in  1851,  and  to  Audubon  county  in  1855. 
He  lived  at  Exira  before  the  town  was  laid  out.  He  was  a  Republican  and 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  school  director  and  first  postmaster  at  Exira. 
He  was  a  famous  hunter  in  his  day.  He  and  his  son,  John,  served  in  the 
Seventh  Iowa  Cavalry.  Another  son,  William,  was  killed  in  the  army.  He 
died  at  Audubon  in  1901,  and  his  wife  died  at  Exira  in  1900.  Their  chil- 
dren were,  William  S.,  unmarried;  Lysanius  M.,  married  Tryphena  S. 
Hopkins;  John  A.,  unmarried,  murdered  in  1883;  Samuel,  married  Hannah 
Hughes;  Catherine,  married  John  McFadden;  Laura,  married  William  E. 
Hensley;  Adelbert,  married  Elizabeth  . 

William  Canfield  Norton  was  born  in  New  York  state,  January  26, 
1811.  He  married  on  October  5,  1 831,  Ruth  Harriet,  daughter  of  Roswell 
and  Mercy  (Goodwin)  Thayer,  and  who  was  born  on  September  11,  1813. 
From  Springwater,  New  York,  he  moved  to  Allen  county,  Indiana,  before 
1850,  but  returned  to  Springwater.  He  moved  to  Oakfield,  Iowa,  in  1856, 
and  built  a  two-story  dwelling  on  block  10,  Oakfield,  where  they  lived  the 
remainder  of  their  lives,  and  sometimes  kept  hotel.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade.  He  was  a  Republican  and  served  as  postmaster  and  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  and  his  wife  were  Methodists.  He  was  seventh  in  lineal  descent 
from  Thomas  Norton,  who  came  from  Oakley,  Surrey,  England,  to  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  in  1639;  thence  to  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  the  same  year. 
He  was  the  ancestor  of  the  Nortons  of  Guilford,  Connecticut.  Said  Thomas 
Norton  was  lineally  descended  from  Le  Seignior  de  Nourile  (Norvile), 
who  came  to  England  with  William  the  Conqueror,  1066,  and  was  his  con- 
stable. Also,  seventh  in  lineal  descent  from  Thomas  Canfield,  who  came 
from  England  to  Connecticut,  and  was  in  Milford,  Connecticut,  in  1644. 
His  wife  was  seventh  in  lineal  descent  from  Thomas  Thayer,  who  came 
from  Thornbury,  England,  and  settled  in  Braintree,  Massachusetts,  in  1640. 
Also,  eighth  in  lineal  descent  from  Ozias  Goodwin,  who  came  to  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  in  the  "Lion,"  June  16.  1632,  and  settled  in  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut, in  1639.  He  died  at  Avoca,  Iowa,  November  29,  1884,  and  she 
died  at  West  Exira,  Iowa,  June  9,  1882.  Their  children  were  as  follow: 
Mary  Elizabeth,  born  January  5,  1834,  at  Springwater,  married  James  M. 
Jones;  John  Chapin,  born  June   13,    1836,  at  Springwater,  married   Susan 


132  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Ostrander;  Charles  Henry,  born  June  13,  1839,  at  Springwater,  married 
Charlotte  Howlett;  Sarah  Fidelia,  born  March  16,  1842,  at  Portageville, 
married  Elam  Wallace  Pearl;  Malinda  Ann,  born  May  16,  1845,  ^t  Spring- 
water,  married  Isaac  Peter  Hallock;  Jennie  Maria,  born  June  21,  1850,  at 
Allen  county,  Indiana,  married  H.  F.  Andrews;  James  Miner,  born  Decem- 
ber 10,   1854,  at  Springwater,  married  Nettie  Griffith. 

Boynton  G.  Dodge,  a  farmer  and  stockman,  came  from  Henniker,  New 
Hampshire,  to  Audubon  county,  in  1856.  He  bought  the  claim  of  Hiram 
Perkins,  in  section  34,  Hamlin  township,  where  he  lived  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  was  a  Republican  and  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
supervisors  and  as  superintendent  of  schools.  In  religion,  he  was  a  Con- 
gregationalist.  He  and  his  wife,  Saphronia,  died  in  Audubon  county. 
Their  children  were,  Nettie  M.,  married  Charley  A.  Bartlett;  Arthur  C, 
never  married;  Anna,  died  young;  Capitola  M.,  died  unmarried;  Roxie  M., 
married  Sanford  Davis;  Ida  E.,  married  William  H.  Dyer;  Evalena,  mar- 
ried Isaac  L.  Statzell  and  W.  F.  Williams ;  Carrie,  died  unmarried ;  Ellen  T., 
married  John  H.  Rendleman;  Merrill  B.,  married  Gertrude  Gates. 

John  W.  Dodge  came  with  his  brother,  Boynton,  from  Henniker,  New 
Hampshire,  to  Audubon  county  in  1856,  and  settled  in  section  34,  Hamlin 
township.  He  was  a  carpenter,  farmer  and  stockman.  He  was  a  Republi- 
can and  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors.  He  moved  to  California 
and  died  there.  His  wife  was  Eliza,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary 
(Farrell)  Smith.     Their  children  were  Carleton  E.  and  Charles. 

Samuel  Smith  was  born  in  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  married 
Gertrude  Roseboom.  He  went  from  Pennsylvania  to  New  Philadelphia, 
Ohio;  thence  to  Petersburg,  Ohio;  to  Frankfort,  Ohio;  to  Hartford,  Iowa; 
thence  to  Audubon  county,  in  1856,  and  settled  in  section  32,  Greeley 
township;  he  moved  to  the  town  of  Exira,  Iowa,  in  1874.  He  was  a 
well-known  gunsmith  and  farmer.  He  was  a  Republican  and  a  Methodist. 
He  and  his  wife  died  at  Exira  in  1891.  Their  children  were,  Hendrich  R., 
who  never  married;  William  F.  E.,  married  Amanda  Roberts;  Andrew  R., 
married,  first,  Emma  Williams  and,  second,  Mary  E.  Ort;  Mary  Belle,  mar- 
ried John  Hicks. 

Levi  B.  Montgomery,  farmer,  was  born  in  Lima,  Ohio,  in  1810,  and 
married  Fanny  Boyles  at  Erie,  Pennsylvania.  He  moved  from  Ohio  to 
Noble  county,  Indiana ;  thence  to  Hancock  county,  Illinois ;  came  to  Audu- 
bon county,  in  1856,  and  settled  in  section  3,  Exira  township.  He  was  a 
Republican  and  served  as  county  superintendent.  He  was  a  ^Methodist  class 
leader.     He  and  his  wife  died  at  Exira,  he  is  1866  and  she  in  1873.     Their 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  1 33 

children  were  as  follow :  Eli,  who  married  Catherine  Barber ;  William 
Noble,  who  went  to  California;  Phebe  J.,  married  George  Sharp;  Hannah 
A.,  married  Perriander  Lewis;  George  S.,  married  Harriet  Stanford;  John 
W.,  never  married;  Louisa  C,  married  Peoria  L  Whitted;  Joel  B.,  never 
married;  Minerva  E.,  married  Robert  Edwards;  Margaret  M.,  married  J. 
H.  Harrington;  Levi  J.,  married  Emma  Wiggins;  Marion  A.,  married 
Louisa  Erickson;  Alice  H.,  married  William  Rudge. 

Daniel  Crane,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  blacksmith  and  farmer, 
married  Ann  Eckman.  He  lived  in  Petersburg.  Ohio,  but  moved  to  Marion 
county,  Iowa,  in  1854,  and  to  Audubon  county,  in  1855.  He  was  a  Demo- 
crat. He  and  his  wife  passed  away  at  Exira,  he  in  1876  and  she  in  1901. 
aged  ninety-seven  years.  To  them  were  born  four  children :  Mary  Ann, 
who  married  Frank  Salter;  John,  married  Mary  L  Harris;  Catherine,  mar- 
ried John  A.  Hallock ;  Van  Buren,  married  Mary  E.  Bush. 

Howard  J.  Green,  son  of  Allen  and  Clarissa  Green,  was  born  in  Ren- 
sselaer county,  New  York,  May  4,  1828.  On  November  28,  1850,  he  mar- 
ried Cordelia  M.,  daughter  of  Nelson  and  Theodosia  (Holcom)  Reed,  and 
who  was  born  in  Granby,  Connecticut.  He  became  a  machinist,  farmer  and 
millman.  He  lived  at  Williamstown,  Massachusetts,  in  1844-7;  moved 
thence  to  Chicopee,  Massachusetts,  where  he  lived  until  1850;  thence  to 
Jackson  county.  Iowa,  and  came  to  Audubon  county,  in  1856.  A  Republi- 
can 'in  politics,  he  served  as  swamp  land  commissioner,  township  trustee  and 
subdirector.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Loyal  Legion  in  war  time;  secured 
and  secreted  arms  and  ammunition  in  his  house  for  the  Union  men;  assisted 
runaway  negroes  on  their  journey  to  liberty  and  was  a  big-hearted,  generous 
man  and  highly  esteemed.  The  community  suffered  a  great  loss  in  his 
death.  He  and  his  wife  died  in  Audubon  county,  he  on  June  2,  1873.  and 
she  on  January  28,  1898.  Their  children  were  born  as  follow:  Emma 
Cordelia,  married  John  R.  Thacher ;  Henry  Howard,  married  Mary  Keith ; 
Clara  Ellen,  who  married  John  I.  Jones;  Dewey  Wells,  died  unmarried; 
Walker  Wallace,  married  Anna  May  Neff;  Edwin  Ellsworth,  died  unmar- 
ried ;  Mary  Grace,  married  Jasper  W.  McClain. 

Appollonias  Bohon  Houston,  son  of  Oswald  and  Anna  Louisa  (Shaw) 
Houston,  was  born  in  South  CaroHna  on  February  16,  1823.  In  1844  he 
married  Nancy,  daughter  of  James  C.  Bridges.  He  was  a  carpenter  and 
merchant  at  Williamsport,  Tennessee,  and  Atlanta,  Georgia.  He  came  from 
Tennessee  to  Audubon  county  with  a  team  in  1856,  settling  in  Exira  in  1857, 
where  he  lived  the  remainder  of  his  life.  A  Democrat,  he  rendered  effi- 
cient  service   as   deputy   clerk  of   the   district   court,    county   judge,    county 


134  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

treasurer,  justice  of  the  peace  and  mayor  of  Exira.  He  was  a  merchant 
in  Exira,  and  in  partnership  with  Nathaniel  HamHn,  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business.  He  was  proprietor  of  the  Houston  house,  now  the  Park 
hotel.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order.  He  died  in  1902.  Their 
children  were  as  follow:  Henry  Bohon,  who  married  Ida  F.  Herrick; 
Eudora  Indiana  married  William  F.  Stotts;  Louise  Blake  married  Matthew 
Ragan;  Oswald  James  married  Mary  Dissmore;  William  Walter  married 
Lora  Fitch ;  Flora  Douglas  married  David  B.  Lyons ;  Mary  married  Thomas 
Bryant;  Charles  Washington  married  Anna  Belle  Gault;  Robert  Lee,  un- 
married ;  Eliza  Amanda  married  George  H.  Henshaw. 

Washington  Bartlett,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  on  September  19,  1820, 
married,  first,  Margaret  Brier  and,  second,  Martha  E.  Cuppy.  He  was  a 
farmer.  In  1831  he  went  with  his  father  to  Warren  county,  Indiana,  and 
came  to  Audubon  county  in  1856,  becoming  a  successful  farmer.  He  was 
a  Republican,  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  and  justice  of  the  peace. 
His  mother,  Sabrina  Hill,  was  a  niece  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  He  died  at 
Brayton,  Iowa.  He  was  the  father  of  three  chHdren,  namely:  Elbridge  G., 
married;  Lillie,  who  married  Joseph  M.  Reynolds;  Horace  M.,  who  married 
Jeanette  Jenkins. 

Albert  I.  Brainard,  a  carpenter,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  mar- 
ried Emily  M.  Lilly.  He  came  to  Audubon  county  from  Geneseo,  Illinois, 
in  1859  or  i860.  He  was  a  Democrat,  and  served  as  clerk  of  the  district 
court  and  first  county  auditor.  He  lived  in  Exira,  but  later  moved  to  Audu- 
bon, where  he  died.  He  was  the  father  of  the  following  children :  Albert 
Kirk,  who  married  Emma  Prather;  Frank  E.  died  unmarried;  Emma  mar- 
ried Rev.  Charles  H.  Mcintosh;  Carrie  L.  married  Hans  A.  Christiansen; 
Fannie  E.  married  George  Ditzenberger ;  Ethelbert  died  unmarried ;  Walter 
A.  never  married. 

Leonard  Early  came  from  Henry  county  to  Audubon  county  in  1859, 
and  here  became  a  farmer.  He  settled  in  section  15,  Exira  township,  and 
afterwards  moved  to  the  town  of  Exira.  He  was  a  Democrat.  He  was 
twice  married.  He  went  to  California  and  died  there,  Mrs.  Early  dying  at 
Exira.  His  children  by  his  first  wife  were:  Thirza,  who  married  Avery 
Belcher;  Mary,  who  married  John  E.  McConnell;  Caroline,  who  married 
W.  A.  Ellis;  Worth,  who  married  Harriet  Bruner;  Ann,  who  married 
Mr.  James.  By  his  second  wife  there  were  born  four  children,  namely: 
Sophia,  who  married  Mr.  Lincoln;  Alvin;  Olive,  who  married  Mr.  Trace- 
well  ;  Lillie,  who  married  William  Chrisman. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

GOVERNMENT    SURVEYS    AND    LAND    ENTRIES. 

The   following  is  a  list  of  the  United   States  surveys  of  government 
lands  in  Audubon  county,  also  by  whom  and  when  made: 

The  correction  line,  between  townships  78  and  79,  by  I.  Marsh,   184S. 

The  east,  south  and  west  lines  of  township  78,  range  34   (Audubon) 
by  Andrew  Leech,  June,   1849. 

The  south  and  west  lines  of  township  78,  range  35,  and  the  south  and 
west  lines  of  township  78,  range  36,  by  John  P.  Conkey,  August,  1851. 

The  east  lines  of  township  79,  range  34;  township  80,  range  34,  and 
township  81,  range  34,  by  I.  Ellis,  1849. 

The  remainder  of  the  township  and  range  lines  in  the  county,  by  A. 
Anderson,   1851. 

The  following  are  the  subdivisions  of  townships  into  sections,  showing 
by  whom  and  when  made : : 

Township  78,   range  34    (Audubon),   by  Elisha  S.   Norris,   November 
14  to  20,  1851. 

Township  78,  range  35    (Exira),  by  William  H.  Henderson,  October 
13  to  27,  1851. 

Township  78,  range  36  (Oakfield),  by  Daniel  W.  Henderson,  October 
28  to  November  6,  1852. 

Township  79,  range  34  (Greeley),  by  Ambrose  Carpenter,  October  16 
to  23,  1852. 

Township  79,  range  35  (Hamlin),  by  Adam  Perry,  November  8  to  20, 
1852. 

Township   79,   range   36    (Sharon),   by  Adam   Perry,   May    16  to  23, 
1852. 

Township  80,  range  34  (Melville),  by  Ambrose  Carpenter,  October  25 
to  November  i,  1852. 

Township  80,  range  35   (Leroy),  by  Adam  Perry,  December  6  to  12, 
1852. 

Township  80,  range  36  (Douglas),  by  Joseph  H.  D.  Street  and  Rich- 
ard H.  Worden,  June  13  to  18,  1853. 


136  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Township  81,  range  "34  (Viola),  by  Ambrose  Carpenter,  November  3 
to  10,  1852. 

Township  81,  range  35  (Cameron),  by  Joseph  H.  D.  Street  and  Rich- 
ard H.  Wordenu,  November  2  to  13,  1852. 

Township  81,  range  36  (Lincohi).  by  Joseph  H.  D.  Street  and  Richard 
H.  Worden,  June  6  to  12,  1853. 

Dr.  Samuel  M.  Ballard  was  financially  interested  in  the  Perry  and 
Henderson  surveys.     His  sons  assisted  in  making  them. 

The  surveyors  entered  into  their  field  notes  mentions  of  some  of  the 
early  settlers,  viz.:  Monday.  October  13,  1851,  in  running  the  line  between 
sections  35  and  36,  in  township  78,  range  35,  entered  Nathaniel  Hamlin's 
field,  forty  acres.  On  the  same  day,  widow  Hoggard's  house,  five  chains 
vv^est  of  line  between  sections  25  and  26;  cabin  on  the  northeast  quarter  of 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  26.  October  18.  Powell's  cabin,  on  section  3. 
October  21,  Philip  A.  Decker's  breaking,  three  and  one-half  acres  on  sec- 
tion 17.  October  24,  John  Jenkin's  cabin,  on  section  20.  October  28,  1852, 
Samuel  M.  Ballard  has  twenty-five  acres  broken  on  the  northwest  quarter 
of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  36,  township  78,  range  36,  and  Benjamin 
Hiatt  resides  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  36. 

The  plat  of  the  survey  of  township  78.  range  35,  shows  that  the  section 
line  between  sections  35  and  36  passed  through  Nathaniel  Hamlin's  field, 
about  half  the  breaking  on  each  side  of  the  line,  being  in  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  35  and  the  same  amount  in  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  36.  Also,  that  the  line  between  sections  16  and  17  passed  through 
Decker's  field,  his  breaking  extending  from  northwest  to  southeast,  about 
half  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  17,  and  a  like  amount  in  the  north- 
west quarter  of   section    16. 

ORIGINAL    ENTRIES    OF    GOVERNMENT    LANDS. 

During  the  year  1853.  the  following  named  residents  of  Audurx)n 
county  made  entries  of  land  at  the  United  States  land  office,  viz. :  Reuben 
Carpenter.  Samuel  M.  Ballard,  Nathaniel  Plamlin,  Mark  Heath.  Milton 
Heath  and  Alvin  Herrick. 

During  the  year  1855  entries  of  land  were  made  as  follow,  viz.: 
Samuel  M.  Ballard,  John  W.  Beers,  George  H.  Calder,  Reuben  Carpenter, 
John  Countryman,  James  B.  Donnel.  Richard  Gault.  Nathaniel  Hamlin, 
Mark  Heath,  Alvin  Herrick,   Edson  Herrick,    Benjamin   F.   Jenkins,   John 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  1 37 

S.    Jenkins,   Isaac  V.   D.   Lewis,   Bryant   Milliman,   Daniel   B.    Reese,   John 
Seiford.  \\'illiam  Shirley,  Robert  Stansberry,  Peoria  I.  Whitted. 

During  the  year  1855  entries  of  land  were  made  as  follows,  viz.: 
Mary  Anderson,  Norman  W.  Archer,  Samuel  "SI.  Ballard,  William  F.  Bal- 
lard, John  W.  Beers,  William  Carpenter,  Michael  Scharff,  Daniel  Crane, 
Charles  B.  Cross,  Howard  J.  Green,  Nathaniel  Hamlin,  Daniel  M.  Harris, 
Urbane  Herrick,  William  Holdcroft,  John  S.  Jenkins,  \\'alter  J.  Jardine, 
Alexander  Kincaid,  Charles  E.  Marsh,  Richard  C.  Meek,  Hiram  Perkins. 
George  T.   Poage.   Samuel  Smith,  W^illiam  Walker. 

SOME    EARLY    CONVEYANCES    OF    LAND. 

William  Shirley  to  Bryant  ]\Iilliman,  July  i,  185-I-;  William  Powell 
to  Bryant  Milliman,  August  16,  1854;  Wm.  W.  Wilhngham  to  Thomas  S. 
Lewis,  November  6,  1854;  William  W.  Willingham  to  John  S.  Jenkins, 
November  6,  1854;  Samuel  B.  Hopkins  to  John  S.  Jenkins,  August  16, 
1855;  Isaac  P.  Hallock  to  Erasmus  D.  Bradley,  May  22,  1855;  John  Coun- 
tryman to  Nathaniel  Hamlin,  August  18,  1855;  Wm.  W.  Willingham  to 
Howard  J.  Green,  April  i,  1856. 


CHAPTER   VII. 


POLITICAL    PARTIES   AND    ELECTIONS 


A  majority  of  the  first  settlers  were  of  Southern  extraction.  And  so, 
at  the  first  presidental  election,  in  1856,  James  Buchanan  received  fifty-six 
votes,  while  John  C.  Fremont  received  but  twenty-nine  votes.  In  i860 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  received  eighty- four  votes,  and  Abraham  Lincoln,  but 
thirteen.  In  1864  George  B.  McClellan  received  sixty-one  votes,  and  Lin- 
coln, but  twenty-three. 

It  is  a  fact  that  there  have  been  few  exceptions  since  the  organization 
of  the  county  when  members  of  both  parties  did  not  hold  some  of  the 
county  offices.  The  first  acquaintance  the  writer  had  with  political  affairs 
in  the  county  was  in  1865,  when  the  Democrats  made  a  clean  sweep  and 
elected  all  of  the  county  officers.  In  celebration  of  that  event,  the  officers- 
elect  gave  a  supper  at  the  Perry  hotel.  It  was  a  merry  affair,  with  a  dance 
attached.  Some  of  those  who  attended  the  supper  were:  John  S.  Jenkins, 
Benjamin  F.  Jenkins,  Isaac  H.  Jenkins.  Nathaniel  Hamlin,  Thomas  S. 
Lewis,  A.  B.  Houston  Daniel  Crane,  John  Crane,  Albert  I.  Brainard,  P.  I. 
Whitted,  Richard  Gault,  Urbane  Herrick  and  Hendrick  R.  Smith.  The 
names  of  others  are  forgotten.  They  had  not  only  a  noble  table  spread,  but 
also  an  abundance  of  "liquid  inspiration."  When  the  company  were  about 
to  sit  down  to  the  "temporal  blessings,"  "Uncle"  John  Jenkins,  county 
judge-elect,  was  called  on  for  a  speech.  Now  "Uncle  Johnny"  was  not 
noted   for  lengthy  orations,  and   so  he  gave  this  sentiment:   "I  am  Judge 

Jenkins,    from  Kentucky,   and  the   father  of  this   supper,   sirs,   by   G ! 

Now,  gentlemen,  take  hold,"  and  the  supper  proceeded. 

Elections  were  held  in  the  county  annually  until  1906.  About  half  of 
the  officers,  whose  terms  were  for  two  years,  were  elected  in  one  year,  and 
the  remainder  in  the  following  year,  and  so  on  in  succession.  Not  until 
about  1878-9  was  a  delegate  convention  held  in  the  county.  It  was  the  cus- 
tom for  any  voter  who  desired,  to  attend  and  take  part  in  the  conventions'  of 
his  party.     The  meetings  were  sometimes  sparsely  attended. 

The  first  convention  ever  attended  by  the  writer  was  at  Exira  in  the 
fall  of  the  year  1866,  wholly  a  novel  experience,  and  without  the  slightest 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  I39 

idea  of  being  a  candidate  for  office.  It  was  convened  in  the  old  school 
house,  with  very  few  in  attendance,  among  whom  were  the  chairman,  J.  L. 
Frost,  Deacon  Lyman  Bush  and  Andrew  M.  Hardy.  It  was  a  very  informal 
meeting.  Several  were  suggested  and  discussed  as  candidates.  Mr.  Hardy 
asked  me  if  I  would  accept  the  nomination  for  recorder.  I  said  that  I  had 
no  knowledge  of  the  duties  of  the  office.  Without  much  discussion,  it  was 
put  to  vote  and  I  was  formally  nominated.  Darius  Barlow,  who  was  not 
present,  was  nominated  in  the  same  manner  for  clerk,  and  the  meeting 
adjourned  with  an  informal  understanding  that  the  ticket  was  to  be  filled 
out  later.  Barlow  declined  to  accept  the  nomination,  and  John  A.  Hallock 
was  afterwards  substituted  by  common  consent.  Washington  Bartlett  was 
put  on  the  ticket  for  supervisor  in  the  same  way.  The  vote  on  recorder  that 
year  stood  seventy-eight  to  sixty-nine,  in  my  favor,  which  was  considered 
overwhelming!  Mr.  Bartlett  was  also  elected,  but  Hallock  was  defeated. 
The  ballots  that  year  for  Exira  and  Oakfield  township  were  written  by 
hand  with  pens  by  John  A.  Hallock,  George  A.  Dissmore  and  H.  F. 
Andrews. 

In  1867  ^^^^  Republican  ticket,  so  far  as  recalled,  was:  Charles  Van 
Gorder,  for  treasurer;  David  L.  Anderson,  for  sheriff;  J.  L.  Frost,  for  sur- 
veyor. The  Democratic  ticket  was :  Amherst  Heath,  for  county  judge ; 
A.  B.  Houston,  for  treasurer;  John  Huntley,  for  sheriff;  P.  I.  Whitted.  for 
surveyor.  The  entire  Democatic  ticket  was  elected.  The  vote  on  the  state 
ticket  stood  ninety-two  to  eighty,  in  favor  of  the  Democrats.  The  principal 
fight  on  the  county  ticket  was  over  the  office  of  treasurer.  Mr.  Houston 
was  a  wily,  crafty,  tricky  politician.  He  had  the  rare  faculty  of  concealing 
his  designs.  No  man  in  this  county  ever  better  understood  the  method. 
He  was  experienced;  had  been  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Hamlin  for  several 
years;  had  held  the  offices  of  county  judge  and  deputy  clerk  of  court,  and 
was  then  holding  the  office  of  treasurer.  He  was  backed  by  the  Hamlin 
influence,  was  the  leading  merchant  in  the  county,  and  had  many  influential 
friends  by  reason  of  business  relations.  Van  Gorder  was  justly  popular 
as  a  young  man,  and  especially  on  account  of  his  soldier  record ;  but  he 
had  no  previous  political  experience,  and  had  made  no  special  canvass  for 
the  office.  While  the  party  majority  was  against  him,  ninety-two  to  eighty, 
he  was  defeated  by  twenty-six  votes,  a  signal  defeat  at  the  time.  It  was 
accomplished  by  a  trick.  Word  was  quietly  passed  around  on  election  day 
by  the  Democrats  that  he  was  not  competent  for  the  office,  and  was  only  a 
brickmaker,  etc.,  and  that  if  elected,  John  A.  Hallock,  an  unpopular  man, 
was  to  be  appointed  his  deputy  to  conduct  the  business  of  the  office.     Not  a 


I40  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 

word  of  it  was  true.  The  Republicans  did  not  discover  the  fraud  until  too 
late  to  remedy  the  attack.  They  were  caught  napping  without  a  chance  of 
defense,  and  the  scheme  succeeded  as  intended. 

In  the  spring  of  1868  the  Repuljlican  convention  was  called  by  the 
chairman,  J.  L.  Frost,  to  meet  at  the  Green  school  house.  A  few  members 
attended  under  the  call,  transacted  the  business,  amongst  which  H.  F.  An- 
drews was  appointed  chairman  of  the  central  committee,  and  adjourned. 
Tn  due  time,  the  new  chairman  called  the  county  convention  for  nomination 
of  county  officers,  etc.,  to  meet  at  the  Green  school  house,  which  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  similar  notice  given  Ijv  Judge  Hallock,  of  Oakfield,  purporting 
to  be  county  chairman,  for  the  same  purpose,  to  be  held  at  the  same  time 
and  place.  The  double  notice  was  a  surprise  to  many.  1)ut  brought  out 
an  unusual  attendance.  Tt  developed  that  there  was  a  schism  in  the  party, 
previously  unknown  to  the  new  comers  to  the  county.  INIr.  Frost  was  on 
hand  to  represent  his  faction,  claiming  that  it  had  the  only  regular  authority 
to  act,  while  Doctor  Ballard  and  his  brother,  "Uncle  Fred."  insisted  that 
Judge  Hallock  was  the  only  authorized  chairman.  Some  of  the  Democrats 
were  present  to  witness  the  jangle.  It  was  admitted  that  the  previous  con- 
vention in  the  spring  was  regularly  called  by  IVIr.  Frost;  and  it  fairly  ap- 
peared that  Mr.  Frost  and  his  associates  had  attended  the  meeting,  trans- 
acted the  business  and  adjourned.  On  the  other  hand.  "Uncle  Fred"  Bal- 
lard stated  that  he  aj)peared  at  the  meeting  place — presumably  after  the 
Frost  meeting  had  adjourned — and  observing  the  call  posted  there,  and  that 
the  hour  of  meeting  had  arrived,  hitched  his  horse,  went  into  the  school 
house,  called  the  meeting  to  order,  and  proceeded  to  transact  business. 
Doctor  Ballard  and  himself  were  appointed  delegates  to  the  state  conven- 
tion, and  Judge  Hallock  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  county  central 
committee.  He  said  that  he  was  the  only  one  present  and  that  he  presided, 
and  averred  that  the  meeting  was  perfectly  harmonious,  and  that  the  busi- 
ness was  conducted  by  unanimous  consent.  And  it  appeared  that  Doctor 
Ballard  and  "Uncle  Fred"  had  attended  as  delegates  to  the  state  conven- 
tion under  authority  of  that  "meeting." 

Mr.  Frost  pointed  out  the  absurdity  of  "Uncle  Fred's"  performance; 
that  is  was  a  farce,  and  that,  consequently.  Judge  Hallock  had  no  authority 
to  act.  in  which  he  was  sustained  by  most  of  those  present.  Some  others 
joined  with  the  Ballards.  right  or  wrong.  The  situation  was  serious  and 
protended  danger  to  the  party  organization.  Doctor  Ballard  harangued 
the  meeting  and  waxed  eloquent.  He  said  that  he  had  been  fighting  Demo- 
crats all  his  life.     "I  fought  that  old  man   (Frost)   when  he  was  a  Demo- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  I4I 

crat.  and  he  was  the  meanest  one  I  ever  knew."  Ballard  and  Frost  both 
came  from  Iowa  City,  where  the  Doctor  had  been  proprietor  of  the  Iowa 
City  Re  publican,  the  leading  paper  at  one  time  in  Iowa,  and  was  in  position 
to  have  known  Frost's  political  pedigree.  That  shot  settled  it.  Mr.  Frost 
left  the  meeting  in  anger,  and  was  never  afterwards  seen  in  a  convention  in 
Audubon  county.  The  meeting  amicably  recognized  Judge  Hallock  as 
county  chairman,  and  proceeded  to  nominate  a  county  ticket,  viz.  :  John 
M.  Griggs,  for  county  judge;  John  W.  Scott,  for  clerk  of  court;  H.  F. 
Andrews,  for  recorder;  Boynton  G.  Dodge,  for  superintendent,  and  Jacob 
Andrews,  for  supervisor. 

On  the  Democratic  ticket  were:  Albert  I.  Brainard,  for  county  judge; 
John  Crane,  for  clerk  of  courts,  and  W^illiam  F.  Stotts,  for  recorder. 

There  was  no  newspaper  in  the  county  for  publishing  news  at  that 
time.  It  was  spread  by  word  of  mouth.  Meeting  Mr.  Frost  soon  after- 
ward, he  inquired  the  result  of  the  convention,  and  when  informed  about 
the  ticket  selected,  he  angrily  remarked :  "Well,  you  have  made  a  ticket,  but 
you  will  have  a  good  time  electing  it."  And  he  was  right.  Scott  was 
elected  by  four  majority;  Dodge  and  Jacob  Andrews  were  elected;  Griggs 
was  defeated  by  two  votes  and  H.  F.  Andrews,  by  six  votes. 

The  popular  opinion  was  that  \^an  Gorder  did  not  have  a  fair  show 
in  1867  ^"d  it  was  determined  to  give  him  another  race.  The  Republican 
ticket  for  1869  had  Charles  Van  Gorder,  for  treasurer;  Samuel  R.  Thomas, 
for  sheriff ;  Boynton  G.  Dodge,  for  superintendent,  and  Charles  FI. 
Andrews,  for  surveyor.  The  Democratic  ticket  had  A.  B.  Houston,  for 
treasurer;  Colbert  Strahl,  for  sheriff;  David  B.  Beirs,  for  superintendent, 
and  P.  I.  Whitted,  for  surveyor.  This  time  Mr.  Houston  was  unfortunate. 
Some  time  prior  to  1869,  one  Darias  Barlow  obtained  a  judgment  against 
one  Bradley  Beers,  who  owned  a  farm  near  old  Hamlin;  but,  to  defeat  Bar- 
low, he  put  the  title  to  his  land  in  the  name  of  Asahel  Wakeman,  who  lived 
in  New  York  state,  from  whence  Barlow  and  Beers  had  emigrated  to 
Audubon  county.  Beers  sold  his  farm  and  the  proceeds  were  deposited 
with  Houston  pending  the  delivery  of  the  deed.  Wakeman  came  on  to 
Exira  to  make  the  deed.  Barlow  procured  an  execution  and  Houston  was 
attached  as  garnishee  of  Beers  and  delivered  the  purchase-money  for  the 
farm  to  the  officer,  and  in  that  way  Barlow  collected  his  debt  from  Beers. 
Mr.  Houston  made  the  grand  mistake  of  pretending  to  be  the  friend  of 
both  Beers  and  Barlow ;  but  ended  by  making  Beers  his  bitter  enemy.  Beers 
was  a  prominent,  leading  worker  in  the  Democratic  party  and  from  the 
time  Van  Gorder  and  Houston  were  nominated  for  the  race  for  treasurer, 


142  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

he  made  it  his  business  to  visit  all  the  Democrats  in  the  county  and  ate  with 
them.  He  succeeded  emphatically  in  putting  out  the  poison  which  defeated 
Mr.  Houston.  The  party  vote  that  year  stood  one  hundred  and  eighteen  to 
one  hundred  and  fourteen,  in  favor  of  the  Democrats.  Van  Gorder  was 
elected  by  eleven  majority.  It  was  considered,  under  all  the  circumstances, 
a  famous  victory.  Van  Gorder  served  four  years.  At  the  time  he  took  the 
office  the  records  were  in  a  deplorable  condition,  but  he  worked  diligently 
and  straightened  them  out.  He  was  the  father  of  the  financial  system  of 
Audubon  county. 

The  elections  for  county  officers  in  1870,  1871  and  1872  were  not 
particularly  remarkable,  except  that  the  court-house  and  county-seat  fights 
waxed  warm,  and  at  the  election  in  1873  the  question  of  moving  the  county 
seat  to  Hamlin  was  submitted  and  defeated.  In  1873  the  whole  people 
of  the  county  were  bristling  over  the  county-seat  contest,  and  the  north  part 
of  the  county  was  gradually  receiving  new  settlers  and  gaining  strength. 
An  account  of  this  period  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  County-Seat 
Contests. 

Party  lines  were  entirely  lost  sight  of  this  year.  The  Exira  party 
met  in  mass  convention  of  all  parties  at  the  school  house  and,  having  first 
established  the  basis  of  selecting  the  candidates  from  both  parties,  alter- 
nately, or  nearly  as  convenient,  agreed  on  the  following  ticket :  H.  S. 
Wattles,  Republican,  for  auditor;  W.  F.  Stotts,  Democrat,  for  treasurer; 
John  B.  Counrardy,  Democrat,  for  sheriff;  Harmon  G.  Smith,  Republican, 
for  superintendent,  and  P.  I.  Whitted,  Democrat,  for  surve3^or.  The  op- 
position put  up  the  following  nominees :  Samuel  A.  Graham,  Democrat,  for 
auditor;  H.  Ransford,  Republican,  for  treasurer;  Samuel  P.  Zike.  for 
sheriff;  John  A.  Hallock,  Republican,  for  superintendent,  and  Dan  P. 
McGill,  Republican,  for  surveyor. 

It  was  a  fierce  campaign  and  bitter,  not  so  much  for  or  against  the 
candidates,  as  it  was  for  and  against  Exira.  The  people  of  the  south  part 
of  the  county  were  far  the  more  numerous,  but  were  foolishly  divided  into 
factions,  by  old  grouches  among  themselves.  The  Exira  ticket  was  elected 
in  toto,  by  majorities  from  seventeen  to  one  hundred  and  four.  For  years 
afterwards  local  party  lines  were  shattered  and  lost.  It  established  a  pre- 
cident  in  Audui^on  county,  the  result  of  which  has  not  disappeared  at  the 
present  time.  It  opened  a  gulf  between  Exira  and  the  remainder  of  the 
county,  which  shifted  to  Audubon  against  Exira  in  the  county-seat  fight  of 
1879,  and  which  has  never  closed.  An  examination  of  the  election  returns 
from   1873  to  the  present  time  will   reveal  the   fact  that  candidates   from 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA.  I43 

Exira  on  the  county  ticket  have  too  frequently  gone  down  in  defeat,  engen- 
dered by  the  old  strife,  and  vice  versa. 

The  scope  of  this  work  does  not  afford  space  for  continuance  of  the 
subject.  From  this  period — 1873 — the  county  newspapers  and  the  county 
records  afford  fuller  information,  and  to  which  the  reader  is  referred. 
What  is  here  produced  covers  the  period  before  the  advent  of  newspapers, 
1 87 1,  and  before  the  county  records  were  so  fully  kept  and  preserved.  A 
complete  roster  of  officials  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  the  work. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


COUNTY  SEATS  AND  COUNTY  SEAT  CONTESTS. 


When  Dayton  was  selected  the  county  seat,  June  20,  1855,  there  were 
not  to  exceed  seventy  voters  in  the  county  and  nearly  all  of  these  resided  in 
what  is  now  Exira  township;  a  few  lived  adjoining  about  Ballard's,  in  the 
edge  of  what  is  now  Oakfield  township,  and  there  was  one  settler  in  section 
34,  in  what  is  now  Hamlin  township.  Hamlin's  Grove  was  then  the  center 
of  the  business  interests.  Exira  and  Oakfield  had  not  then  been  platted. 
There  were  a  few  settlers  living  where  Oakfield  was  afterwards  laid  out  and 
not  to  exceed  half  a  dozen  families  about  the  future  town  of  Exira. 

At  the  time  the  commissioners  located  the  county  seat  they  visited  the 
settlement  at  Viola,  now  Exira,  which  was  the  extreme  northern  outpost  of 
civilization,  with  no  immediate  prospect  of  further  extension  in  that  direction. 

The  first  sale  of  town  lots  at  Dayton  was  advertised  by  Daniel  M. 
Harris,  county  judge,  for  November  22,  1855,  at  which  time  but  one  lot  was 
sold,  the  price  being  fifty  cents.  The  sale  was  adjourned  to  June  3,  1856, 
when  eighty-five  lots  were  sold,  at  prices  ranging  from  one  dollar  and  fifty 
cents  to  nine  dollars  each.  That  was  about  the  last  public  business  trans- 
acted at  Dayton.  The  two  residents  of  the  town,  Mr.  Archer  and  Rev. 
Mr.  Baker,  soon  moved  away,  and  no  one  has  since  resided  on  the  place. 
It  is  now  occupied  as  a  farm. 

The  first  court  was  held  in  the  log  school  house  at  Hamlin's  Grove  in 
November,  1855.  The  personnel  of  this  first  court  was  as  follows:  Hon.  E. 
H.  Sears,  judge;  John  W.  Beers,  clerk;  Benjamin  M.  Hiatt,  sheriff;  grand 
jury,  David  L.  Anderson,  foreman,  Charles  E.  Marsh,  W.  H.  H.  Bowen, 
J.  L.  Frost,  John  Countryman,  Ed.  Gingery,  John  Crene,  John  Seifford, 
Allen  McDonnell,  John  S.  Johnson,  Nathaniel  Hamlin,  Joseph  S.  Kirk, 
Richard  M.  Lewis.  They  found  an  indictment  against  Thomas  S.  Lewis 
for  illegal  sale  of  intoxicating  liquor. 

The  petit  jury  were,  G.  W.  Taylor.  ]\Iark  Heath,  Hiram  Perkins,  James 
H.  McDonnel,  William  Walker,  William  Carpenter,  George  Wire,  Reuben 
Kenyon,  Bryant  Milliman,  Robert  Stansbery  and  James  Mounts.  The  first 
case  was  Blanchet  S.  Shacklet  vs.  Richard  C.  Meek.     The  jury  retired  to 


AUDUBON  COUNTY  COURT  HOUSE 


fi 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  I45 

the  grove  to  deliberate  on  their  verdict,  and  decided  the  case  "according  to 
law  and  evidence." 

On  March  3,  1856,  a  petition  was  submitted  to  the  county  judge  for 
removal  of  the  county  seat  to  a  place  called  Viola,  now  Exira.  The  prayer 
of  the  petitioners  was  granted  and  the  election  held  at  the  house  of  John  S. 
Jenkins  on  April  7,  1856.  But  the  proposition  was  defeated.  At  an  elec- 
tion held  in  April,  1861,  the  proposition  to  change  the  county  seat  to  Exira 
prevailed.  Old  settlers  do  not  recall  any  spirited  contest  on  that  occasion. 
On  June  6,  1862,  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  sui>ervisors  for  the  removal 
of  the  county  seat  from  Exira  to  Oakfield,  which  was  denied.  In  1866,  a 
petition  was  circulated  asking  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  from  Exira 
to  Louisville,  which  failed  for  the  requisite  number  of  petitioners. 

During  the  years  1872-3  a  fierce,  hot  fight  raged  in  the  county  over  the 
effort  to  remove  the  county  seat  from  Exira  to  Hamlin.  John  W.  Scott, 
Esq.,  of  Exira,  was  leader  of  the  Hamlin  forces,  assisted  by  Freeman,  San- 
born, Kimball,  Gunn  and  others  in  the  north  part  of  the  county,  by  O.  C. 
Keith  and  others  from  Oakfield,  and  by  Nathaniel  Hamlin,  Newt  Donnel 
and  others  from  Troublesome.  The  people  of  Exira  proper  were  united, 
"tooth  and  toe-nail,"  to  resist  the  effort. 

Mr.  Hamlin  and  an  able  array  of  associates  iaid  out  an  elegant  town 
site  in  sections  t  and  2,  in  what  is  now  Hamlin  township,  called  Hamlin,  in 
1872;  but  the  plat  was  not  recorded  until  the  following  year. 

Petitions  for  the  removal  were  circulated  to  all  parts  and  corners  of  the 
county,  and  remonstrances  were,  in  like  manner,  circulated  by  Exira  people. 
The  excitement  was  intense  and  the  whole  people  were  on  the  war-path,  tak- 
ing part  in  the  controversy.  Messengers  of  both  factions  were  out  canvass- 
ing for  signers,  some  on  foot,  some  on  horseback  and  others  in  carnages. 
It  was  a  livelv  time  and  every  voter  in  the  county  was  interviewed,  and  some 
of  them  many  times.  As  soon  as  one  party  would  secure  a  signer  to  the 
petition  or  remonstrance,  another  canvasser  would  be  after  him  to  get  his 
name  on  the  opposition  paper.  Printed  slips  were  used  declaring  how  the 
signer  desired  his  name  to  be  counted,  either  for  the  petition  or  for  the 
remonstrance,  as  the  case  might  be,  bearing  date,  the  day,  hour  and  minute 
when  signed. 

There  were   then   living  south   of   Exira   some   people   called   "Woods 

Rats."     It  was  a  sort  of  neutral  territory,  the  people  of  which  did  not  seem 

to  have  anv  decided  opinion  on  the  question,  but  would  sign  any  and  all 

papers,    petition,    remonstrance   or   printed    slip,    presented   to    them.     They 

(10) 


146  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

vacillated  back  and  forth  from  petition  to  remonstrance,  and  vice  versa. 
One  man  changed  his  mind  eight  times  by  signing  the  various  papers  and 
slips.  The  law  as  it  then  stood  made  no  express  provision  to  cover  such 
case,  and  the  contestants  acted  on  the  theory  that  the  last  signing  indicated 
the  preference  of  the  party  signing;  hence  the  importance  of  giving  exact 
date  of  signing  to  a  minute.  The  law  has  since  been  changed  in  that  respect, 
declaring  that  where  the  name  of  the  same  person  appears  both  on  the  peti- 
tion and  remonstrance,  it  shall  be  counted  for  the  remonstrance  onh^ 

During  the  last  twenty-four  hours  of  the  contest  all  parties  were 
on  the  alert.  The  writer  was  directing  the  work  of  the  remonstrators,  with 
headquarters  at  the  Houston  house.  Messengers  of  both  parties  were  run- 
ning all  night  in  all  directions,  seeking  the  very  latest  signatures  to  the 
printed  slips,  before  mentioned.  Royal  Lespenasse,  the  editor  of  the  Sentinel, 
was  doing  yeoman  service  on  that  duty  for  Exira,  and  Newt  Donnel  was 
similarly  employed  for  the  Hamlin  faction.  The  next  day,  September  5, 
1872,  the  hearing  for  decision  came  on  before  the  supervisors.  John  M. 
Griggs  was  my  law  partner  at  the  time,  but  declined  to  assist  the  Exira 
people  and  professed  to  stand  neutral.  I  believed  that  he  secretly  favored 
Mr.  Scott  and  the  Hamlin  faction.  He  took  no  active  part  in  the  contro- 
versy. The  board  of  supervisors  were  John  W.  Dodge,  William  H.  H. 
Bowden  and  John  Noon. 

When  the  petition  and  remonstrance  had  been  canvassed  it  was  found 
that  the  petitioners  exceeded  the  names  on  the  remonstrance,  and  that  the 
signers  of  the  petition  were  a  majority  of  the  voters  in  the  county.  It 
appeared  that  the  Exira  people  were  in  danger  of  defeat.  Mr.  Scott  assumed 
a  triumphant  attitude  and  attempted  to  inform  the  supervisors  how  they 
should  proceed,  as  if  his  case  was  won.  I  was  absolutely  alone,  without  any 
one  competent  to  advise  me,  a  young  man  and  quite  a  new  lawyer.  What  I 
didn't  know  would  have  made  a  big  book.  So  I  determined  to  fis^ht  to  the 
end  of  the  road  and  to  the  last  ditch,  as  we  had  been  in  habit  of  doing  in 
the  army.  T  objected  that  the  supervisors  should  not  submit  the  question 
of  the  remo^•al  of  the  county  seat  from  Exira  to  the  town  of  Hamlin  to  an 
election,  for  the  reason  that  it  did  not  affirmatively  appear  that  there  was  any 
such  place  as  the  town  of  Hamlin  in  Audubon  county,  which  was  true,  and 
I  so  argued.  The  town  plat  of  Hamlin  had  not  then  been  executed  or 
recorded,  so  far  as  the  records  showed ;  and  I  also  claimed  that  it  was  uncer- 
tain that  the  plat  would  be  made  and  recorded.  Mr.  Scott  asserted  that  the 
town  was  surveyed  and  laid  out  on  the  ground,  and  insisted  that  it  was 
sufficient.     He  was   surprised  and  taken  off  his  guard.     I    feared   that  he 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  I47 

would  proceed  to  record  the  plat,  nunc  pro  tunc,  or  that  he  would  offer  to 
do  so.  But  he  did  not,  and  the  case  was  submitted  to  the  supervisors  for 
their  decision.  They  refused  to  grant  the  prayer  of  the  petition,  Messrs. 
Dodge  and  Bo  wen  voting  not  to  submit  the  proposition  of  removal  to  an 
election,  and  Mr.  Noon  voting  for  the  submission.  The  decision  was  a 
glorious  triumph  for  Exira,  for  the  time  being.  The  manner  of  its  accom- 
plishment was  a  surprise  to  everyone,  except  myself.  I  had  not  dared  to 
announce  my  plan  of  procedure  to  anyone  before  the  hearing,  for  fear  Mr. 
Scott  would  take  warning  and  attempt  to  cure  the  defect. 

In  1873  the  fight  continued  with  renewed  vigor.  The  plat  of  the  town 
of  Hamlin  was  executed  and  recorded  in  April,  1873,  and  another  petition 
was  presented  to  the  supervisors  asking  for  an  order  to  submit  the  question 
to  an  election  whether  the  county  seat  should  be  changed  from  Exira  to 
Hamlin.  The  proper  order  was  made  for  such  election  and  another  active 
county-seat  fight  campaign  ensued.  By  this  time  it  was  the  general  desire 
that  the  question  should  be  settled.  From  an  estimate  of  the  number  of 
voters  in  the  county,  it  then  appeared  that  a  majority  of  them  resided  south 
of  the  correction  line  and  Exira  people  went  into  the  contest  anticipating 
success.  A  better  feeling  existed  between  the  people  of  Exira  township, 
although  some  of  the  people  of  Oakfield  and  Troublesome  were  still  hostile 
to  Exira.  During  the  campaign  a  bond  was  given  by  Exira  parties,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  copy,  with  the  action  of  the  supervisors  thereon : 

"Auditor's  ofifice,  Audubon  county,  Iowa. 

"September  i,  1873.  Board  of  supervisors  met  according  to  law,  mem- 
bers all  present.     John  Noon  in  the  chair. 

"On  motion,  the  following  bond  was  ordered  placed  on  record  and 
printed  as  a  part  of  the  proceedings  of  the  board : 

"Know  all  men  b}-  these  presents,  that  we.  Charles  \"an  Gorder,  A.  B. 
Houston,  J.  D.  Bush,  J.  A.  Hallock,  P.  I.  Whitted  and  A.  Campbell,  are 
held  and  firmly  bound  unto  the  county  of  Audubon  and  state  of  Iowa  in  the 
penal  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars,  well  to  be  made  out  of  the  goods  and 
chattels,  lands  and  tenements. 

"Dated  at  Exira,  Audubon  countv,  Iowa,  this   ist  day  of  September, 

1873-  ... 

"To  be  void  upon  the  following  conditions :     Whereas,  the  honorable 

board  of  supervisors  of  .Vudubon  county,  Iowa,  did,  at  the  June  meeting  in 

1873,  order  an  election  to  be  held  in  said  county,  on  the  day  of  the  general 

election  in   1873,  ^o  determine  the  voice  of  the  people  for  and  against  the 

removal  of  the  county  seat  from  Exira  to  the  town  of  Hamlin. 


148  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

"And  whereas,  the  citizens  of  Exira  being  opposed  to  the  removal  of 
the  county  seat,  and  therefore  offer  and  bind  themselves  unto  the  county  of 
Audubon,  and  state  of  Iowa,  to  furnish  to  said  county,  free  of  expense,  a 
good  and  sulxstantial  building  for  the  use  of  the  county  offices  of  the  county, 
a  room  for  the  holding  of  the  district  and  circuit  courts  of  the  county,  and 
the  meeting  of  the  board  of  supervisors,  so  long  as  they  may  be  occupied 
by  the  county  as  pubHc  offices,  upon  the  condition  that  the  said  county  seat 
remain  at  Exira,  as  now  located.  And  in  case  the  said  county  seat  remain 
at  Exira,  and  the  said  bonded  parties  or  their  representatives  build  or  furnish 
said  offices  for  the  use  of  the  county,  and  also  furnish  court  room  and  a 
place  for  holding  the  meetings  of  the  board  of  supervisors  in  accordance 
with  the  stipulations  of  this  bond,  then  these  presents  shall  be  void,  but  on 
the  failure  to  comply  with  the  conditions  of  this  bond  on  the  vote  of  the 
people  refusing  to  relocate  the  county  seat,  then  this  obligation  be  and  remain 
in  full  force  in  law,  said  bonded  parties  to  have  a  reasonable  time  after  the 
general  election  in  which  to  build  said  offices,  and  the  time  to  be  determined 
by  the  board  of  supervisors  on  their  acceptance  of  this  bond. 

"Tn  witness  whereof,  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  the  day  and  date 
first  above  written. 

"Charles   Van   Gorder, 
"John  D.  Bush, 

"P.     I.    WniTTED, 

"A.  B.  Houston, 
"J.   A.   Hallock, 
"A.    Campbell." 

"The  above  bond  is  hereby  accepted  and  ordered  placed  on  record  and 
the  time  for  the  erection  of  said  building  is  hereby  limited  to  the  first  day  of 
June,  1874. 

"John  Noon, 
"Chairman  Board  of  Supervisors." 

The  giving  and  acceptance  of  this  bond  undoubtedly  controlled  many 
in  favor  of  Exira.  The  times  were  then  hard  and  ready  money  was  difficult 
to  obtain.  Prices  of  farm  products  were  then  low  in  comparison  with  the 
prices  of  store  goods,  building  materials,  fence  wire,  hardware,  farm 
machinery,  etc.  Many  people,  and  especially  new  settlers,  found  it  difficult 
to  make  a  living  and  many  were  in  debt  for  their  lands  and  farming  outfits. 
Taxes  were  burdensome  even  as  low  as  they  were  at  that  period.     There  was 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  I49 

but  one  newspaper,  the  Sentinel,  conducted  by  Royal  Lespenasse,  and  located 
at  Exira.  It  stood  for  the  interests  of  Exira,  so  there  was  no  newspaper 
fight  at  that  time. 

When  the  election  was  held  the  proposition  to  change  the  county  seat 
was  defeated  by  a  handsome  majority,  greatly  to  the  disappointment  of  the 
Hamlin  faction.  The  contest  caused  bitterness  and  many  old  grudges  were 
harbored  and  laid  up  on  account  of  it,  which  have  never  subsided.  It  flamed 
up  again  in  the  county-seat  fight  of  1879,  between  Audubon  and  Exira,  with 
Avicked  hatred  and  fury  on  all  sides  and  between  all  factions.  Politics,  while 
partially  observed  on  the  national  and  state  tickets,  were  entirely  lost  sight 
of  in  the  selection  of  county  and  local  officers  for  years  from  and  after  1872. 
It  is  not  difficult  to  believe  that  periodical  eruptions  of  the  disease  have  since 
occurred. 

It  was  discovered  that  my  partner,  Mr.  Griggs,  stood  wnth  the  Hamlin 
faction.  We  had  been  happily  and  prosperously  associated  together  in  the 
law  and  real  estate  business  for  four  years ;  but  the  county-seat  fight  wrecked 
the  partnership  and  it  was  severed.  But  we  have  long  since  forgiven  each 
other. 

In  1874  the  Exira  Hall  Company  was  incorporated  at  Exira,  and  erected 
a  building  for  a  courthouse  and  county  offices. 

The  records  of  the  supervisors  on  June  30,  1874,  show  the  following 
busines.5  was  transacted : 

"On  motion,  the  following  was  adopted :  The  Exira  Hall  Company 
hereby  tender  to  the  board  of  supervisors  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  the  two 
south  rooms  and  the  north  room  down  stairs  of  the  company's  building  for 
the  use  of  the  county  officials  exclusively,  and  the  main  hall  upstairs  of  the 
company's  building,  at  such  times  as  it  may  be  required  to  hold  the  district 
and  circuit  courts,  provided  the  county  will  repair  all  injuries  while  in  use 
for  said  purposes. 

"W.   F.   Stotts, 
"H.    F.    Andrews." 

"Voted  by  the  board  of  supervisors  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  this  30th 
day  of  June,  1874,  to  accept  the  above  proposition  of  the  Exira  Hall  Com- 
pany in  fulfillment  of  the  bond  of  Charles  Van  Gorder,  et  al.  to  furnish 
offices  and  court  room  for  the  county  in  case  the  county  seat  should  remain 
at  Exira." 

Thus  the  contest  ended  and  the  county  occupied  the  building  for  court 
house  and  county  offices  at  Exira  until  1879. 


150  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

The  county  seat  fight  of  1879,  between  Audubon  and  Exira,  yet  lingers 
in  the  memories  of  those  who  participated  in  it.  The  advantage  was  with 
the  north  half  of  the  county.  Back  of  it  all  was  the  railroad  company,  with 
Bert  Freeman  and  Captain  Stuart  as  chief  fuglemen,  who  were  too  adroit  to 
resort  to  the  vulgarity  of  personal  broils,  but  had  tools  to  do  their  bidding. 
Many  new  settlers  had  come  to  the  county  since  1873.  The  Danes  had  made 
large  settlements  in  Oakfield  and  Sharon  townships,  and  the  so-called  home- 
steader movement  brought  a  large  number  of  people  into  the  north  of  the 
county,  who  were  naturally  an  increase  to  the  interests  of  the  new  town  of 
Audubon.  In  1878  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  Company  built  the  road  from 
Atlantic  and  founded  the  town  of  Audubon  in  the  midst  of  their  land. 
Settlers  poured  in  from  the  start.  During  the  summer  of  1879  the  town  of 
Audubon  was  a  busy  place.  The  railroad  company  employed  a  large  num- 
ber of  workmen  to  erect  the  new  court  house.  Stuart  &  Son  employed  many 
others  to  build  their  elevators  at  Audubon  and  Exira,  as  well  as  other  build- 
ings there  and  to  work  on  their  extensive  farms.  People  at  Audubon  and 
the  farmers  in  the  north  part  of  the  county  found .  employment  for  all  the 
extra  men  they  could  use  and  accommodate.  It  was  reported  that  men  could 
readily  obtain  free  board  and  lodging  there  for  the  sixty  days  before  the 
county-seat  election,  as  they  were  expected  to  vote  for  Audubon  for  the 
county  seat.  There  were  lots  of  new  faces  seen  in  the  north  part  of  the 
county  and  about  Audubon,  who  were  not  seen  there  after  election.  The 
writer  had  occasion  to  examine  a  denizen  of  Audubon  as  a  witness,  who 
was  a  new  comer  at  that  time,  and  in  answer  to  an  interrogatory  as  to  his 
place  of  residence  he  said  that  he  was  at  home  in  any  place  where  his  hat 
was  on.  The  same  condition  probably  applied  equally  well  to  others  stop- 
ping about  Audubon  at  that  period.  On  the  day  of  the  county-seat  election 
the  railroad  company  conducted  a  free  train  from  Atlantic  to  Audubon  and 
towns  along  the  line  to  carry  voters  to  the  election.  Our  old  friend  Jack 
Lemon,  who  is  still  conductor  on  the  Audubon  railroad,  was  the  conductor 
who  had  charge  of  that  election  train  in  1879.  It  was  current  talk  at  the 
time  that  any  man  could  vote  at  Audubon  that  day  and  no  questions  asked. 

The  newspaper  clash  during  the  campaign  was  something  remarkable. 
The  Advocate  was  at  first  conducted  by  Kimball.  Here  follows  his  saluta- 
tory in  the  Advocate,  on  January  i,    1879: 

"Good  morning.  The  Advocate  has  but  little  to  offer  in  the  way  of 
introduction.  The  circumstances  that  combined  and  created  a  demand  for 
another  paper,  the  building  of  a  new  railroad  and  town,  are  all  well  known 
to  the  public ;  therefore  it  has  no  excuses  to  ofi^er  for  its  appearance  in  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  I5I 

crowded  field  of  journalism.  Neither  does  the  editor  of  this  paper  need 
an  introduction  to  the  majority  of  the  citizens  of  Audubon  county.  We  first 
came  here  in  1869,  on  the  2d  of  April.  *  *  *  During  these  years  we 
have  formed  many  pleasant  acquaintances  and  made  many  warm  friends 
*  *  *  and  we  have  made  a  few,  and  we  think  a  very  few,  just  as  warm 
enemies  who  have  made  known  their  position  in  an  unmistakable  manner. 
Entering-  the  newspaper  field  as  we  did  five  years  ago,  inexperienced,  it  is 
only  surprising  to  us  that  we  did  not  make  more  mistakes  and  alienate  more 
friends  during  the  three  3^ears  and  five  weeks  that  we  published  a  paper  in 
this  county.  Not  that  we  do  not  expect  to  tread  on  somebody's  toes  in  the 
future,  either  intentionally  or  otherwise,  but  we  hope  our  past  experience 
may  profit  us  to  a  certain  extent  and  help  us  to  make  the  Advocate'  a  wel- 
come visitor  in  nearly  every  household  in  the  county. 

"We  are  probably  well  acquainted  with  at  least  three-fourths  of  the 
citizens  of  this  county  and  we  think  we  know  the  character  of  a  paper  that 
will  meet  their  demands,  but  whether  we  are  able  to  furnish  such  a  one  is 
for  them  and  the  future  to  determine.  They  know  our  faults  and  foibles, 
peculiarities,  eccentricities  and  idiosyncrasies,  and  with  such  knowledge  they 
do  not  act  blindly  when  they  subscribe  for,  and  pledge  a  hearty  support" to  the 
Advocate,  as  scores  of  men  belonging  to  all  shades  of  political  parties  and 
members  of  every  sect  have  voluntarily  done.  *  *  *  Our  duties  are  to 
control  the  editorial  columns.  *  *  *  Jt  is,  of  course,  necessary  to  state 
that  the  Advocate  will  be,  politically,  a  Republican  paper  and  will  support  the 
Republican  ticket  and  every  candidate  who  is  fairly  and  squarely  nominated 
by  a  regular  Republican  convention,  but  should  some  demagogue,  a  member 
of  another  party,  by  trickery  and  chicanery,  or,  even  a  pretended  member  of 
the  Republican  party,  succeed  in  capturing  a  Republican  nomination  by  run- 
ning in  Democrats,  Greenbackers  and  what-nots,  in  Republican  primaries, 
the  Advocate  will  throw  him  overboard  instanter.  We  are  not  preparing  a 
way  to  bolt  nominations,  by  any  means,  for  we  expect  to  support  the  Repub- 
lican ticket,  pure  and  unadulterated,  but  we  have  in  the  past  seen  one  or  two 
instances  of  such  contemptible  political  trickery,  where  Republican  conven- 
tions were  captured  by  outsiders  and  incompetent,  unpopular,  unprincipled 
demagogues  nominated,  that  we  thought  proper  to  state  emphatically  that  the 
Advocate  will  not  countenance  any  such  unwarranted  proceeding.  The 
Advocate  will  support  any  and  every  competent  and  responsible  Republican 
candidate,  regularly  and  fairly  nominated,  whether  it  likes  him  personally 
or  otherwise,  but  it  will  not  be  bound  to  support  an  unprincipled  political 
demagogue  who  obtains  a  nomination  by  chicanery  and  fraud,"'  etc. 


152  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

The  tenor  of  Kimball's  remarks  indicated  the  animus  of  his  intentions 
and  purposes.  He  had  been  forced  out  of  Exira  a  year  before  and  was 
employed  for  the  purpose  of  fighting  Exira;  he  was  more  than  hungry  for 
revenge.  With  blood  on  fire,  his  tongue  and  lips  dripped  with  venom  at 
every  utterance  and  he  spared  no  opportunity  to  pour  out  his  vials  of  wrath 
upon  the  editors  of  the  Exira  Defender,  Hallock  and  Campbell,  especially 
upon  the  senior  editor.  Mr.  Hallock  was  unfortunate  in  bearing  a  soiled 
reputation  for  morality  and  chastity,  which  laid  him  open  to  the  shafts  of 
Kimball's  vengeance.  Before  the  campaign  closed,  Kimball  was  ousted  from 
the  Adzfocate  by  his  partner,  who  continued  the  fight  for  Audubon,  as 
appears  from  the  following: 

"The  Advocate. 

"B.  F.  Thacker,  Editor. 

"salutatory. 

"\\t  can  now  announce  to  the  people  of  Audubon  county,  that  we  have 
purchased  all  of  ^Ir.  Kimball's  right,  title  and  interest  in  the  Adz'ocate  ofifice 
and  peace  is  at  last  restored. 

"WHiatever  action  may  have  been  taken  in  this  fight  by  the  citizens  of 
this  town  in  the  past,  we  are  willing  and  ready  to  let  everything  drop,  from 
this  date,  and  throw  our  whole  mind  and  energies  into  the  paper  and  the 
interests  of  the  county,  and  we  will  fight  to  the  death  all  factions,  rings 
and  cliques,  that  are  not  working  in  the  interest  of  the  public  good. 

"We  shall  advocate  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  from  Exira  to  Audu- 
bon next  fall,  all  reports  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  and  shall  tr}-  to 
do  it  in  a  fair,  square,  manly  way,  excluding,  as  far  as  possible,  all  slang  and 
personal  abuse  from  our  paper. 

"Hoping  that  we  may  retain  the  present  friendship  and  supix)rt  of  our 
patrons,  we  remain,  etc. 

"B.  F.  Thacker." 

Mr.  Thacker  conducted  the  paper  on  more  respectaljle  and  temperate 
terms.  But  Kimball  secured  a  new  organ — The  Times — supplied  by  his 
backers,  and  continued  his  lampoons  upon  Hallock  &  Campbell  to  the  end 
of  the  campaign.  The  articles  and  poems  (?)  by  Kimball  were  outrageous 
and  indecent.  To  have  sent  them  through  the  mail  would  have  been  con- 
trary to  the  law.  They  were  too  obscene  to  be  here  repeated.  The  Sentinel, 
edited  by  H.  P.  Albert  ("Pinkey''),  threw  its  influence  for  Audubon.     The 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  1^3 

only  paper  in  favor  of  Exira  was  the  Defender.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
any  of  the  newspapers  were  influential  in  the  fight.  They  were  all  disgraces 
to  journalism  in  that  affair.  Kimball's  character  was  such  that  he  could 
not  even  believe  his  own  word,  so  it  was  said.  Several  local  orators 
harangued  the  people  on  the  county-seat  issue,  during  the  campaign,  notably, 
Melvin  Nichols  for  the  x^udubon  faction.  It  was  difficult  to  keep  track  of 
him  or  determine  which  side  he  did  espouse ;  l^ut  he  ended  up  for  Audubon. 
John  M.  Griggs  espoused  the  cause  of  Exira. 

Here  is  some  of  the  literature  of  that  county-seat  campaign: 

"Don't!  Don't!  Don't!  Ilallock,  in  the  last  Defender,  puljlished  a  little 
of  his  l^iography,  and,  mentioning  some  gentleman  he  met  forty  years  ago, 
says:  'Our  own  history  since  that  time  would  make  a  volume;  the  history 
of  those  with  wdiom  we  then  enacted  would  make  many  volumes.' 

"Holy  mother  of  Moses !  Don't  publish  it.  Please  don't.  Give  us 
something  else;  but,  if  }'ou  have  any  respect  for  the  rising  generation,  don't 
publish  your  own  history.  Don't  you  know  there  is  a  law  against  the  publi- 
cation of  obscene  literature? 

"And  then  the  falsehoods  in  connection  with  your  'Great  transgressions.' 
Only  think  of  it.  You  ha\'e  told  lies  enough  during  this  county-seat  fight 
to  'make  a  volume'  larger  than  Webster's  Unabridged.  Don't  attempt  such 
a  thing.  It  would  ruin  society  and  break  your  press.  A  man  who  would 
attempt  to  contaminate  society  by  circulating  such  vile  literature  ought  to  be 
kicked  into  the  middle  of  the  next  century  by  a  steam  mule. 

"Only  think  of  that  (obscene)  ;  and  those  (obscene)  ;  and  (obscene)  ; 
and  your  conduct  while  at  Des  Moines;  and  that  fifty-dollar  transaction  with 

;  and  your  fight  in  the  church ;  and  your  infidelity ;  and  your  telling 

a  lie  and  laying  it  to  old  Aunty  Meek ;  and  your  writing  silly  stories  and  sign- 
ing your  name  'Aunt  Gertie' ;  and  your  selling  your  vote  to  the  railroad  com- 
pany while  you  were  in  the  Legislature ;  and  your  abuse  of  the  homesteaders 
while  you  were  selling  land  for  the  railroad  company;  and  your  abuse  of  the 
company  since  they  gave  you  the  grand  bounce ;  and  your  lies  about  Drew 
and  Van  Tuyl ;  and  your  abuse  of  Freeman  and  Brown ;  and  your  forging 
a  county  warrant ;  and  your  contemptible  falsehoods  about  the  Audubon  band 
matter;  and  your  accusing  the  people  of  the  north  of  being  poor  and  having 
no  teams ;  and  your  loaning  your  railroad  pass ;  and  your  writing  to  Drew 
and  offering  to  sell  out  your  friends  in  Exira  and  publish  a  paper  in  Audu- 
bon if  he  would  give  you  a  town  lot;  and  your  sticking  your  dirty  nose  into 
everybody's  business,  particularly  church  matters;  and  your  attempt  at  smart- 


154  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

ness,  when  if  your  head  had  been  an  eighth  of  an  inch  nearer  flat  you  would 
have  been  a  monkey ;  and  your  scratching  tickets  and  then  lying  about  it ;  and 
your  misrepresentations  of  this  town  and  its  citizens;  and  your  general 
cussedness ;  and,  worst  of  all,  your  villainous  lies  about  the  pious  editor  of 
the  Audubon  Times.     And  so  on.  ad  infinitum. 

"Don't  attempt  such  a  thing!  Reproduce  the  worst  immoral  work 
extant;  publish  a  history  of  John  Allen,  the  'Wickedest  Man  in  New  York,' 
but  don't,  please  don't,  corrupt  society  by  publishing  the  first  volume  of  your 
own  horrible  demoralizing  biography.  Spread  the  yellow  fever,  smallpox, 
or  any  other  fatal  epidemic,  for  they  will  only  kill  the  body,  but  such  a  work 
as  you  propose  to  inflict  upon  mortality  would  damn  the  very  soul." 

Here  is  another :  "On  Monday  evening  last  there  was  a  meeting  of 
the  citizens  of  Oakfield,  called  by  Elder  Crocker  for  the  purpose  of  present- 
ing some  of  the  reasons  why  the  people  of  this  county  should  not  remove 
the  county  seat  to  Audubon,  at  this  time  and  under  the  present  existing  cir- 
cumstances. The  railroad  tools  and  yelpers  of  Audubon,  hearing  of  it,  came 
down  to  wool  the  people  into  their  snares.  Elder  Crocker  generously  divided 
the  time  with  them.  They  set  Elder  M.  Nichols,  Esq.,  M.  D.,  up  as  their 
spokesman  (we  won't  say  anything  about  how  he  came  to  be  on  their  side) 
and  Elder  Crocker  chose  J.  M.  Griggs  to  close  the  debate.  Crocker  led  off 
and  ga\e  the  voters  present  a  chain  of  facts  and  circumstances  concerning 
the  workings  of  this  great  soulless  monopoly,  that  caused  their  eyes  to  open 
and  set  their  thoughts  at  work.  He  showed  them  that  a  vote  to  remove  the 
county  seat  to  Audubon  and  thereby  accept  the  cunningly-drawn  lease,  the 
deed  of  trust  to  the  public  square,  and  the  bond  of  Audubon's  forty-two 
citizens  to  build  a  house  in  that  town  in  1884,  'If  the  board  of  supervisors 
at  that  time  required  it,'  was  involving  this  county's  finances  in  a  ruinous 
struggle  with  a  self-created  ring,  consisting  of  forty-two  men  of  wealth  and 
influence,  backed  by  the  railroad  company  as  an  interested  party.  Elder 
Crocker  made  many  other  telling  points  and  unanswerable  arguments  why 
removal  should  not  take  place  at  this  time. 

"Nichols  then  followed  with  the  piece  he  had  prepared  against  Audubon 
and  which  he  was  to  have  delivered  at  that  place  last  Saturday,  substituting 
the  name  Exira  for  Audubon.  His  talk  fell  upon  the  ears  of  his  hearers 
with  the  deadness  of  conscience-stricken,  benumbed,  though  eliciting  nothing 
but  terse  cuts  from  the  friends  of  a  fair  vote  of  the  actual  citizens  of  the 
county  on  all  questions  of  financial  interest  to  the  people. 

"J.  M.  Griggs  followed  with  one  of  his  soul-stirring  "appeals  for  justice 
to  all.  showing  that  Exira  was  less  than  two  miles  further  from  the  center 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  1 55 

of  the  county,  by  section  lines,  than  Audubon,  and  refuting  many  sophistries 
offered  by  those  who  are  hired  to  assist  the  railroad  company  in  robbing  the 
poor  man  of  his  lands  and  home.  The  railroad  hirelings  were  so  dissatisfied 
with  the  results  of  the  meeting  that  they  determined  to  have  another  at  Audu- 
bon, where  they  can  call  in  their  subsidized  voters  and  supporters  to  enthuse 
for  them,  and  where  they  suppose  Messrs.  Crocker  and  Griggs  dare  not  put 
in  an  appearance.  But  they  will  find  that  these  gentlemen  are  not  afraid 
'to  beard  the  lion  in  his  den,'  or  the  liar  in  his  kennel." 

And  here  is  still  another :  "Eds.  Defender — Fearing  you  might  not 
hear  of  it  in  any  other  way  (?),  I  write  to  say  that  Elder  Crocker  had  an 
appointment  to  speak  at  Oakfield,  on  the  county-seat  question,  and  some  of 
the  friends  of  Audubon  announced  that  D.  W.  Powers  would  answer  him. 
Last  night  (Monday)  when  Mr.  Crocker  came,  others  came  also.  Audubon 
was  represented  by  several  of  her  citizens,  viz :  E.  H.  Kimball,  E.  J.  Free- 
man, B.  F.  Thacker,  M.  Nichols  and  others  unknown  to  your  correspondent. 
There  were  present  also,  J.  M.  Griggs,  Charles  Van  Gorder,  John  Crane, 
and  a  house  full  besides.  In  due  time  the  house  was  called  to  order  and 
Washington  Bartlett  was  elected  chairman  for  the  evening.  Elder  Crocker 
came  forward  and  expressed  himself  as  ready  for  the  discussion  with  Mr. 
Powers ;  but,  although  he  was  present,  the  railroad  company  were  not  inclined 
to  trust  their  case  with  an  untried  man,  and  he  probably,  not  desiring  to 
speak,  an  arrangement  was  entered  into  by  which  a  debate  was  had  between 
Mr.  Nichols,  on  the  one  hand,  and  Messrs.  Crocker  and  Griggs  on  the  other. 
Mr.  Nichols  opened  with  a  very  fair  speech,  considering  he  had  so  lately  got 
on  that  side  of  the  fence,  having,  but  a  short  time  since,  been  employing  his 
tongue  and  pen  in  favor  of  Exira,  on  which  side  I  believe  he  did  better  work 
than  he  is  now  doing  for  Audubon.  Query:  What  force  was  it  that  lifted 
him  over  the  fence  so  suddenly? 

"Mr.  Crocker  followed,  completely  refuting,  as  we  think,  the  argument 
advanced  by  Mr.  Nichols,  who,  at  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Crocker's  remarks, 
again  took  the  floor.  His  speech  was  of  course,  much  like  the  first,  but, 
seeing  the  'cattle',  as  he  called  the  opposing  speakers,  were  somewhat  stub- 
born and  hard  to  handle,  he  'shed  his  woolen'  and  went  at  them  in  his  shirt 
sleeves. 

"Mr.  Griggs  followed  him  with  a  complete  refutation  of  his  arguments. 
A  number  of  happy  hits  were  made  on  either  side,  and  the  speakers  were 
all  repeatedly  and  vociferously  cheered.  One  or  two  things  occurred  that, 
to  one  not  versed  in  matters  of  this  kind,  looked  a  little  singular.  Why  was 
it  that  Kimball  took  a  front  seat,  and  occasionally,  when  he  imagined  he  saw 


156  .        AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

something  funny  or  of  particular  interest  to  their  side,  clapped  his  hands 
wildly,  at  the  same  time  raising  them  high  above  his  head  and  casting  'sheep's 
eyes'  at  his  Audubon  chums?  Was  it  because  he  was  the  'bell  wether,'  and 
when  he  jumped  they  were  expected  to  follow?  They  followed  any  way." 
It  appears  that  Kimball  stirred  up  Elder  Crocker  in  his  paper;  but  we 
are  unable  to  discover  what  he  said  about  the  elder,  which  moved  the 
reverend  gentleman  to  wrath.     But  here  is  what  Crocker  said  about  Kimball : 

"skinning  a  skunk! 

"The  Audubon  Daily  Times ,  which  was  probaljly  already  in  process  of 
incubation,  bursts  its  shell  and  comes  to  life  immediately  after  the  warmth 
of  the  Oakfield  discussion.  The  first  issue  of  the  daily  wreaks  its  vengeance 
upon  one  J.  M.  Crocker,  and  merits  only  silent  and  supreme  contempt,  but, 
for  the  sake  of  the  respectability  whom  he  disgraces,  by  being  their  repre- 
sentative, we  consent  to  answer.  He  proceeds  to  answer  our  arguments  by 
his  well-known  method  of  warfare,  by  vomiting  upon  their  author.  He  has 
not  time  to  expose  our  fallacies  but  will  after  election;  until  then  we  must 
be  silent  by  the  ipsi  dixit  of  a  man  who  was  never  known  before  to  tell  the 
truth,  when  a  lie  would  serve  as  well.  For  proof  of  my  statements  in  the 
Defender,  I  refer  to  any  correct  county  map.  He  states  that  in  that  article 
signed  'Goose  Quill'  T  assailed  him  in  an  uncalled-for  and  ungentlemanly 
manner.  Far  from  it.  Everyone  knows  our  attack  was  upon  the  only 
worthy  and  able  editor  in  .\udul)()n,  the  editor  of  the  Advocate.  We  knew 
before  that  he  could  tell  a  lie;  we  know  now  that  he  can't  tell  anything  else. 
He  savs  the  loan  agents  have  trouble  to  get  their  papers  promptly.  Anyone 
who  knows  anything  about  the  office  work  of  the  recorder  knows  that  the 
supply  of  work  is  irregular,  sometimes  nothing  to  do  for  days  at  a  time, 
then  a  rush  and  an  overwhelming  amount  of  it  for  a  few  days.  It  not 
unfrequently  happens  that  amid  this  rush  of  work  a  half  dozen  long  loan 
mortgages  are  handed  in  by  nearly  as  many  different  firms,  each  wanting  his 
work  fi.rst.  Now  to  do  all  this  with  entire  satisfaction  to  all  is  perhaps  an 
impossibility.  But  I  apprehend  that  the  firm  to  whom  we  have  given  the 
greatest  dissatisfaction  is  the  one  we  have  most  frecpiently  and  fruitlessly 
dunned  for  their  long-standing  arrears.  But  my  chief  sin  is  in  making 
county  speeches.  Ah,  tliat's  the  rul).  I  was  not  aware  that  it  was  any  worse 
for  the  recorder  to  attend  a  meeting  at  Oakfield  (leaving  Exira  at  dark), 
than  it  was  for  editors,  bankers,  real  estate  agents,  et  al.,  from  Audubon; 
and  if  their  unconcealed  ill-humor  was  an  index  to  their  moral  consciousness, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  1 57 

they  were  guilty  of  a  greater  sin  than  those  of  Exira,  who  seemed  to  be  well 
satisfied  and  in  good  humor.  'He  has  always  been  our  friend.'  That  is  the 
most  disgraceful  thing  he  says  or  could  say.  I  flatter  myself  that  this  is 
also  false.  But  at  least  whatever  contumely  we  have  been  entitled  to  in  the 
past  by  his  friendship,  we  are  at  last  relieved. 

"He  says  we  sold  out  to  J.  B.  White.  This  is  an  infamous  falsehood, 
that  would  stain  the  character  of  a  demon.  J.  B.  White  lost  his  cause  in 
Audubon  county,  as  everyone  knows,  l^y  his  affiliations  with  the  edtior  of 
the  Times.  But  bad  and  imbecile  as  I  am,  I  only  lack  one  thing  of  being 
a  saint,  a  scholar  and  a  gentleman,  and  that  one  thing  needful  is  to  sell  out 
to  Audubon,  body  and  suffrage;  it  is  a  transformation  process.  The  idiotic 
editor  of  the  Sentinel  became  a  sane  and  sensible  man;  the  violent  Anti  M. 
Xop,  against  the  most  scathing  vindictives  were  already  in  type,  surrenders 
his  manhood  in  time  to  save  his  character,  the  type  is  distributed  and  the 
editorials  do  not  appear  and  he  becomes  at  once  the  spokesman  for  the 
removal  cause,  and  their  orator  on  high  occasions.  Indeed  it  is  a  transform- 
ing process.  It  would  cover  all  our  remissness  and  convert  the  viper  to 
the  dove.  But.  alas,  we  are  not  susceptible  of  the  change ;  our  evil  is  incur- 
able because  we  cannot  be  bought,  intimidated,  nor  l)ulldozed  into  favor  with 
their  lofty  measures  that  involve  our  county  in  the  liability  for  thousands  of 
dollars;  Ijecause  we  will  not  pander  to  their  whims  nor  be  awed  into  silence 
concerning  their  selfish  schemes ;  because  we  dare  to  look  with  suspicion  upon 
their  proposed  offers  and  expose  the  emptiness  of  their  gulled  gifts.  But  to 
sum  it  all  up,  he  has  told  who  and  what  we  are.  We  will  not  attempt  a  like 
favor  in  his  behalf  for  two  reasons:  First,  the  people  of  this  county 
know  him  of  old;  second,  no  language  is  equal  to  the  emergency;  decomposi- 
tion has  proceeded  so  far  in  his  case  as  to  render  dissection  impossible ;  we 
can  onlv  trim  him  off  a  little  around  the  eyes.  W^ho  is  he  ?  The  man  ( for- 
give the  false  appellation)  whose  only  aversion  to  farming  is  that  his  wife 
can't  do  the  work;  who  was  once  recorder  of  Audubon  county,  to  the  sorrow 
of  all  who  shall  search  the  records,  to  the  end  of  time;  who  left  a  fair  picture 
of  himself  upon  the  records,  in  which  the  back  ground  of  illegibility  is  only 
relieved  by  the  abundance  of  palpable  and  glaring  blunders,  and  but  for  his 
industrious  wife,  who  did  most  and  best  of  his  work  that  outlived  his  official 
career,  would  only  have  been  equalled  by  his  moral  lustre ;  who  sold  out  J.  B. 
White  by  staining  the  garments  of  a  pure  man  by  his  own  putrid  impurity; 
who  is  a  vulture  of  old  upon  the  county  treasury;  who  is  now  seeking  to  leap 
into  the  realization  of  his  long-cherished  desires  for  rapine  and  plunder  upon 
the  county;  who  has  sold  himself  at  every  opportunity  and  never  failed  to 


158  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

cheat  the  purchaser  out  of  the  full  price  paid ;  who  is  now  spreading  his 
feathers  over  his  newly  hatched  daily,  and  would  like  to  write  an  article  for 
it  if  he  had  sufficient  sense;  in  whom  the  vacuum  of  intelligence  and  refine- 
ment is  filled  with  vileness  and  vulgarity;  whose  hatred  of  all  that  is  lovely, 
excellent  and  pure,  is  only  equalled  by  his  ardent  love  of  all  that  is  villain- 
ous, vicious  and  mean;  in  whose  estimation  the  sum  of  infancy  is  the  free- 
dom of  unfettered  manhood;  whose  papers,  daily  and  weekly,  are  a  mass  of 
maggotty  rottenness,  that  the  vultures  would  disdain;  a  stain  on  the  history 
of  barbarism,  an  insult  to  civilization,  and  a  stench  amid  the  breezes  from 
the  bottomless  pit;  as  an  encomium  and  abuse  as  our  highest  praise. 

"J.  M.  Crocker.^' 

The  local  newspapers  of  that  period  were  filled  with  this  style  of 
effusions  by  the  respective  editors,  sometimes  better  and  often  worse.  These 
samples  will  suffice  to  indicate  the  abuses  by  which  people  were  afflicted 
during  that  unhappy  period. 

During  the  campaign  one  of  the  Audubon  papers  gave  out  the  following 
statement:  "Captain  Stuart  authorizes  us  to  state  that  if  the  people  of 
Audubon  county  want  the  county  seat  at  Audubon  he  will  furnish  a  good, 
subsantial  building  for  court  house  purposes,  much  better  than  the  county 
ever  had,  free  of  any  expense  to  the  county  or  taxpayers,  and  that  he  will 
enter  into  writings  to  that  effect.  He  further  says  that  the  building  shall 
be  provided  with  fire-proof  vaults  for  the  county  records." 

But  we  have  seen  that  the  railroad  company  built  the  present  court  house 
for  use  of  the  county  before  the  county-seat  election  came  off.  At  the  elec- 
tion the  contest  was  decided  by  a  vote  of  eight  hundred  and  forty-one  votes 
against  six  hundred  and  twenty,  in  favor  of  removal  to  Audubon.  And  the 
county  records  were  immediately  transferred  to  Audubon. 

In  1905  an  election  was  ordered  to  test  the  proposition  of  issuing  bonds 
in  the  amount  of  sixty-five  thousand  dollars  for  the  erection  of  a  new  court 
house  at  Audubon.  It  brought  out  violent  opposition  from  people  of  various 
parts  of  the  county.  A  number  of  business  men  of  Exira  executed  a  bond 
in  the  sum  of  forty  thousand  dollars,  binding  themselves  to  build  a  new 
court  house  at  Exira,  if  the  people  of  the  county  would  re-locate  the  county 
seat  there.  The  movement  indicated  that  the  memory  of  the  old  fights 
lingered  in  the  breasts  of  the  sons  of  the  old  contestants  who  were  defeated 
in  1879.  The  bond  operated  as  a  bluff  and  the  bond  issue  was  defeated  by 
nearly  four  hundred  votes.  The  present  year,  Exira  has  built  a  costlv  new 
school  house  at  their  own  expense.  It  is  not  clear  what  position  the  people 
of  Exira  may  take  when  the  time  arrives  for  building  a  new  court  house. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

RAILROADS,    HIGHWAYS    AND    TRANSPORTATION. 


HIGHWAYS    AND    BRIDGES. 

The  first  traveled  highway  was  the  old  Mormon  trail,  coming  from  the 
way  of  Des  Moines,  Adel,  Redfield,  etc.  It  entered  the  county  near  the 
"Divide,"  not  far  south  of  the  northeast  corner  of  Audubon  township; 
thence  down  the  divide  between  the  water  sheds  of  Troublesome  and 
Crooked  creeks,  through  Indian  Grove  (section  14,  Audubon  township), 
to  Hamlin's  Grove;  thence  down  Troublesome  to  Grove  City  and  Lewis 
and  on  to  Council  Bluffs.  It  was  not  a  legally  laid-out  highway  and  ran 
across  the  country  without  following  section  lines. 

It  will  not  be  amiss  to  notice  some  of  the  first  legally  established  roads, 
which  were  generally  laid  out  across  the  county  without  conforming  to 
section  lines,  but  conforming  to  the  divides  and  highlands. 

Old  State  road  No.  i  was  laid  out  by  Dr.  Samuel  M.  Ballard  and 
Thomas  Seely,  as  commissioners,  in  1855.  It  commenced  at  the  west  line 
of  Dallas  county,  at  the  terminus  of  a  road  laid  there  in  1849;  thence  by 
way  of  Bear  Grove,  entering  Audubon  county  at  the  half-mile  post  on  the 
north  line  of  section  2,  Audubon  township ;  thence  southwesterly  down 
Troublesome  to  the  township  line  at  the  corner  of  sections  7  and  18,  same 
township;  thence  to  Dayton  (section  22,  Exira  township);  thence  through 
sections  28,  29  and  30,  same  township,  to  Ballard's  bridge  in  section  36,  in 
Oakfield  township;  thence  by  way  of  the  Eorks  of  the  West  Nishua  river, 
in  township  yy,  range  39,  in  Shelby  county;  thence  to  Council  Bluffs.  The 
portion  of  the  road  east  from  the  old  town  of  Dayton  is  practically  obsolete. 

County  road  No.  2  was  located  in  December,  1855.  The  petitioners 
were :  Daniel  Crane,  David  L.  Anderson,  Hiram  Perkins,  David  Edgerton, 
William  Pangburn,  John  Sifford,  Reuben  Kenyon,  Nathaniel  Wiggin,  John 
Crane,  and  Bryant  Milliman.  Nathaniel  Hamlin  was  commissioner  and 
Peoria  I.  Whitted,  surveyor.  Beginning  on  the  east  line  of  section  i,  Audu- 
bon township ;  thence  to  the  upper  grove  on  Troublesome,  in  section  4,  in 
Audubon  township;  thence  to  David's  creek  (Exira);  thence  to  the  Shelby 
county  line,  twenty  rods  north  of  the  northwest  corner  of  Sharon  township. 


l60  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

County  road  Xo.  i  was  laid  out  in  1855-6.  The  petitioners  were: 
Nathaniel  Hamlin.  John  Crane,  Thomas  S.  Lewis,  Isaac  V.  D.  Lewis,  O. 
Everett  r^Iarsh,  Oliver  Smith,  Alonzo  N.  Arnold,  Jonathan  Decker,  William 
Carpenter,  Peoria  L  Whitted.  Richard  M.  Lewis,  Daniel  Crane.  Robert  A. 
Oliphant.  Urbane  Herrick  and  David  L.  Anderson.  David  Edgerton  was 
commissioner  and  Peoria  L  \\'hitted.  surveyor.  Beginning  on  the  south 
line  of  section  31,  Exira  township;  thence  east  across  Troublesome,  by 
Hamlin's  Grove,  and  ending  at  the  Guthrie  county  line  at  the  corners  of 
sections  12  and  13,  Audubon  township,  the  site  of  the  present  Lutheran 
cemetery. 

County  road  Xo.  7  was  located  in  1857.  Alvin  Herrick  was  commis- 
sioner and  Peoria  L  Whitted,  surveyor.  Beginning  at  State  road  Xo.  2,  in 
section  28,  Exira  township;  thence  north  through  Big  Grove,  Exira.  High- 
land Grove,  and  termination  on  the  Guthrie  county  line,  eighty-five  rods 
south  of  the  corner  of  sections  24  and  25.  Viola  township. 

County  road  Xo.  9,  was  located  in  1859,  being  petitioned  for  by  John 
E.  McConnell,  J.  E.  Ham.  William  S.  Bush,  Lyman  Bush,  William  P.  Ham- 
lin. Avery  Belcher.  James  Eagan.  Charles  Wiggin,  William  X^elson.  Leonard 
Earley.  Stillman  H.  Perry  and  Xathaniel  Wiggin.  Beginning  at  the  east 
end  of  Depot  street,  Exira;  thence  east  and  ending  at  Judge  Harris'  break- 
ing, near  to  countv  road  Xo.  i,  on  the  Guthrie  countv  line. 

These  were  the  most  important  roads  in  the  county  up  to  i860.  The 
routes  of  travel  were  mostly  confined  to  the  high  lands,  across  countr)^ 
without  following  section  lines  in  the  first  instance.  Miles  of  road  wound 
along  the  ridges,  to  avoid  the  streams  and  low.  wet  lands,  and  to  avoid  the 
building  of  bridges  as  much  as  possible.  They  were  the  natural  ways  for 
travel  and  soon  became  ideal  highways.  As  the  country  settled  up,  they 
have  been  -changed,  mostly  to  conform  to  the  section  lines. 

BRIDGES. 

Bridges  were  then  an  expensive  claim  upon  the  limited  resources  of 
our  thinly-settled  county,  but  the  people  were  equal  to  the  demand.  They 
could  not  build  the  costly  structures  we  are  erecting  today ;  indeed,  a 
single  bridge  such  as  we  now  build  costs  more  than  all  the  bridges  built  in 
the  county  for  the  first  ten  years.  The  first  bridges  were  constructed  by 
placing  long,  strong  logs  across  the  stream  from  bank  to  bank,  the  ends 
firmly  buried  in  the  ground,  and  were  covered  with  poles  and  dirt.     The 


SCENIC  VIEW,  AUDFBOX 


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^l^flktmmt       «  ■  •  ■  « 


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WHEAT  HARVEST  SCENE 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  l6l 

upper  side  was  lowest,  in  order  that  the  high  water  would  pass  over  it 
entirely,  and  the  weight  of  the  water  pressed  the  bridge  covering  firmly  to 
the  stringers,  and  thus  prevented  it  from  being  swept  away  by  the  current. 
Such  bridges  had  to  answer  their  purposes,  and  they  were  convenient  and 
safe,  except  in  high  water.  Several  accidents  have  occurred  from  these 
defective  primitive  bridges.  About  1873,  Hiram  Jellison  lost  a  valuable 
horse  in  attempting  to  cross  the  bridge  west  of  Old  Hamlin  during  high 
water,  and  the  same  year  a  traveler  in  attempting  to  cross  Four  Mile  creek, 
east  of  Exira,  had  a  span  of  horses  drowned,  where  the  bridge  had  been 
swept  away  by  high  water. 

The  next  important  change  in  bridges  was  by  bedding  heavy  mud-sells 
in  the  stream,  or  near  the  edges,  and  erecting  upon  them  heavy  frame  works 
high  above  the  water,  and  covering  them  with  plank  for  a  roadway.  They 
were  not  a  success  and  were  constantly  swept  away  by  high  water,  resulting 
in  heavy  losses. 

In  1872  Mark  Frary,  of  Atlantic,  introduced  the  system  of  pile  bridges, 
which  was  adopted  by  the  county  and  used  extensively  to  the  present  time. 
In  recent  years  corrugated  metalic  tubes  are  being  successfully  used  for  cul- 
verts, instead  of  the  small  wooden  bridges.  The  county  has  already 
replaced  many  wooden  structures  with  concrete  and  iron  bridges  and  cul- 
verts, and  these  improvements  bid  fair  to  be  continued  and  increased. 

ROADS. 

For  many  years  roadbeds  have  been  graded,  the  hilltops  cut  down  and 
hollows  filled.  Since  the  advent  of  automobiles,  roads  have  been  vastly 
improved  and  made  better  and  smoother  by  a  uniform  system  of  road  drag- 
ging. Under  recent  laws,  the  prospects  are  that  in  the  near  future  defective 
highways  in  Audubon  county  will  be  a  thing  of  the  past.  The  River  to 
River  road,  through  the  county  east  and  west,  passes  through  Exira.  It 
would  require  a  volume  to  enumerate  the  roads  and  bridges  in  the  county, 
a  very  complete  record  of  which  is  found  in  the  county  auditor's  office, 
showing  four  hundred  and  seventy-five  roads,  ramifying  all  parts  of  the 
county,  aggregating  eight  hundred  and  thirteen  miles  of  roads. 

There  are  now  in  the  county  five  hundred  wooden  bridges,  each  over 
thirty-two  feet  in  length;  five  hundred  wooden  bridges  and  culverts  less 
than  thirty-two  feet  in  length ;  ten  concrete  and  steel  bridges,  and  three  thou- 
sanci  corrugated  metallic  tube  culverts. 

(II) 


1 62  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

RAILROADS  AND  TRANSPORTATION. 

There  was  not  a  railroad  in  Iowa  when  Audubon  county  was  first  set- 
tled. In  1865  the  Rock  Island  railroad  reached  the  town  of  Kellogg,  and 
the  Northwestern  railroad  reached  the  town  of  Boone  the  same  year.  In 
1866  the  Northwestern  reached  Council  Bluffs,  and  one  railroad  got  through 
to  Des  Moines  the  same  year.  At  that  period  the  people  of  Audubon  county 
first  began  to  realize  that  they  were  in  touch  \\ith  railroad  facilities. 

The  first  pine  lumber  for  building  purposes  was  brought  to  Audubon 
county  in  1866  for  erection  of  the  school  house  near  Bradley  Beers  (Old 
Hamlin).  In  December,  1868,  the  Rock  Island  railroad  was  continued 
from  Des  Moines  to  Council  Bluffs.  In  December,  1878,  the  branch  rail- 
road came  from  Atlantic  to  Brayton,  Exira  and  Audubon.  In  1882  the 
Northwestern  railroad  came  from  Carroll,  by  way  of  Manning,  to  Gray 
and  Audubon.  The  Atlantic  Northern  railroad  was  built  from  Atlantic  to 
Elk  Horn  and  Kimballton  in  1907. 

HACK    LINES,    STAGES   AND    MAIL    LINES. 

John  M.  Donnel,  called  "Milt,"  came  to  Audubon  county  with 
Nathaniel  Hamlin  in  September,  1851,  and  at  first  lived  about  Hamlin's 
Grove.  Soon  afterward,  at  least  as  early  as  1853,  he  carried  the  mail  from 
Adel  to  Hamlin's  Grove,  using  some  kind  of  wheeled  conveyance.  We  are 
unable  to  learn  how  long  it  continued.  At  an  early  day  the  Western  Stage 
Company  established  a  line  of  coaches  through  Iowa  by  way  of  Des  Moines 
to  Council  Bluffs.  As  early  as  1857  the  route  was  from  Des  Moines,  by 
way  of  Adel,  Redfield,  Dalmanutha,  Morrisons  (Anita),  Grove  City  and 
Lewis,  to  Council  Bluffs.  The  exact  date  when  the  route  was  first  changed 
from  Morrison's  to  Hamlin's  is  uncertain.  In  June,  1865,  it  was  running 
by  way  of  Morrison's.  Charles  How,  who  now  lives  at  Exira,  drove  the 
first  coach  from  Bear  Grove  to  Hamlin's  Grove,  July  18,  1865,  when  that 
change  was  made.  It  is  not  certain  if  the  route  had  previously  run  to  Ham- 
lin's. 

In  October,  1865,  the  writer  was  a  passenger  in  the  Western  Stage 
Company's  coaches  from  Kellogg  to  Hamlin's  Grove.  The  route  then  ran 
from  Des  Moines,  by  way  of  Adel,  Panora,  Guthrie  Center.  Bear  Grove,  to 
Hamlin's  Grove;  thence  to  Grove  City,  etc.  Those  coaches  were  the  old- 
fashioned    Concord,    closed    stages,    with    leather    thorough    braces     (for 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  1 63 

springs),  and  were  drawn  by  four  powerful  horses.  The  drivers  were 
veterans  in  their  business  and  expert  whips.  With  their  long,  graceful 
lashes,  they  could  fleck  a  fly  from  the  ears  of  their  lead  horses  without 
touching  the  horse,  and  could  perform  all  other  expert  stunts  peculiar  to 
their  calling.  The  coaches  went  out  of  use  when  the  railroad  reached 
Atlantic  in  1868-9.  While  the  stages  went  by  way  of  Morrison's,  mail  was 
carried  from  that  point  to  Hamlin's  on  horseback. 

Before  the  town  of  Exira  was  founded,  and  as  early  as  1856,  a  man 
named  Adams  carried  the  mail,  some  times  horseback  and  at  other  times 
with  a  buckboard,  from  Adel,  by  way  of  Exira,  to  Magnolia,  giving  service 
once  a  week  each  way.  About  i860,  E.  B.  Newton,  of  Guthrie  Center,  car- 
ried the  mail  by  hackline,  from  Adel  to  Magnolia;  but  he  changed  the  route 
by  going  from  Bear  Grove  to  Bradley  Beers'  (Old  Hamlin)  ;  thence  to 
Bowman's  Grove,  leaving  Exira  six  miles  to  the  south,  and  the  mail  was 
supplied  to  Exira  from  Beers.'  In  1864,  Newton  was  succeeded  by  John 
Crane,  who  carried  the  mail  from  Bear  Grove,  by  way  of  Exira,  to  Mag- 
nolia, twice  a  week.  This  line  was  discontinued  when  the  railroad  reached 
Atlantic  in  1868-9.  I^^  186S  a  hackline  was  established  by  David  L.  An- 
derson from  Exira  to  Atlantic,  with  service  twice  a  week.  In  1875,  he 
was  succeeded  by  W^illiam  P.  Hamlin,  who  conducted  a  hack  line  over  the 
same  route  until  the  railroad  reached  Exira  in  1878. 

About  1868  .another  mail  line  was  established  by  William  Thompson 
from  Anita,  by  way  of  Hamlin's,  to  Exira,  which  was  discontinued  in  1878. 
A  line  was  established  in  1871,  by  John  McFadden  from  Exira,  by  way  of 
Leroyville,  Irwin,  Thompson  and  Elba,  to  Carroll.  He  was  succeeded  by 
William  Thompson,  he  by  John  Robinson,  and  he  by  Sylvester  K.  Landis. 
This  line  was  discontinued  about  1880-2.  Another  line  was  established  by 
William  Gransberry,  from  Exira,  by  way  of  Leroyville,  Irwin  and  Viola 
Center,  to  Coon  Rapids,  during  the  period  last  above  named. 


CHAPTER  X. 

AUDUBON   COUNTY  IN   THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

The  population  of  Audubon  county  averaged  less  than  five  hundred 
during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  It  had  five  hundred  and  ten  inhabitants 
by  the  census  of  1865.  There  were  about  one  hundred  men  subject  to  mili- 
tary duty  in  the  county  during  the  war,  thirty-one  of  whom  served  in  the 
army  during  that  period.  About  fifteen  unmarried  men  did  not  go  to  the 
war,  several  of  whom  were  not  able-bodied  and  were  unfit  for  military  duty. 

AUDUBON    COUNTY  UNION   SOLDIERS. 

David  L.  Anderson,  private,  Company  D,  Seventh  Iowa  Cavalry,  enlisted 
March  6,  1863;  discharged  January  10,  1866. 

John  A.  Anderson,  private,  Company  D,  Seventh  Iowa  Cavalry,  enlisted 
February  13,  1863;  discharged  May  17,  1866. 

William  S.  Anderson,  private,  Company  B,  Fifth  Iowa  Infantry,  enlisted 
December  18,  1862;  killed  July  22,  1864. 

William  P.  Beck,  First  Sergeant,  Company  C,  Fourth  Iowa  Infantry, 
enlisted  May  26,  1861 ;  discharged  December  10,  1862. 

Silas  D.  Burns,  private.  Second  Iowa  Battery,  enlisted  August  26,  1861 ; 
killed  June  19,  1863. 

John  W.  Davis,  sergeant.  Company  L,  Fourth  Iowa  Cavalry,  enlisted 
November  25,  1861  ;  deserted  December  22,  1863. 

Henry  T.  Eagan. 

James  Eagan. 

Richard  S.  Hallock,  surgeon,  United  States  Colored  Infantry. 

George  W.  Hardy,  private,  Company  I,  Twenty-third  Iowa  Infantry, 
enlisted  August  15,  1862;  died  October  19,  1862. 

James  Howlett,  private,  Company  D,   Second  Iowa  Infantry,  drafted, 

1864. 

Samuel  Howlett,  private,  Company  D,  Second  Iowa  Infantry,  drafted, 

1864. 

Lvman  Jardine.  private.  Company  I,  Twenty-third  Iowa  Infantry, 
enlisted  August  14,  1862;  died  June  27,  1865. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  1 65 

John  T.  Jenkins,  corporal,   Second  Iowa  Battery,  enlisted  August   i8, 
1861 ;  discharged  August  30,  1864. 

James  M.  Jones,  private.  Second  Iowa  Battery,  enlisted  March  30,  1864; 
discharged  August  7,  1865. 

Orlin  E.  Jones,  private.  Second  Iowa  Battery,  enlisted  August  18,  1861 ; 
killed  June  20,  1863. 

John   W.    Montgomery,   corporal.   Company   E,   Third   Iowa   Infantry, 
enlisted  May  21,   1861 ;  wounded  April  6,  1862;  discharged  June  17,  1864. 

William  M.  Nelson,  private.  Company  D,  Twenty-ninth  Iowa  Infantry, 
enlisted  August  13,  1862;  discharged  August  10,  1865. 

Charles  H.  Norton,  corporal,  Second  Iowa  Battery,  enlisted  August  18, 
1861  ;  discharged  August  30,  1864. 

Robert    A.    Oliphant,    corporal.    Company    B,    Eourth    Iowa    Infantry, 
enlisted  July  10,   1861 ;  discharged  August  30,  1864. 

James  A.  Robinson,  private.  Company  D,  Twenty-ninth  Iowa  Infantry, 
enlisted  August  15,  1862;  discharged  August  10,  1865. 

W.    Scott   Rice,   sergeant.    Second   Iowa   Battery,    enlisted   August   26, 
1861;  discharged  August  7,  1865. 

Harry  D.  Shelley,  sergeant,  Second  Iowa  Battery,  enlisted  August  26, 
1861 ;  discharged  April  3,  1863. 

James    Smith,     private.     Company     I,     Twenty-third     Iowa     Infantry, 
enlisted  August  8,  1862;  discharged  July  26,  1868. 

John  F.  Smith. 

William  E.  Smith,  bugler,  Company  L,  Fourth  Iowa  Cavalry,  enlisted 
October  7,  1861 ;  discharged  August  8,  1865. 

William   E.   E.    Smith,    private,    Company   D,    Seventh   Iowa   Cavalry, 
enlisted  February  13,  1863;  discharged  May  17,  1866. 

George  R.   Stephenson,  private.   Second  Iowa  Battery,   enlisted  March 
30,  1864;  discharged  August  7,  1865. 

Charles  Van  Gorder,  captain,  Company  B,  Thirty-ninth  Iowa  Infantry, 
enlisted  August  22,  1862;  wounded  October  5,  1864;  discharged  June  5,  1865. 

Nathaniel  Wiggin,  drafted. 

John  M.  Wilcox,  private,  Company  D,  Seventh  Iowa  Cavalry,  enlisted 
April  10,  1864;  discharged  May  17,  1866. 

Of  these  soldiers,  three  were  killed,  two  wounded,  two  died  of  disease 
and  one  deserted. 

John  Crane,  Richard  Gault  and  James  A.  Poage  were  drafted  and  fur- 
nished substitutes. 


1 66  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

An  incident  of  the  early  recruiting  in  the  county  for  the  war  is  the 
circumstance  of  the  enHstment  of  John  T.  Jenkins,  who  still  lives  at  Brayton, 
Iowa,  being  the  last  survivor  of  the  little  company  of  settlers  who  first  came 
to  Audubon  county  on  May  6,  1851. 

Several  young  men  about  Oakfield,  in  August,  1861,  had  agreed  to  enlist 
in  Captain  Spoor's  Second  Iowa  Battery.  "Uncle"  Johnny  Jenkins,  who  was 
a  Kentuckian,  a  Democrat  and  opposed  to  the  war,  having  heard  that  his  son 
had  so  enlisted,  spoke  to  him  on  the  subject.  "John,"  said  he,  "did  you 
sign  that  paper  to  go  to  the  war,"  or  words  to  that  effect.  "Yes,  sir,  I  did," 
said  John.  "Well,  John,  I  don't  want  you  to  ever  show  yourself  here  with 
a  hole  in  your  back."     Which  ended  the  interview. 

By  the  year  1864  the  war  was  realized  forcibly  by  the  people  of  Audubon 
county.  Many  of  its  young  men  were  in  the  army,  and  some  had  been  killed 
or  had  died  there ;  many  at  home  felt  that  duty  required  their  presence  there 
to  support  their  families,  and  some  were  violently  opposed  to  the  war.  Party 
spirit  was  at  extreme  tension  and  people  were  hopelessly  divided  in  political 
opinions.  Volunteering  had  almost  ceased ;  a  draft  for  soldiers  was  ordered 
and  actual  strife  at  home  was  imminent.  Some  men  said  that  if  they  had  to 
fight,  they  would  fight  at  home — or,  in  other  words,  resist  the  draft.  It  was 
a  time  that  "tried  men's  souls."  Some  of  the  patriotic  citizens  organized  the 
Loyal  Legion,  to  try  to  influence  public  opinion  and  to  enforce  the  law.  The 
spot  where  they  met,  in  an  obscure  ravine  on  section  21.  Exira  township, 
was  many  years  ago  shown  to  the  writer  by  Howard  J.  Green,  Esq.,  who  then 
pointed  out  a  tree  under  which  he  stood  sentinel  while  good  old  Deacon  Bush 
prayed  for  the  Union  cause.  At  the  same  time  others  were  plotting  and  lay- 
ing plans  to  defeat  the  Union  cause.  The  Democrats  then  in  the  county  were 
in  the  majority,  while  Republicans  were  in  the  Union  army.  We  recall  a  story 
about  a  "secesh"  in  Exira,  who  became  elated  because  he  believed  that  Price's 

9 

raid  might  reach  Iowa,  and  he  said  that  he  would  go  to  Missouri  and  meet 
Price's  army  and  guide  it  here.  Darius  Barlow,  who  then  lived  in  Exira,  told 
him  to  go,  and  that  he  would  see  to  it  that  he  should  never  reach  Price  or  his 
army. 

The  draft  was  peaceably  enforced.  John  Crane,  Richard  Gault,  James 
A.  Poage,  Urbane  Herrick,  George  W.  Sharp,  Nathaniel  Wiggin,  James  and 
Samuel  Howlett  were  drafted ;  Herrick  and  Sharp  were  exempted ;  Crane, 
Gault  and  Poage  furnished  substitutes,  and  the  others  served  their  terms  in 
the  army. 

The  draft  was  conducted  by  John  A.  Hallock,  then  clerk  of  the  district 
court,  who  was  accused  of  making  a  false  return  of  men  who  were  drafted. 


AUDUBON    COUNTYj    IOWA.  1 6/ 

Those  drafted  were  all  Democrats,  except  two,  Sharp  and  Wiggin,  and  one 
was  his  brother-in-law,  John  Crane. 

About  the  same  time.  Governor  Kirkwood  ordered  the  organization  of 
the  militia.  John  T.  Jenkins  and  Charles  H.  Norton  had  recently  returned 
from  the  war ;  Horatio  P.  Smith,  who  had  previously  lived  in  the  county,  but 
had  served  in  the  Seventh  Iowa  Infantry,  Benjamin  F.  Thomas  and  John  S. 
Wright,  who  had  both  served  in  the  army,  also  came  to  the  county  in  1864, 
all  of  whom  were  looked  upon  as  suitable  candidates  for  offices  in  the  militia. 
There  appears  to  have  been  a  rivalry  to  secure  the  organization  of  the  militia 
on  a  political  basis,  as  if  there  was  an  advantage  to  be  so  obtained.  An  old 
man,  J.  Lyman  Frost,  a  strong  Republican  and  zealous  partisan,  took  a  hand 
and  was  a  leader  in  the  affair.  He  had  been  a  Democrat  in  his  day,  accord- 
ing to  Doctor  Ballard,  and,  as  if  to  emphasize  his  loyalty  and  patriotism, 
became  vastly  obnoxious  to  the  Democrats  in  turn.  He  had  ousted  "Uncle" 
Natty  Hamlin,  first  postmaster  in  the  county,  appointed  by  President  Taylor 
in  1853,  from  the  postoffice  at  Hamlin's  Grove,  on  political  grounds,  Hamlin 
being  a  Kentuckian.  and  a  strong  pro-slavery  man  and  Democrat,  and  had 
secured  the  postoffice  for  himself.  Frost  was  a  disagreeable  man  and  had 
a  penchant  for  getting  into  hot  water  with  his  neighbors,  loving  nothing 
better  than  to  be  in  trouble  with  them.  It  is  said  that  he  was  once  a  preacher. 
But  he  took  part  in  the  organization  of  the  militia  in  favor  of  Smith  and 
against  Thomas,  as  appears  from  the  records  of  the  adjutant-general  of 
Iowa.  The  following  record  shows  the  details  of  the  organization  of  this 
military  company : 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Exira,  Oakfield  and  Audubon  townships, 
in  the  County  of  Audubon,  State  of  Iowa,  to  form  a  military  Company  under 
Chapter  84,  Laws  of  loth  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  the  Fol- 
lowing was  the  result  of  the  election  for  Commissioned  Officers  of  the  Com- 
pany. 

Captain  Horatio   P.    Smith 
1st  Lieut.  Xerxes  Knox 
26.  Lieut.  John  T.  Jenkins 

"Name  of  company  adopted  by  meeting  "AUDUBON  MOUNTED 
INFANTRY. 


"J.  Lyman  Frost,  President. 


"Carlos  E.  Frost,  Secretary, 


1 68  audubon  county^  iowa. 

"muster  roll. 

"Of  the  Mounted  Infantry  Company  of  Audubon  County,  organized 
under  Chapter  84,  Laws  of  the  Regular  Session  of  Tenth  General  Assembly 
of  the 

State  of  Iowa. 

"We,  the  undersigned  do  hereby  acknowledge  to  have  entered  thq 
service  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  as  provided  in  the  afore-mentioned  law  and 
hereby  subject  ourselves  to  all  the  rules,  regulations,  provisions  and  disciplen 
as  therein  set  forth,  and  all  rules  and  regulations  which  may  be  hereafter 
promulgated  by  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Militia  of  Iowa. 

Name.  Rank.  Age.  Postofflce.  Residence.  Nativity. 

Horatio  P.  Smith Captain     .31 Oalifleld Oalifield Ohio. 

Xerxes    Knox First    lieutenant 30 Exiia Exira   Ohio. 

John    T.    Jenkins Second    lieutenant 25 Oakfield Oakfieid Kentuck.v. 

Charles   H.    Norton First     sergeant 27 Oakfield Oakfield New  York. 

Dawson   Glasgow Second   sergeant 40 Hamlin's    Grove — Hamlin's    Grove Kentucky. 

Benjamin    F.    Jenkins Third    sergeant 27 Oakfield Oakfield Kentucky. 

George    H.    Simmons First     corporal 22 Exira Exira   England. 

Andrew    J.    Linn Second    corporal 30 Exira Exira   Ohio. 

Howard   J.    Green Third     corporal 33 Exira Exira   New  York. 

Andrew     Lefflngwell Fourth    corporal .37 Exira Exira   Massachusetts. 

Anderson,   Lesanthers Private    18 Exira Exira   Ohio. 

Bateham,     Vincent Private    22 Exira Exira   Indiana. 

Barlow.     Darius Private    3.3 Exira Exira   New  York. 

Bartlett,   Washington Private    43 Oakfield ^r)akfield    Virginia. 

Blackmar,     James Private    27 Exira Exira   New  York. 

Bush.   John  D.   Private    3C Exira Exira   Massachusette. 

Davidson,    Levi   B.    Private    .37 Oakfield Oakfield Ohio. 

Deeds,    Cornelius   W.    Private    27 Hamlin's    Grove — Hamlin's    Grove Ohio. 

Dodge,  Boynton  G.   Private    3."> Exira Exira   New    Hampshire. 

Donnel,   John   M.    Private    -38 Hamlin's    Grovp_-_Hamliu's    Grovc-Ohio. 

Donnel,    James    N.    Private    34 Hamlin's    Grove— -Hamlin's    Grove... Ohio. 

Edgerton.    David   Private    37 Exira Exira   Indiana. 

Frost,    Martin Private    41 Oakfield Oakfield Ohio. 

Frost,    Carlos   E.    Private    .37 Hamlin's    Grove.. -Hamlin's    Grove Ohio! 

Goodale,    Almon Private    36 Oakfield Oakfield Ohio] 

Hardy,   Andrew  N.   Private    ^ 44 Hamlin's    Grove — Hamlin's    Grove New  York. 

Hallock,    Richard   S.    Private    .32 Oakfield Oakfield Illinois. 

Hallock,    John   A.    Private    29 Exira Exira   Illinois. 

Hallock,   Isaac  P.    Private    20 Oakfield Oakfield Illinois. 

Heath,     Mark Private    ...' 41 Oakfield Oakfield Ohio. 

Hyatt,    William Private    18 Oakfield Oakfield Kentucky. 

Lewis,    Richard    M.    Private    43 Oakfield Oakfield Indiana. 

Montgomery,     Joel Private    18 Exira Exira   Illinois. 

Norton,     John Pi'ivate    27 Oakfield Oakfield New  I'ork. 

Pearl,  Wallace  E. Private    .3.5 Oakfield Oakfield New  York. 

Pearl,  Joshua  A. Private    34 Oakfield Oakfield New  Y'ork. 

Porter,    Joseph Private    30 Oakfield Oakfield Canada. 

Sharp,  George  W.   Private    34 Exira Exira   Kentucky. 

Tingle,     John Private    IS Oakfield Oakfield Iowa. 

Tyler,   Oliver   P.    Private    25 Exira Exira   England. 

Wilcox,    Whitman Private    40 Exira Exira   Pennsylvania. 

Wiggin,    Nathaniel Private    28 Exira Exira   New  York. 

Walker,     William Private    30 Hamlin's    Grove — Hamlin's    Grove Ohio. 

Men  over  age  who  have  joined  the  company,  and  if  furnished  arms 
will  do  as  good  service  as  they  can : 

Bush,    Lyman Private  50 Exira Exira   Massachusette 

Beck,   Hiram   M.    Private  .55 Hamlin's    Grove.. .Hamlin's    Grove... Ohio. 

Frost,    J.    Lyman Private  70 Hamlin's    Grove.. -Hamlin's    Grove.. -Connecticut 

Hallock,    Isaac,    Sr.    Private  02 Oakfield Oakfield New  York. 

Lynn.    John,    Sr Private  50 Exira Exira   Ohio. 

Montgomery,    Levi   B.    Private  .55 Exira Exira     Ohio. 

Norton,   William  C.    Private  50 Oakfield ...Oakfield New  York. 

Wilson,    James Private  48 Hamlin's    Grove-. -Hamlin's    Grove...Kentucky. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  1 69 

Capt.  Horatio  P.  Smith,  sworn  in,  November  19,  1864. 

First  Lieut.  Xerxes  Knox,  sworn  in,  December  17,  1864. 

Second  Lieut.  John  T.  Jenkins,  sworn  in,  December  3,  1864. 

It  further  appears  from  the  records  of  the  adjutant-general  of  Iowa 
that  another  company  of  mihtia  was  attempted  to  be  organized  in  Audubon 
county  about  November  8,  1864. 

"muster  roll. 

"Of  Audubon  County  Riflemen,  Organized  in  the  County  of  Audubon 
under  Chapter  84,  Laws  of  the  Regular  Session  of  Tenth  General  Assembly 
of  the  State  of  Iowa. 

"We  the  undersigned,  do  hereby  acknowledge  to  have  entered  the  service 
of  the  State  of  Iowa,  as  provided  in  the  afore-mentioned  law,  and  hereby 
subject  ourselves  to  all  the  rules,  regulations,  and  discipline  as  therein  set 
forth,  and  all  rules  and  regulations  which  may  be  hereafter  promulgated  by 
the  commander-in-chief  of  the  militia  of  Iowa. 

Name.  Rank.  Age.  Postoffit-e.  Residence.  Nativity. 

B.    F.    Thomas   -Captain     22 Hamlin's    Grove Audubon  Township  Ohio. 

John    S.    Wright First    lieutenant 21 Hamlin's    Grove Audulx)n  Township  Indiana. 

Isaac  Thomas Second    lieutenant 27 Hamlin's    Grove  __  Audubon  Township   Ohio. 

John    Crane Fir^t    sergeant 30 Extra Bxira Ohio. 

James     Poage Sc<'ond    sergeant    Hamlin's    Grove Hamlin's    Grove Illinois. 

Isaac  V.   D.    Lewis Third    sergeant ."tS Hamlin's    Grove Audubon  Township  Indiana. 

Richard    Gault Fourth    sergeant 31 Exira Extra Pennsylvania. 

William    P.    Hamlin First    corporal 42 Exira Exira Kentucky. 

Amherst    Heath Second    corporal .39 Oakfield Oakfield 

John    M.    Donnel Third    corporal 34 Audubon Kentucky. 

Peoria    I.    Whitted Fourth    corporal 3.'> Exira Bxira New   York. 

Samuel    G.    Haywood Fifth     corporal 33 Hamlin's    Grove  —  Audubon Ohio. 

Beers,     Bradley Private    40 

Ballard,   O.    R.   Private    2.5 Oakfield 

Birge,     James Private    2.5 

Brainard,    A.    I,    Private    38 

Bartlett,     Washington Private    43 

Blackmer,   J.    M.    Private    

Beers,    David   B.    Private    25 

Barlow,     Darius     Private    33 : 

Bush,   John   D.    Private    36 

C'alder,    George    H __  Private    36 

Carley,    Lehman Private    39 

Carpenter,     William Private    32 

Dodge,   Boynton  G.   Private    34 

Davidson.    L.    B.    Private    41 

Eagan,     Samuel Private    22 

Edgerton,    David Private    36 — 

Early,     Leonard Private    44 

Eagan,     James Private    28 

Frost,    Martin Private    41 

Frost,    Carlos   E.    Private    .37 

Green,   Howard  J.   Private    36 

Goodale,     Almond Private    36 

Herrick,     Edson Private    44 

Herrick,     Urbane Private    40 


Herrick,   J.   D.   Private  . 

Hubbard,    Julius  M.    Private  33- 

Hiatt,    William  H.    Private  _ 

Heath,     Mark Private  40_ 

Howlett,  Samuel,  Jr. Private  20. 

Howlett,    Samuel,    Sr.    Private  .30- 

Heath,    A.    Private  39_ 

Houston,    A.    B.     Private  40- 


170  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 


Hallock.    Isaac    P.,    Jr.    Private  24_ 

Hallock.    John    A.    Private  28- 

Hardy,   Andrew  M. Private  44_ 

Howlett,     James Private  40- 

Jenkins,    Benjamin   F.    Private  26- 

Johnson,    Samuel Private  29- 

Jones,   Giles   N.   Private  33- 

Jenkins,    Isaac    H.    Private  21_ 

Jardine,    Walter   J.    Private  19- 

Lewis,    Richard  M.    Private  42- 

Lefiingwell.    A.    J.    Private  - 

Lewis,    Thomas   S.    Private  37_ 

Milliman,     Bryant Private  36- 

Mullinger.    William   R.    Private  32- 

Xorton,    John    C.    Private  - 

Poage.    George  T.   Private  - 

Parmley,    Richard    F.    Private  23- 

Pullam,    R.   F.   Private  33- 

Pearl,    E.    W.    Private  35- 

Pearl,  Joshua  A.   Private  33- 

Paige.    J.    A Private  21- 

Scharff,     Michael Private  27- 

Sharp,    George   W.    Private  34- 

Smith,    Oliver Private  30- 

Ward,    Chauncey  E.    Private  30- 

Wiggins,     Nathaniel Private  38- 

Walker,     William Private  30- 


The  names  of  this  roll  show  that  all  the  officers  of  Captain  Thomas's 
company,  except  one,  and  fifty  of  the  privates  were  Democrats,  some  of 
them  emphatic  anti-war  men.  It  appears  that  the  commissions  of  the  officers 
were  sent  by  the  adjutant-general  to  J.  Lyman  Frost,  the  then  postmaster 
at  Hamlin's  Grove,  a  rigid  Republican,  to  act  as  mustering  officer,  and  to 
deliver  them  to  the  company  officers-elect  upon  taking  their  proper  oaths  of 
office;  but  that  he  declined  to  muster  them  or  to  deliver  the  commissions, 
presumably  because  he  knew  many  members  of  the  company  to  be  anti-war 
men,  and  of  questionable  loyalty  or  patriotism  to  the  country. 

Captain  Thomas,  who  is  now  living,  says  that  his  commission  was  not 
delivered  to  him,  but  was  found  on  the  prairie,  having  evidently  been  thrown 
away.  And  he  further  says  that  arms  were  not  issued  to  his  men,  as  it  was 
considered  dangerous  to  do  so,  fearing  that  the  men  would  fight  among 
themselves,  as  the  excitement  was  intense  between  the  Union  and  anti-war 
men.  He  wrote  recently  that  he  was  nominated  for  captain  by  John  A.  Hal- 
lock, and  further  says  that  one  of  the  members  of  his  company  waylaid  for 
John  A.  Hallock  in  the  Big  Grove,  but  failed  to  meet  him.  "Some  things  I 
would  scarcely  dare  to  write.     It  will  take  generations  to  blot  out  the  evil  that 

was  sown  in  those  days.     When  the  draft  was  riot,  started  for 

'Uncle  Natty's'  by  night  to  organize  against  it,  but  got  lost  in  the  darkness  and 
returned.  One  night  I  had  a  dream  that  my  company  were  rebels,  dressed  in 
butternut  uniforms, — so  I  resigned."  It  has  been  stated  that  arms  and  ammu- 
nition were  sent  to  the  county  and  were  secreted  in  the  chamber  of  the  house 
of  Howard  J.  Green,  to  be  used  by  the  Union  men  if  necessary;  but  this  is 
doubtful. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  I7I 

An  old  settler,  who  is  a  Christian  gentleman  and  a  lifelong  Democrat, 
recently  told  the  writer  that  at  the  time  President  Lincoln  was  assassinated 
he  met  a  man  in  the  timber  on  the  road  from  Troublesome  to  the  steam  mill 
(at  Louisville),  and,  in  conversation,  asked  him  if  he  had  heard  the  news. 
The  man  asked  to  what  he  referred,  and  he  then  informed  him  that  it  was 
reported  that  Lincoln  had  been  assassinated.  "Thank  God  for  that,"  he 
fervently  responded.  The  gentleman  reproved  him  and  said  that  he  should 
not  make  such  remarks. 

The  same  gentleman  also  said  that  another  prominent  man  on  the  same 
occasion  set  out  free  whiskey  all  day  at  his  residence  to  any  one  who  would 
drink  it,  in  approval  of  the  event,  and  was  apparently  rejoiced  that  Lincoln 
was  gone. 

The  writer  recalls  that  in  1865  it  was  currently  rumored  and  believed 
that  the  anti-war  party  in  Audubon  county  were  elated  at  Lincoln's  death. 
But  in  later  years  that  fact  has  been  disclaimed. 

During  war  times  Judge  Daniel  M.  Harris  published  a  violent  anti-war 
paper,  the  Guthrie  County  Ledger,  which  was  generally  circulated  and  read 
in  Audubon  county.  It  was  the  Democratic  organ  in  this  part  of  Iowa. 
At  a  political  meeting  in  the  old  school  house  in  Exira  in  1866,  the  Judge 
said  that  two  things  should  be  found  in  every  family,  the  Bible  and  the 
Guthrie  County  Ledger.  The  latter  part  of  the  statement  was  literally 
observed  by  his  followers. 

The  Judge  once  told  the  writer  that,  as  a  member  of  the  Iowa  Legisla- 
ture, he  supported  every  war  measure  passed  by  that  body  in  1861.  He  cer- 
tainly changed  his  political  sentiments  soon  afterwards.  In  later  years  his 
political  utterances  were  greatly  modified.  Not  long  before  his  death  he 
wrote  and  published  in  his  paper,  the  Missouri  Valley  Times,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  anniversary  of  Lincoln's  birth,  an  encomium  of  Lincoln  not  surpassed 
for  patriotism  by  anything  then  published. 

The  following  letters  from  the  adjutant-general  of  Iowa,  confirm  the 
statements  of  Captain  Thomas,  relative  to  the  action  of  J.  Lyman  Frost  and 
the  militia. 

"State  of  Iowa, 
"Adjutant-General's  Office, 
"Davenport,  October  15,  1864. 
"Benjamin  F.  Thomas, 

"Sir :     Your  letter  to  the  Governor  has  been  referred  to  me  for  answer. 
"Your   muster    roll   has   not   been   received    from   Frost   as    vet.      Get 


172  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

proper  blanks,  make  out  your  roll  and  certificate  of  election  and  forward 
direct  to  me,  and  your  commission  will  be  forthcoming  in  due  time. 

"They  will  be  sent  you  through  J.  L.  FroSt,  who  will  deliver  them  to 
you  upon  your  taking  the  required  oath. 

"Yours  etc., 

"N.  B.  Baker, 
"Adj.-Genl.,  Iowa." 

"State  of  Iowa, 
"Adjutant-General's  Office, 
"B.  F.  Thomas,  "Davenport,  December  5,  1864. 

"Hamlin's  Grove, 

"Dr.  Sir :  I  have  given  J.  L.  Frost  a  peremptory  order  to  issue  your 
commissions  after  you  have  taken  the  oath — which  may  be  done  before  any 
notary  public  or  justice  of  the  peace.  Enclosed  find  blanks  for  the  purpose. 
Write  me  if  further  delay  is  experienced. 

"Yours  etc., 

"N.  B.  Baker, 

"A.  G." 

The  records  of  the  office  of  the  adjutant-general  show  that  commissions 
issued  for  the  officers  of  Captain  Thomas's  company  on  November  19,  1864, 
but  it  does  not  appear  that  they  were  delivered  to  them.  Captain  Thomas  now 
says  that  he  and  his  commissioned  officers  were  sworn  in. 

Notwithstanding  the  unhappy  events  related,  which  transpired  locally 
at  home  during  that  period  of  hardships  and  distress,  the  soldiers  who  went 
to  war  and  gave  their  lives  and  services  to  perpetuate  the  government,  estab- 
lished a  proud  record  and  inheritance  for  the  people  of  this  county  which  is 
most  estimable  and  should  ever  be  profoundly  cherished  and  never  forgotten. 
They  are  richly  entitled,  as  always  has  been  the  custom  of  the  country,  to 
have  erected  to  their  memories,  elaborately  carved  in  stone,  at  some  con- 
venient place,  a  monument,  consecrated  to  their  fidelity,  patriotism  and  loyalty 
to  the  cause  of  the  Union,  and  for  which  they  served,  fought,  bled  and  died. 
Some  of  the  people,  who,  in  their  short-sightedness,  at  that  period  opposed 
the  war,  some  of  whom  are  now  alive,  lived  to  witness  their  folly  and  to 
observe  the  great  value  and  prosperity  of  this  great  undivided  country,  the 
best  on  earth ;  the  home  of  teeming  millions  of  prosperous,  happy,  intelligent, 
liberty-loving  people ;  and  great  and  powerful  enough,  and  willing,  to  protect 
its  citizens  anywhere  on  earth.  From  such  small  beginning,  the  county 
reached  its  present,  happy,  prosperous  position  in  the  galaxy  of  sister  counties 
in  the  great,  proud  state  of  Iowa. 


CHAPTER  XL 


THE  BAR  OF  AUDUBON   COUNTY. 


The  following  list  includes  the  lawyers,  past  and  present,  who  have  been 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Audubon  county,  with  residences  and  dates  of  practice : 

Daniel  W.  Harris,  Exira,  1854-1861,  1874. 

Thomas  S.  Lewis,  Audubon  township,  1854. 

John  A.  Hallock,  Exira,  1863,  never  practiced. 

John  W.  Scott,  Exira,  1868. 

John  M.  Griggs,  Audubon  and  Exira,  1869  to  date. 

Daniel  W.  Scribner,  Exira,  1869. 

Henry  F.  Andrews,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1870  to  date. 

Charles  D.  Gray,  Exira,  1871-1875. 

John  Southwick,  Exira,  1872- 1874. 

Emerson  H.  Kimball,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1872,  never  practiced. 

Richard  W.  Griggs,  Exira,  1874-83. 

Henry  W.  Hanna,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1874- 1902. 

Melvin  Nichols,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1877-1885. 

J.  Mack  Love,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1878. 

Frank  M.  VanPelt,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1878- 1884. 

John  A.  Nash,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1878-1913. 

Byron  S.  Phelps,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1878-1905. 

Joseph  L.  Stotts,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1878- 1885. 

Matt  Matthews,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1878.     - 

Benjamin  F.  Thacker,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1878,  never  practiced. 

Henry  U.  Funk,  Audubon,  1878- 1903. 

T.  J.  Reigart,  Audubon,  1878. 

J.  O.  Andrews,  Audubon,  1878- 1884. 

Robert  C.  Carpenter,  Audubon,  1878-1896. 

Andrew  F.  Armstrong,  Audubon,  1880- 1893. 

Robert  G.  Cousins,  Audubon,  1881-1883. 

E.  E.  Byrum,  Audubon,   1884-90. 

Charles  Bagley,  Audubon,  1882  to  date. 

K.  O.  Holmes,  Audubon,  1882- 1884. 


174  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

John  W.  McCord,  Audubon,  1879-84. 

E.  H.  Hurd,  Audubon,  1888. 

Frank  E.  Brainard,  Audubon,  1884- 1899. 

Theodore  F.  Myres,  Audubon,  1884. 

Isaac  L.  Statzell,  Exira,  1884-97. 

George  Love,  Audubon,  1884. 

William  R.  Green,  Audubon,  1 886-191 4. 

A.  F.  Bell,  Audubon,  1880-3. 

Walter  R.  Copeland,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1890- 1894. 

Virgil  E.  Horton,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1890-1910. 

Daniel  M.  Reynolds,  Brayton,  1890. 

WiHiam  Wonn,  Audubon,  189 1899. 

Bernard  Noon,  Audubon. 
Henry  M.  Gray,  Audubon,  1893. 
James  M.  Graham,  Audubon,  1894  to  date. 
John  Mosier,  Audubon,  1895-1901. 
George  F.  Kapp,  Exira,  1898-1905. 
John  A.  Graham,  Audubon,  1897  to  date. 
George  W.  Cosson,  Audubon,  1898  to  date. 
Joe  H.  Ross,  Audubon,  1899  to  date. 
William  C.  Elliott,  Audubon,  1900-1912. 
T.  M.  Rasmussen,  Exira,  1904  to  date. 
Halleck  J.  Mantz,  Audubon,  1904  to  date. 
Charles  S.  White,  Audubon,  1904  to  date. 
Sidney  C.  Kerberg,  Audubon,  19 13  to  date. 
Lewis  C.  Bagley,  Audubon,  191  o  to  date. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION   OF  AUDUBON   COUNTY. 

The  following  physicians  have  practiced,  at  one  time  or  another,  in  Audu- 
bon county,  the  record  also  giving  their  residences  and  dates  of  practice : 

Samuel  M.  Ballard,  M.  D.,  Oakfield,  1851-1883. 

Richard  S.  Hallock,  M.  D.,  Oakfield,  1856- 1882. 

James  E.  Ham,  Exira,  1858-1863. 

Arlington  M.  Harrington,  Exira,  1865- 1902. 

William  Johnston,  Oakfield  and  Bray  ton,  1868- 1883. 

Cyrus  Ingham,  1869. 

Charles  W.  Jackson,  Exira,  1869- 1876. 

James  M.  Rendleman,  M.  D.,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1872  to  date. 

Scott,  Exira,  1874. 

Charles  H.  Andrews,  M.  D.,  Exira,  1875-1896. 

J.  M.  Louthan,  Exira  and  Hamlin,  1875- 1879. 

J.  H.  Wheelis,  Exira.  1875-1878. 

John  D.  Holmes,  M.  D.,  Hamlin  and  Audubon,  1877- 1890. 

Hugh  Bell,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  1878-1880. 

John  F.  Cloughley,  M.  D..  Audubon,  1878-1889. 

John  Riley,  M.  D.,  Exira,  1880  to  date. 

Peter  M.  Sheafor,  Audubon,  1879-83. 

A.  T.  Yeager,  Viola  Center,  1880. 

R.  H.  Brown,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  1879. 

Joseph  T.  Breniman,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  1879-1885. 

S.  H.  Phelps,  Audubon,  1880. 

T.  N.  Kirkpatrick,  M.  D.,  Brayton,  1880-1883. 

Ransom  L.  Harris,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  18S1-1908. 

Charles  W.  Ullrich,  M.  D.,  Audubon,   1881. 

Frank  L.  Hinsdale,  M.  D.,  Gray,  1882-1883. 

J.  M.  Guild,  Exira,  1882-1886. 

William  A.  Welch,  Conkling  and  Exira,  1882-1885. 

Robert  Evans,  Audubon,   1883. 

Alfred  L.  Brooks,  M.  D.,  Gray  and  Audubon,  1883  to  date. 

C.  D.  Calkins.  Brayton,  1883. 

J.  H.  Schenck,  Brayton,  1884- 1886. 


176  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Daniel  G.  Lass,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  1885-1886. 

Charles  J.  Saunders,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  1885. 

Charles  W.  DeMotte,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  1886-1 897. 

Lawrence  A.  Beers,  M.  D.,  Gray,  1886-1912. 

J.  H.  Kern,  M.  D.,  Brayton  and  Kimballton,  1 887-1 891. 

H.  E.  Jewell,  M.  D.,  Viola  Center,  1887-1894. 

E.  E.  Sprague,  Audubon,  1887. 

Warren  A.  Sayers,  M.  D.,  Brayton,  1887. 

Howard  D.  Miller.  M.  D.,  Audubon,  1 889-1902. 

George  W.  A.  Yates,  M.  D.,  Brayton,  1889-1890. 

Fred  Steffensen,  M.  D.,  Brayton,  1891-1902. 

William  R.  Koob,  M.  D.,  Brayton,  1892  to  date. 

Christian  Eger,  Audubon,   1892- 1896. 

D.  H.  Lewis,  Audubon,  1892. 

John  C.  Newlon,  M.  D.,  Exira,  1893  to  date. 

N.  P.  Lauretsen,  M.  D.,  Exira  and  Audubon,  1894-1909. 

D.  W.  Layman,  Exira,  1894. 

Jens  Molgaard,  Audubon,  1895-1898. 

Thomas  M.  Jewell,  \l.  D.,  Viola  Center,  1895. 

George  W.  Gleason,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  1895. 

James  A.  Somerville,  M.  D.,  Audubon.   1897. 

Ratford  F.  Child,  M.  D..  Audubon,  1898  to  date. 

A.  J.  Beebe,  M.  D..  Viola  Center,  1898- 1899. 

Daniel  Jackson,  i\L  D.,  Audubon,  1899-1905. 

John  M.  Fulton,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  1899  to  date. 

L.  Slamborg,  M.  D.,  Kimballton,  1899. 

Peter  E.  James,  M.  D.,  Kimballton,  1902  to  date. 

Fritz  Rosenbladt,  ■NL  D.,  Audubon,  1904-1912. 

Robert  A.  Jacobsen,  M.  D..  Exira,  1905  to  date. 

James  Richards,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  1905-1907. 

William  B.  Thornburg,  M.  D.,  Gray,  IQ05. 

Charles  L.  Smith,  Gray  and  Audubon,  1907- 19 10. 

George  A.  May,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  191 1  to  date. 

J.  E.  Myers,  M.  D.,  Gray.  1912-1913. 

Peter  Soe,  M.  D.,  Kimballton,  19 12  to  date. 

James  P.  Miller,  M.  D..  Gray,  191 2. 

Eva  D.  Mosteller,  M.  D..  Gray,  1912. 

Daniel  Franklin,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  1914  to  date. 

William  H.  Halloran,  M.  D.,  Audubon,  1915. 

Charles  L.  Downer,  Gray. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE    PRESS. 


The  first  newspaper  in  the  county  was  the  Audubon  County  Pioneer, 
started  at  Audubon  City  in  December,  i860,  by  John  C.  Brown  and  J.  J. 
Van  Haughton.  It  was  Democratic,  and  pubHshed  the  deHnquent  tax  hst 
for  that  year.  It  was  moved  to  Lewis,  Iowa,  where  the  same  proprietors 
started  the  Cass  County  Gazette,  in  January,  1861.  Both  were  Democrats, 
but  their  paper  stood  for  the  Union,  and  in  September,  18-62,  both  became 
members  of  Company  I,  Twenty-third  Iowa  Infantry.  Brown  became 
captain  and  was  killed  at  Milliken's  Bend,  June  7,  1863;  Van  Haughton 
succeeded  to  the  captaincy,  served  through  the  war,  and  returned  to  Lewis. 

About  1 87 1,  Lafe  Young,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Atlantic  Tele- 
graph, devoted  a  page  of  his  paper  to  Audubon  county  affairs  and  news, 
edited  by  H.  F.  Andrews.  It  was  Republican.  The  Telegraph  was  selected 
by  the  board  of  supervisors  as  the  official  paper  of  Audubon  county,  on 
April  4,  1 87 1,  and,  for  the  first  time  in  the  county,  the  proceedings  of  the 
supervisors  were  printed  in  a  newspaper. 

In  the  winter  of  1870-1,  the  Democrats  organized  a  printing  company 
at  Exira  and  started  the  Audubon  County  Sentinel,  edited  by  Royal 
Lespenasse,  a  French  gentleman.  He  was  succeeded  by  James  P.  Lair,  as 
editor.  Later  Lespenasse  purchased  the  plant  and  continued  it  until  1873. 
The  materials  of  the  of^ce  were  old-fashioned,  badly  assorted  and  worn, 
but  its  genial  editor  was  an  enterprising,  energetic  gentleman,  who  gathered 
and  spread  the  news  industriously,  and  let  it  be  known  that  Audubon 
county  and  Exira  were  on  the  map.  It  served  to  advance  public  atfairs 
as  a  resident  newspaper.  In  the  spring  of  1873,  Judge  Daniel  M.  Harris 
came  back  to  Exira,  bought  out  the  paper  and  changed  the  name  to  Audu- 
bon County  Defender.  He  managed  it  a  year  and  sold  out.  In  1874 
Emerson  H.  Kimball  took  charge  of  the  Defender  as  a  Democratic  paper. 
He  was  a  New  Hampshire  Yankee  and  first  approached  Audubon  county 
by  way  of  Carroll,  settling  in  section  16,  Viola  township.  His  acquaintance 
with  Exira  was  as  Democratic  candidate  for  recorder  in  1872.  While 
electioneering  that  year  he  met  a  crowd  in  front  of  the  Houston  house  in 
(12) 


178  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA, 

Exira  one  evening,  among  whom  were  A.  B.  Houston,  Albert  I.  Brainard, 
P.  I.  Whitted,  the  Cranes,  and  others  of  the  most  bitter  types  of  the  then 
Democracy.  To  attract  their  attention  and  enhst  their  support,  Kimball 
blackguarded  General  Grant,  and  held  him  up  to  ridicule  and  derision  as  an 
incompetent  and  a  butcher,  comparing  him  with  most  uncomplimentary 
terms  with  that  arch  traitor  and  rebel.  Gen.  Robert  E.  Lee.  John  M. 
Griggs,  who  was  present,  became  disgusted  and  insulted,  and  "called  him 
down."  He  said,  "Mr.  Kimball,  you  were  a  soldier  and  should  not  speak 
in  that  way."  "Yes,  I  was  a  soldier,  but  was  never  in  a  fight,"  answered 
Kimball.  It  appears  that  he  served  in  the  Thirteenth  Maine  Infantry, 
which,  of  all  the  Maine  regiments,  did  not  "smell  powder."  It  was  com- 
manded by  Neal  Dow,  of  temperance  fame,  who  was  captured  by  the  rebels 
at  Port  Hudson.  But,  upon  finding  what  they  had  caught,  they  were  dis- 
gusted with  his  lack  of  soldierly  qualities,  and  sent  word  to  the  Federal 
authorities  that  if  they  did  not  send  supplies  for  Dow,  they  would  turn  him 
loose. 

So  it  is  probable  that  Kimball  was  not  a  prize  soldier.  Perhaps  he 
would  have  succeeded  better  under  more  favorable  opportunities.  He 
served  two  years  as  recorder,  but  failed  of  re-election.  When  he  took  over 
the  Defender  he  erected  a  new  printing  office  building  and  residence  com- 
bined; and  equipped  the  office  with  new  materials  in  fairly  good  style.  He 
conducted  the  paper  and  business  strictly  in  the  interests  of  the  opponents 
of  Exira,  which  arrayed  the  people  of  Exira'and  their  friends  against  him. 
In  1877,  through  the  influence  of  Joe  Stotts,  Kimball  was  bought  up  to  sup- 
port Hon.  William  F.  Sapp,  of  Council  Bluffs,  Republican  candidate  for 
Congress.  His  paper  changed  on  the  instant,  chameleon-like,  to  a  Republi- 
can (?)  organ.  He  came  out  with  a  statement  that  he  was  happy  to  live  to 
see  and  reform  the  errors  of  his  past  political  mistakes,  etc.,  but  that  his 
paper  henceforth  would  be  Republican  with,  a  big  R.  No  one  believed  his 
hypocritical  cant  and  in  the  winter  of  1877-8,  he  transferred  his  interest  m 
the  paper  and  left  the  county,  despised  alike  by  saint  and  sinner.  To 
emphasize  his  disgrace,  he  was  arrested  on  the  charge  of  stealing  a  hog. 
He  did  not  have  friends  enough  in  the  county  to  float  his  disgraceful  sheet 
longer. 

In  the  winter  of  1877-8,  John  A.  Hallock  and  A.  L.  Campbell  took 
charge  of  the  Defender  and  conducted  it  as  a  Repul)lican  paper  at  Exira, 
successfully  for  several  years,  until  after  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  to 
Audubon,  when  they  sold  it  to  William  A.  Millerman  and  William  A. 
Crane,  who  conducted  it  as  a  Democratic  paper.     Milliman  sold  his  interest 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  1 79  ' 

to  Van  Buren  Crane,  and  the  proprietors,  Crane  &  Crane,  moved  the  con- 
cern to  Audubon  and  the  Defender  was  merged  with  the  Audubon  Advo- 
cate. Then  Van  Buren  Crane  sold  his  interest  to  Frank  D.  Allen  and  the 
firm  became  Allen  &  Crane.  William  A.  Crane  soon  retired  from  the  part- 
nership. 

About  this  time,  1888,  the  Western  Blizzard,  of  Gray,  was  merged 
with  the  Advocate,  and  Frank  D.  Allen  became  sole  proprietor  and  editor 
of  the  paper.  It  was  not  an  influential  journal  under  the  management  of 
Mr.  Allen. 

At  some  time  after  the  Cranes  obtained  the  Defender,  Richard  W. 
Griggs  and  Hiram  Statzell  published  a  "one-horse"  sheet  at  Exira,  called 
the  Defender,  which  was  sold  to  Bert  Simmons,  who  turned  it  back  to 
Griggs,  and  he  took  the  outfit  to  Kansas  in   1883. 

In  1876  Mr.  Lespenasse  set  up  a  new  printing  office  at  Exira  and 
revived  the  Sentinel,  under  the  management  of  D.  D.  StandifT,  but  Les- 
penasse did  not  then  reside  here  personally.  Typographically,  it  was  in 
advance  of  any  newspaper  that  had  previously  been  printed  in  the  county. 
It  was  a  decided  factor  in  driving  Kimball  out  of  business,  by  decreasing 
the  circulation  of  his  paper.  The  Sentinel  was  not  a  financial  success  and 
collapsed  in  1877,  for  want  of  proper  management,  when  Hallock  and 
Campbell  obtained  control  of  the  Defender. 

In  1878  Harlan  P.  Albert  started  a  Democratic  paper  at  Hamlin, 
assuming  the  name  and  serial  number  of  the  defunct  Audubon  County 
Sentinel,  which  was  soon  moved  to  Exira  and  conducted  there  until  the 
following  year.  It  was  then  removed  to  Audubon  and  continued  there  until 
about  1884.  This  paper  attracted  some  attention.  Mr.  Albert  was  a  man 
with  a  head  of  red  hair;  hence  was  called  "Pinkey."  He  gave  to  his  paper 
the  sub-title,  or  motto,  of  "Pinkey's  Pious  Paper,"  which,  for  notoriety, 
was  sometimes  printed  on  pink  colored  paper;  but  its  character  was  far 
from  any  idea  of  piety.  It  was  funny  and  witty;  often  obscene  and  inde- 
cent; not  a  choice  article  for  family  reading,  nor  suitable  for  Sunday  school 
literature.  Albert  was  industrious,  persevering  and  freely  catered  the  news. 
At  one  time  he  became  fiercely  hostile  against  John  M.  Griggs,  the  lawyer; 
loaded  his  paper  with  bombastic  slurs  and  malicious  comments  and  slan- 
ders about  him ;  adorned  himself  with  belt  and  pistols ;  wore  Indian  moc- 
casins, and  made  loud  threats  of  what  he  intended  to  do,  etc.  Griggs  bore 
with  him  a  while,  but  getting  tired  of  the  abuse,  put  a  gun  in  his  pocket  and 
called  upon  Mr.  Albert  at  his  office.  Upon  meeting  Albert,  Griggs  drew  his 
revolver  and  announced:     "I  understood  you  were  looking  for  me,  and  here 


l80  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

I  am."  Albert,  who  was  engaged  in  locking  up  a  form,  promptly  threw  an 
iron  "shooting  stick"  at  Griggs,  but  missed  him.  The  sheriff  and  Mr. 
Nichols  seized  Griggs  by  his  gun  arm,  but  could  not  disarm  him  until  he 
had  emptied  the  contents  of  his  gun  into  the  ceiling.  Albert  would  not 
stand  fire,  but  fled,  and  Griggs  was  arrested.  Not  long  afterwards  the 
Sentinel  was  merged  into  the  Advocate,  and  Albert  left  the  county. 

Like  a  bad  penny,  Kimball  returned  and,  on  January  i,  1879,  on  bor- 
rowed capital,  under  opposition,  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Audubon 
Advocate  at  Audubon.  As  "Uncle  Jim"  Davis  once  said:  "The  cuss  had 
talent."  His  aggressive,  extravagant  style  took  with  the  progressive  ele- 
ment, who  were  promoting  the  young  city  and  who  had  not  yet  learned  his 
character.  Benjamin  F.  Thacker  soon  became  associated  with  him  in  the 
concern,  under  the  firm  style  of  Kimball  &  Thacker,  but  it  was  of  short 
duration.  Before  the  end  of  the  year  Seth  Paine,  who  had  furnished  the 
capital  for  the  enterprise,  came  on  from  Chicago  and  took  possession  of 
the  plant,  to  obtain  his  pay.  Under  the  management  of  Mr.  Paine,  the 
paper  was  improved  and  secured  a  reliable  standing.  He  was  energetic  and 
sought  the  improvement  of  the  community.  On  January  i,  1881,  he  issued 
an  edition  of  four  thousand  five  hundred  copies  of  the  paper,  giving  the 
county,  and  especially  the  town  of  /Vudubon,  a  grand  boom,  which  was  sent 
broadcast  over  the  country  and  even  to  Europe.  This  effort  was  supposed 
to  have  brought  the  result  of  many  new  settlers  to  the  county.  In  1882  the 
paper  was  sold  to  R.  Moore  Carpenter,  who  conducted  it  successfully,  as 
a  Democratic  organ.  In  1888  it  passed  to  Crane  &  Crane  and  in  the  same 
year  Van  Buren  Crane  sold  his  interest  to  Frank  D.  Allen  of  the  Western 
Blizzard,  and  the  firm  became  Allen  &  Crane.  Mr.  Allen  soon  became  sole 
proprietor.  Under  his  control  it  was  a  failure,  and  exerted  but  little  influ- 
ence. 

In  1879  Emerson  H.  Kimball  again  entered  the  journalistic  field  as 
proprietor  and  editor  of  the  Times  at  Audubon,  virtually  a  gift  from  the 
railroad  company.  His  prospects  were  the  brightest  of  anyone  who  had 
ever  started  in  the  newspaper  business  in  the  county.  But  he  had  not 
yet  learned  the  faculty  of  success.  He  turned  the  paper  to  the  abuse  of 
those  with  whom  he  did  not  agree,  and  the  kindnesses  of  his  friends 
were  devoted  to  promote  his  own  selfish  ends.  He  stirred  up  and  kept  alive 
the  antagonisms  between  Audubon  and  Exira,  and  spared  no  efforts  to 
slander  and  scandalize  everybody  with  whom  he  disagreed.  He  kept  slan- 
derous effusions  standing  in  the  columns  of  the  paper  against  those  he  dis- 
liked for  pure  devilishment,   until  people  became  tired  and  disgusted  with 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  l8l 

him  and  his  paper.  On  one  occasion  his  firm  and  fast  friend,  Arthur  L, 
Sanborn,  postmaster  at  Audubon,  fell  into  some  difficulty  with  the  post- 
office  department,  and  Kimball  went  to  Washington,  ostensibly  to  accom- 
modate the  matter  for  his  friend,  but  returned  with  a  commission  to  himself 
as  postmaster  at  Audubon.  Of  course,  friendship  ceased  between  Kimball 
and  Sanborn. 

In  1885,  when  the  Jellison  murderers  were  taken  from  the  jail  and 
lynched  at  Audubon,  Kimball  gave  an  account  of  the  affair  in  his  paper, 
indicating  approval  of  it,  saying  that  at  the  time  of  his  writing,  parties 
were  in  an  adjoining  room  to  his  office  discussing  and  arranging-  for  the 
lynching.  There  were  rumors  at  the  time  that  Kimball  was  present  at  the 
lynching,  but  those  who  knew  him  believed  he  was  too  big  a  coward  to  risk 
getting  hurt  by  taking  an  active  part  in  it.  His  decline  was  as  sudden  as 
his  rise  had  been.  The  paper  flattened  out  in  1886,  and  he  shipped  his  office 
materials  away  from  Audubon  in  the  name  of  another  than  himself,  pre- 
sumably to  avoid  creditors.  When  he  left  he  was  owing  one  party  several 
hundred  dollars,  which  has  never  been  paid.  He  went  to  the  wilds  of 
Wyoming,  and  was  soon  in  difficulty  there.  High  officials  in  Wyoming 
wrote  to  parties  in  Audubon  seeking  to  learn  Kimball's  character. 

About  1 88 1 -2  a  man  named  Jones  puljlished  a  newspaper  at  Gray,  the 
name  of  which  is  forgotten.  It  was  continued  by  Hiram  Statzell  a  short 
time. 

In  1885  Timothy  Y.  Paine,  a  crippled  youth,  son  of  Seth  Paine,  Esq., 
for  pastime,  published  the  Liberator,  a  weekly  paper,  at  Audubon.  At  first 
it  was  a  folio,  about  a  foot  square,  which  was  increased  to  a  four-column 
folio,  all  composed  by  the  proprietor,  and  printed  by  him  on  a  hand-press. 
It  contained  a  neat  directory  of  the  professional  men  and  business  houses 
of  Audubon,  with  the  current  news,  witty,  spicy  paragraphs,  and  a  few 
specially  selected  "ads."  It  was  the  pet  and  pride  of  the  owner,  whose  life 
was  attached  to  his  little  paper,  and  it  was  generously  patronized  for  his 
sake.  Poor  little  Timmy  died  suddenly  in  1888,  and  the  paper  ceased  with 
his  death.     It  was  one  of  the  bright  spots  in  the  history  of  Audubon. 

In  September,  1885,  George  W.  Guernsey  established  the  Audubon 
County  Journal  at  Exira.  It  was  independent  and  non-partisan,  and  took 
the  serial  number  of  the  former  Exira  paper;  but  was  virtually  a  new  enter- 
prise. ]\Ir.  Guernsey  was  a  practical  printer  and  journalist.  He  gave  one 
of  the  best  newspapers  ever  published  in  the  county.  It  continued  after 
his  death  and  was  published  by  his  widow,  who  in  1899,  sold  it  to  C.  A. 


1 82  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Marlin,  who  conducted  it  as  an  independent  Democratic  organ.     He  turned 
it  over  to  his  brother,  Chester  A.  Marhn. 

Samuel  T.  Thompson  published  the  Gray  Eagle  about  1889-90. 

The  Audubon  Republican  was  started  by  Ed  B.  Cousins  and  Sidney 
Foster  at  Audubon  in  December,  1886.  The  firm  was  Cousins  &  Foster. 
Foster  was  succeeded  by  William  H.  McClure  about  1888,  and  the  firm 
became  Cousins  &  McClure.  In  February,  1894,  they  sold  the  business  to 
James  E.  Griffith,  who  sold  it  to  David  C.  Mott  in  the  spring  of  1897.  O^^ 
July  I,  1905,  Mott  sold  it  to  Albert  C.  Ross,  who  continued  the  business  and 
sold  the  paper  to  the  present  proprietor,  Henry  J.  Hoogenakker,  October 
I,  191 1.  It  has  been  a  straight  RepubHcan  journal  from  its  organization 
and  the  leading  party  organ  in  the  county.  It  is  an  ornament  to  journalism 
and  has  always  wielded  a  healthy  influence  in  the  political,  social  and  busi- 
ness affairs  of  the  community. 

The  Western  Blizzard,  an  independent  journal,  was  started  by  Allen 
&  Waitman,  at  Gray  in  1887.  Frank  D.  Allen  soon  became  proprietor.  Its 
motto  was :  "It  blows  for  humanity."  Its  character  was  suggested  by  its 
name — bizarre,  boisterous,  sensational,  extravagant  and  lurid;  but  it  did 
not  appeal  to  the  tastes  of  people  generally.  It  merged  into  the  Audubon 
Advocate  about  1888-9.  ^"^  1889  the  Aubudon  Advocate  was  sold  by  Mr. 
Allen  to  Robert  C.  Spencer  and  James  M.  Graham.  It  was  edited  a  short 
time  by  John  A.  Graham,  when  Mr.  Graham's  interest  was  sold  to  S.  C. 
Curtis  and  the  proprietors  have  since  been  Spencer  &  Curtis,  with  Mr. 
Spencer  as  editor  and  manager,  and  Mr.  Curtis  as  publisher  and  foreman. 
It  is  Democratic  in  politics  and  is  a  leading,  popular  newspaper. 

In  1891,  Nis  Larsen,  now  of  Brayton,  established  a  non-partison 
paper  at  Audubon,  printed  in  the  Danish  language,  called  the  Dansk 
Folketidende  (Danish  People  News).  It  continued  two  years  and  was 
transferred  to  Elkhorn,  Iowa. 

H.  F.  Andrews  started  a  job  printing  office  at  Exira,  in  1900,  which 
continued   until    1905. 

On  January  i,  1905,  the  Lancelots  became  proprietors  of  the  Audubon 
County  Journal,  and  have  since  added  to  the  already  well-equipped  plant 
of  the  paper.  It  is  one  of  the  up-to-date  journals  of  western  Iowa.  The 
proprietors  have  adhered  to  the  original  policy  of  the  paper  of  making  it 
strictly  a  newspaper,  and  have  not  hesitated  to  speak  out  on  national,  state 
and  local  issues  when  vital  to  the  interests  of  good  citizenship.  It  is  an 
independent  paper. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  1 83 

The  Kimballton-Elk  Horn  Record  was  founded  at  Kimballton,  by  G. 
R.  Osborn,  January  i,  19 13,  and  is  a  non-partisan  paper.  It  was  incor- 
porated in  March,  191 5.     The  present  editor  is  Fred  N.  Harmon. 

Audubon  county  was  cursed  at  times  by  some  of  its  newspapers,  as  has 
been  shown,  but  for  many  years  they  have  been  all  that  could  be  desired  in 
any  community.  By  their  untiring  efforts  and  public  spirit  they  have  been 
prominent,  influential  factors  in  promoting  the  social  affairs  of  the  people 
and  in  developing  the  business  interests  of  the  county. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


BANKS   AND    BANKING. 


The  first  bank  in  Audubon  county  was  organized  by  Franklin  H.  Whit- 
ney (of  Atlantic,  Iowa),  and  Charles  Van  Gorder,  at  Exira,  in  July,  1S76, 
and  was  called  the  Audubon  County  Bank.  It  had  a  capital  of  one  thous- 
and dollars.  Whitney  was  president  and  Van  Gorder,  cashier.  About  1882 
it  was  sold  to  Louis  E.  Brown  and  Erwin  Watson,  who  changed  the  name 
to  the  Bank  of  Exira.  They  closed  out  its  business  by  an  assignment  for 
the  benefit  of  creditors  about  1888.  In  1878  Whitney  and  Van  Gorder 
started  a  branch  of  the  Audubon  County  Bank  at  Audubon,  from  which 
Mr.  Whitney  retired  about  1884-5  and  Mr.  Van  Gorder  became  sole  pro- 
prietor. It  was  succeeded  in  1893  by  the  First  National  Bank  of  Audubon 
— Charles  Van  Gorder,  president;  Frank  S.  Watts,  cashier — which  has 
continued  until  the  present  time.  The  present  of^cers  are :  E.  S.  Van 
Gorder,  president;  Frank  S.  W^atts,  cashier. 

The  Citizens  Bank  of  Audubon  was  incorporated  in  1881,  by  Nathan- 
iel Hamlin,  William  Walker,  A.  L.  Campbell,  Frank  P.  Bradley,  John  M. 
Griggs,  William  F.  Stotts  and  Joseph  L.  Stotts,  and  was  sold  in  1884  to 
Ethelbert  J.  Freeman  and  Andrew  F.  Armstrong.  It  passed  out  of  exist- 
ence in  1893  ^^y  ^1^  assignment  for  the  benefit  of  creditors. 

About  1883,  William  Leet  founded  the  Commercial  Bank  at  Audubon, 
which  continued,  with  various  cashiers,  until  191  o,  when  it  was  bought  and 
merged  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Audubon. 

On  February  5,  1889,  Charles  Van  Gorder,  as  president,  and  John 
Gray,  as  cashier,  started  the  Exchange  Bank  of  Exira.  Mr.  Gray  retired 
from  the  firm,  since  which  Mr.  Van  Gorder  has  been  sole  proprietor,  with 
Edwin  Delahoyde  as  cashier. 

The  Farmer's  Exchange  Bank  was  established  at  Gray,  Iowa,  about 
1893  by  George  P.  Wiley,  who  sold  it  to  Mr.  Creglow  about  1897.  ^^  was 
conducted  by  William  Linderman,  cashier.  About  1900  it  was  sold  to  Leet 
&  Boysen,  of  Audubon,  and  was  conducted  by  Ed  Beason  as  cashier;  after- 
wards by  John  E.  McGuire,  cashier,  and,  later,  by  Ed  C.  Rice,  cashier. 
About  1907  it  was  sold  to  Lida  L.  and  Helen  Leet,  and  conducted  l)y  Ed 
C.  Rice,  cashier.     On  January  i,  19 12,  it  was  incorporated  as  the  Farmer's 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  185 

Savings  Bank,  of  Gray,  and  has  since  been  conducted  by  Ed.  C.  Rice, 
cashier. 

In  1893-4,  Lois  G.  Stuart  founded  the  Corn  Exchange  Bank  at  Audu- 
bon, which  continued,  with  various  cashiers,  until  1907,  when  it  was  bought 
and  merged  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Audubon. 

In  1894  Lois  G.  Stuart  organized  the  Stuart  Bank  at  Exira  with  P.  M. 
Christensen  as  cashier.  It  was  sold  and  was  succeeded  by  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Exira,  which  was  incorporated  on  July  7,  1903,  and 
which  still  continues  the  business.     James  M.  Carlson  is  cashier. 

In  1895  James  E.  Bruce,  of  Atlantic,  Iowa,  established  the  Bank  of 
Brayton.  at  Brayton,  with  Walter  Falkner  as  cashier.  It  was  sold  in  1897 
to  Pollock  Brothers,  Henry  Pollock,  cashier.  In  1900  it  was  sold  to  Charles 
Van  Gorder,  John  McDaniels  and  Edwin  Delahoyde,  with  L.  F.  Miller  as 
assistant  cashier  and  manager.  It  was  succeeded  by  the  Brayton  Savings 
Bank,  which  was  incorporated  in  19 13,  with  L.  F.  Miller,  as  cashier,  and 
which  still  continues  in  business. 

In  1907  Emil  Bilharz  organized  the  Farmer's  State  Bank  at  Audubon, 
which  still  continues  in  business. 

On  September  3,  1907.  the  Landsman's  Bank  was  founded  at  Kim- 
ballton,  with  Charles  Van  Gorder,  president,  and  Hans  Madsen,  cashier. 
It  was  incorporated  on  December  27,  1907,  as  the  Landsman  National 
Bank,  with  Hans  Hadsen,  president,  and  Alma  Madsen,  cashier. 

On  October  25,  1907,  the  Danish  Savings  Bank  was  incorporated  at 
Kimballton.  with  S.  C.  Pedersen,  president,  and  Peter  Lykke,  cashier.  The 
present  cashier  is  Math  Nissager. 

The  Farmer's  Sa^'ings  Bank  was  incorporated  at  Hamlin  Station  in 
1913.     L.  C.  Christoffersen  is  cashier. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


CHURCHES  AND   RELIGION. 


THE   COUNTRY   CHURCH. 
By   Jeannie   Pendleton   Ewing. 

Clear-eyed  and  prim,  with  walls  of  white 

Among  the  leaves  of  birch 
That  tinged  but  did  not  stem  the  light, 

Nestled  the  little  church, 
'All  summer  open  to  the  air 
And  all  that  green  a-quiver  there. 

About  were  tender,  dreamy  sounds: 

The  stamp  of  horses'  feet, 
The  mumbling  bees  upon  their  rounds 

Where  clover  nodded  sweet, 
A  piping  quail — the  grain  low-bent 
Showed  where  her  furtive  flutterings  went. 

Next  father  in  the  i)ew's  long  row 

Came  urchins  sternly  shod; 
Next  mother — for  she  planned  it  so — 

The  child  who  first  would  nod, 
Laying,  when  sermon-time  oppressed, 
His  poppy  cheek  upon  her  breast. 

Bare  stretched  your  aisle  and  long  your  hour 

To  many  a  childish  wight. 
Wee  church !  yet,  rich  in  holy  power, 

You  blessed  as  angels  might. 
Long  years  have  gone — our  faith  is  true: 
Long  years  we've  prayed,  because  of  you ! 


By    Alexander   Holt   Roberts. 

Justinian,  the  Roman  lawyer,  in  defining  the  highest  duty  of  man  to 
man.  said,  "The  perfection  of  human  duty  is,  to  do  good  to  all  men;  injure 
none;  and  to  render  to  every  man  his  just  dues."  Confucius,  the  great 
Chinese  philosopher,  expressed  a  similar  thought  in  a  different  form,  when 
he  enjoined  upon  his  followers  the  following  negative  rule,  "Whatsoever  ye 
would  not  that  others  should  do  unto  you,  that  do  ye  not  unto  them."  These 
are  both  good  in  so  far  as  they  go,  but  it  remained  for  a  young  Hebrew, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  187 

whose  spotless  life,  teachings  and  character  gained  for  him,  among  his  fol- 
lowers, the  name  "Divine  Lawgiver,"  and  who  was  the  original  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  to  give  affirmative  expression  to  the  great  law  of  human  action 
in  a  form  now  called  by  all  men,  the  Golden  Rule,  "Whatsoever  ye  would 
that  others  should  do  unto  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them,"  and  then  that  other 
great  commandment,  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart" 
and  "thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  Each  has  his  adherents,  and  fortunate  indeed 
were  the  American  people  to  have  such  ancestors  as  the  Pilgrim  Fathers, 
who,  upon  Plymouth  Rock,  acknowledged  their  thankfulness,  and  allegiance 
to  Almighty  God. 

As  civilization  marched  westward,  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  pioneers 
have  always  been  found  the  followers  of  the  "Man  of  Galilee,"  and  it  is  not 
surpassing  strange  that  so  early  in  the  life  of  our  county  we  find,  assembled 
in  a  log  cabin,  those  who  were  desirous  of  clearing  the  w^ay,  and  casting  up  a 
highway  for  the  Master's  army  to  pass  over  in  coming  years. 

The  presence,  or  absence,  of  churches  in  a  community  is  of  great  signifi- 
cance, and  reveals  at  once  to  the  observer  the  general  character  and  makeup 
of  its  people,  for  the  highest  civilization  is  only  to  be  found  where  church 
spires  abound. 

To  those  pioneer  men  and  women  of  God,  those  first  sowers,  preachers 
and  teachers  of  the  Word,  we  acknowledge  our  obligation  and  cherish  their 
memory.  We  regret  that,  after  the  lapse  of  sixty  years,  one  who  endeavors 
to  record  their  deeds  finds  himself  handicapped  for  want  of  records. 

Our  state  has  such  a  complete  system  of  records,  that  the  writer  of  civil 
history  has  little  difficulty  in  ascertaining  and  establishing  certain  facts, 
whereas,  the  records  of  the  average  church  are  so  meager,  and  so  little  effort 
is  made  to  preserve  what  they  do  have,  that  the  historian  is  compelld  to 
search  for  oral  testimony  where  he  may  find  it.  And  so,  in  this  way,  we  find 
that  in  1855  Rev.  Moses  F.  Shinn,  presiding  elder  of  Council  Bluffs  district 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  delegated  Rev.  James  S.  Rand,  a  Meth- 
odist, to  organize  the  work  in  Audubon  county.  Hence  we  find  Reverend 
Rand,  in  the  first  week  in  June,  1855,  preaching  in  the  first  public  religious 
service  held  in  the  county,  in  the  pioneer  cabin  of  Walter  J.  Jardine,  on 
section  28,  now  Exira  township.  After  the  service  he  organized  a  Methodist 
class,  with  Walter  J.  Jardine,  as  class  leader  and  William  H.  H.  Bowen  as 
steward.  The  following  were  enrolled  as  members :  W.  H.  H.  Bowen  and 
wife,  Eliza;  Walter  J.  Jardine  and  wife,  Jane;  Isaac  V.  D.  Lewis  and  wife, 
Mary  J.;  Thomas  S.  Lewis  and  wife,  Josephine  B. ;  Richard  M.  Lewis  and 
wife,  Elizabeth:  Mrs.  Sarah  G.  Lewis;  Mrs.  Miles  Beers;  Emily  J.  Beers. 


1 88  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Isaac  V.  D.  Lewis,  to  whom  we  are  indebted,  and  to  whom  we  extend 
thanks,  for  this  information,  is  the  only  Hving  member  (1915)  of  that  first 
class,  the  others  having  all  been  "gathered  to  their  fathers." 

At  variance  with  this,  is  "A  History  of  Audubon  County,"  published 
by  W.  S.  Dunbar  &  Company,  Chicago,  in  1889,  its  editor  being  anonymous, 
which  says:  "A  Rev.  Mr.  Mann  came  to  the  county  as  early  as  1854  and  first 
sowed  the  seeds  of  Methodism.  He  gathered  a  few  of  that  faith  together 
at  the  home  of  William  H.  H.  Bowen,  one  mile  southwest  of  Hamlin's 
Grove.  Later  on.  quite  a  number  of  Methodists  settled  about  Exira  and  a 
class  was  duly  organized  at  the  home  of  Levi  Montgomer}^  near  the  present 
plat.  Rev.  James  Rand  was  the  first  preacher,  coming  in  1856-57.  The 
names  of  those  forming  this  first  class,  which  was  also  the  first  in  Audubon 
county,  are  as  follows:    Levi  Montgomery  and  wife,"  etc. 

This  "history"  is  undoubtedly  in  error,  as  Isaac  V.  D.  Lewis,  who  still 
lives  on  the  old  place  south  of  Exira  (his  postoffice  is  Brayton),  insists  that 
Rev.  Mr.  Rand  Avas  the  first  preacher,  and  it  appears  reasonable  that  a  mis- 
take may  have  been  made,  as  the  sound  of  the  names  "Mann"  and  "Rand" 
are  so  similar,  that  evidently  the  party  who  gave  the  information  as  to  Mr. 
"Mann,"  had  forgotten  the  real  name,  or  the  reporter  to  whom  the  informa- 
tion was  given  misunderstood  the  name. 

This  view  of  the  case  is  further  supported  by  the  fact  that  the  records 
of  the  Iowa  conference,  which  had  jurisdiction  over  all  Iowa  at  that  time, 
did  not  contain  the  name  "Mann"  at  that  time. 

This,  without  reasonable  doubt,  establishes  the  fact  that  the  minister 
referred  to  was  Rand,  as  he  had  charge  of  the  Cass  mission  at  that  time. 

The  first  quarterly  meeting  was  convened  in  the  first  w^eek  in  September, 
1855,  in  the  grove  at  Mr.  Jardine's  place  (section  28),  and  was  presided  over 
by  Reverend  Shinn,  I.  V.  D.  Lewis  being  elected  recording  steward.  The 
residence  of  Peter  Sylvester  now-  stands  upon  the  very  ground  on  which  those 
meetings  were  held. 

Later,  a  class  was  formed  at  Exira,  and  one  at  Oakfield,  with  Richard 
M.  Lewis  as  leader.     This  class  became  obsolete  many  years  ago. 

The  work  continued,  under  direction  of  those  in  charge,  taking  up  new 
points  and  forming  new  classes  as  opportunities  presented,  until  about  1870, 
when  the  Exira  circuit  was  formed,  which  continued  to  cover  the  whole  field 
of  the  county  until  the  annual  conference  of  1875,  when  Exira  circuit  was 
divided  into  two  separate  works  in  regard  to  preaching,  but  left  united  with 
regard  to  quarterly  meetings.  Rev.  E.  M.  H.  Fleming  Avas  presiding  elder; 
Rev.  W.  T.  Reed,  pastor  for  Exira  circuit,  and  Rev.  J.  M.  Bay,  pastor  for 
Hamlin  circuit. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  1 89 

At  the  first  quarterly  meeting  held  at  Luccock's  Grove,  November  13, 
1875,  Joseph  McFadden,  H.  K.  Emory,  D.  E.  Rich,  W.  C.  Luccock  and  F.  A. 
Cobb  represented  Hamlin  circuit,  Exira  circuit  not  being  represented.  The 
pastor's  salary  for  Exira  circuit  was  fixed  at  $240,  apportioned  as  follows : 
Exira,  $110;  Louisville,  $45;  Grove,  $40;  Oakfield,  $25,  and  Thomas  Grove, 
$20.  The  salary  for  Hamlin  circuit  was  placed  at  $200  and  apportioned, 
Hamlin,  $65 ;  Luccock's  Grove,  $65 ;  Sanborn,  $40,  and  Graham,  $30. 

The  next  quarterly  conference  met  at  Exira,  January  22;  1876,  with  T. 
A.  Lampman,  presiding  elder.  A  class  of  ten  was  reported  organized  at  the 
Green  school  house. 

At  the  next  quarterly  conference,  held  April  28,  1876,  at  Hamlin,  E. 
Weaver  was  elected  steward  and  two  new  points  were  added,  Earhart's  and 
Diggs'.     Charles  Walker  was  recommended  for  license  to  preach. 

In  1877  we  find  Rev.  John  Histwod  as  presiding  elder,  Rev.  G.  H.  Det- 
wiler,  pastor,  and  the  following  classes  represented :  Hamlin,  Miller's,  San- 
born's, Diggs',  Graham's,  Earhart's,  Viola  and  Baker's.  The  following  official 
members  were  in  attendance :  Charles  Walker,  P.  McKinley,  E.  S.  Weaver, 
F.  A.  Cobb,  C.  H-  Earhart  J.  C.  Bonwell,  L.  Miller,  William  Wilde,  S.  D. 
Conrod,  H.  C.  Diggs,  W.  S.  Smyth,  A.  Dixon,  J.  W.  Brackney.  Auntie 
Meek,  C.  H.  Sampson,  Aaron  Eby,  George  Eby,  C.  H.  Cross,  J.  T.  Bell, 
A.  Hollenbeck,  William  McAfee,  D.  C.  Bartshe. 

Up  to  this  time,  aside  from  the  Methodists,  these  were  but  two  other 
denominations  holding  services  in  the  county,  the  Congregationalists  and 
Christians,  both  at  Exira.  'Up  to  1877  there  had  been  but  two  church 
buildings  in  the  county,  to  wit,  the  Congregational  church,  in  Exira,  and  the 
Methodist  church,  in  Exira,  the  religious  services  at  all  other  points  having 
been  held  in  school  houses  or  in  the  homes  of  some  of  the  members. 

About  this  time,  with  a  large  influx  of  settlers  and  immigrants,  the 
various  preaching  points  took  on  new  life  and  pretensions,  and  this  was 
especially  true  in  1878  with  the  incoming  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  railroad,  and  for  some  years  following,  so  that  we  will  now  take  up 
the  individual  churches  of  the  various  denominations.  But,  before  doing 
so,  we  wish  to  record  two  especial  events  affecting  the  religious  life  of  the 
county.  These  were  the  revival  meetings  held  by  Rev.  W.  A.  Sunday  in 
Exira  and  Audubon. 

SUNDAY    MEETINGS. 

The  meetings  at  Exira  were  held  in  September,  1901,  and  the  following 
comments  upon  these  meetings  appeared  in  the  Audubon  County  Journal, 
published  at  Exira : 


190  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

"big    CROWDS    AT    THE    TABERNACLE. 

"Never  in  the  history  of  Exira  has  the  attendance  and  interest  been  so 
great  as  in  the  union  meetings  now  in  progress  at  the  tabernacle  in  the  park, 
conducted  by  Rev.  W.  A.  Sunday.  Each  evening  the  large  crowd  begins  to 
assemble  early,  and  by  the  time  the  song  service  ends  every  seat  is  taken.  *  *  * 

"The  principal  and,  we  might  say,  the  only  subject  among  all  classes 
of  people  is  the  meetings  now  being  held  in  the  tabernacle  in  the  park,  and  the 
marvelous  results  that  have  been  achieved  and  the  potent  influences  for  good 
that  have  been  accomplished.  *  *  *  "Yhe  men's  meeting,  Sunday  after- 
noon, presented  a  scene  that  words  cannot  express  and  the  seed  sown  at  the 
meeting  will,  in  years  to  come,  show  itself  in  the  lives  of  those  present. 
Twenty-nine  men,  in  the  prime  of  youth  and  noble  manhood,  went  forward 
and  turned  their  backs  upon  sin  and  worldly  amusements.     *     *     '-^ 

"Sunday  evening  closed  the  meetings  that  have  been  in  progress  for  the 
past  three  weeks  in  the  tabernacle  in  the  park,  and  Rev.  W.  A.  Sunday 
departed  for  his  home  in  Chicago  on  the  Monday  noon  train. 

"As  a  result  of  the  meetings,  two  hundred  and  sixty  people  were  con- 
verted and  will  at  once  unite  with  the  church  of  their  choice.  The  greater 
part  of  the  work  has  been  accomplished  during  the  past  week.  No  one  pre- 
dicted such  a  complete  and  overwhelming  victory  for  the  united  efforts  of  the 
various  churches  of  the  town. 

"At  the  closing  service,  Sunday  night,  over  one  thousand  people  were 
present  to  listen  with  marked  attention  to  the  matchless  elocjuence,  and  his 
fearless  and  forceful,  logical  and  consistent  argument.  At  the  close  of  the 
last  service,  when  the  invitation  to  come  forward  was"  given,  forty-eight 
people  went  forward. 

"A  free  will  offering  was  taken  at  the  Sunday  service,  to  remunerate 
Mr.  Sunday  for  his  tireless  efforts,  which  amounted  to  eight  hundred  and 
seventy-three  dollars,  being  one  of  the  largest  collections  ever  taken  to  sup- 
port him  in  his  laudable  and  commendable  work. 

"No  one  who  has  listened  to  his  burning  words  of  truth  has  any  fault 
to  find  with  his  methods,  and  heartily  endorse  his  work;  and  no  one  can 
tell  the  appreciation  as  expressed  by  the  general  public  for  the  valuable 
services  he  has  rendered  this  community  by  teaching  the  higher  and  noble 
virtues  in  the  various  walks  of  life's  duties. 

"At  least  two  hundred  were  at  the  depot.  Monday  noon,  to  bid  Mr. 
Sunday  and  his  singer,  Mr.  Fisher,  goodbye.  A  chorus  of  voices  sang  song 
after  song,  and  as  the  train  pulled  out  the  crowd  sang,  'God  be  With  You 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA,  IQI 

Till  We  Meet  Again.'  Mr.  Sunday  will  ever  be  held  dear  to  the  people  of 
Exira  and  the  many  warm  friends  here  will  fondly  cherish  the  memory  of 
him  who  worked  so  hard  for  their  joy  and  comfort,  and  for  the  eternal 
peace  and  happiness  of  their  homes." 

While  the  meetings  were  in  progress  in  Exira,  a  committee  went  from 
Audubon  to  Exira  and  arranged  with  Mr.  Sunday  for  a  series  of  meetings 
in  Audubon. 

Satisfactory  arrangements  having  been  made,  on  January  21,  1902,  Mr. 
Sunday  and  helpers  arrived  and  began  what  proved  to  be  the  greatest  meet- 
ing ever  held  in  the  town,  four  churches,  the  Methodist,  Presbyterian,  Chris- 
tian and  Evangelical,  uniting  and  becoming  responsible  for  the  financial  part 
of  the  meetings. 

The  following  quotations  from  The  Audubon  Advocate  express  the 
sentiment  of  the  community  with  reference  to  the  meetings. 

"the  revival. 

"When  we  say  revival,  we  have  no  fear  of  contradiction,  for  it  is  really 
and  truly  a  revival.  Evangelist  Sunday  has  been  at  work  in  our  midst  a 
little  over  two  weeks,  and  the  old  town  is  not  what  it  used  to  be.  We  have 
seen  some  pretty  warm  political  campaigns  in  Audubon,  but  the  present 
religious  campaign  makes  all  those  very  tame  indeed.  Sunday's  meetings  are 
talked  on  the  streets  and  in  every  place  of  business.  It  is  the  main,  and 
almost  the  only,  topic  of  conversation.  Snow  drifts  and  cold  weather  are  no 
obstacles  when  people  are  headed  toward  the  great  revival.  The  interest  is 
daily  increasing.  Many  who  but  seldom  if  every  are  seen  at  church,  are 
now  regular  attendants  and  many  have  gone  forward.  Many  who  bitterly 
opposed  Evangelist  Sunday,  or  scoffed  at  his  work,  are  now  his  most  ardent 
supporters,  and  are  seen  on  the  streets,  as  well  as  in  the  meetings,  urging 
others  to  attend  and  unite  with  the  many  who  have  gone  forward.     *     *     *" 

"The  Union  gospel  meetings,  which  have  interested  the  people  of  Audu- 
bon for  the  past  two  months,  are  now  closed,  and  a  matter  of  history.  They 
began  on  January  21  and  closed  on  Februan^  16.  From  the  very  start,  they 
were  largely  attended,  filling  the  large  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and 
later,  when  they  were  removed,  the  larger  Presbyterian  church  was  crowded. 
The  men's  meetings  were  the  marvel  of  the  series.  There  were  three  of 
them,  and  the  attendance  w^as  about  seven  hundred  at  the  first  to  nine  hun- 
dred at  the  last.  Such  a  concourse  of  men  was  something  new"  to  Audubon. 
A  sight  such  as  many  a  person  never  saw  before.  All  this  is  evidence  of 
the  power  of  the  subject  of  religion  on  the  hearts  and  minds  of  men. 


192  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

"There  is  no  other  subject  that  the  greatest  men  might  discuss,  with 
the  best  skill  of  modern  learning  and  oratory,  that  would  have  drawn  and 
held  one-tenth  of  the  people  one-half  so  long  as  the  subject  of  re- 
ligion.    *     *     * 

"The  last  Sabbath  services  were  interesting  throughout,  when  one  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and  forty-one  dollars  were  given  as  a  free-will  offering 
to  Mr.  Sunday.  Also  a  purse  of  thirty-four  dollars  to  Fred  Fisher,  his 
singer,  from  the  choir. 

"The  total  number  of  conversions  was  four  hundred  and  thirty-four. 
The  attendance  Sabbath  evening  was  fully  one  thousand  three  hundred  and 
many  were  turned  away  for  want  of  room." 

Thus,  by  these  meetings  were  all  of  the  churches  strengthened,  their 
membership  increased,  the  moral  tone  of  the  whole  county  elevated,  and 
among  the  strong  and  active  workers  and  supporters  of  the  churches  today, 
many  date  their  interest  and  consecration  to  the  work  from  the  time  of  the 
Sunday  meetings. 

CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH    OF    EXIRA, 

About  the  year  1858,  Deacon  Lyman  Bush  came  to  Exira  from  North 
Brookfield,  Massachusetts.  On  April  9,  1859,  the  First  Congregational 
church  of  Exira  was  organized,  and  at  about  the  same  time  a  Sunday  school 
was  organized  at  Exira  by  Deacon  Bush.  The  remainder  of  Deacon  Bush's 
life  was  principally  devoted  to  the  advancement  of  this  church,  holding 
Sunday  meetings  and  preaching  when  obtainable,  prayer  meetings,  Sunday 
schools,  funerals,  looking  after  the  employment  of  preachers  and  raising 
subscriptions  to  pay  them. 

Preaching  and  Sunday  schools  were  usually  held  in  the  old  school 
house,  and  prayer  meetings  often  in  private  houses.  About  1870  the  dea- 
con visited  his  old  home  in  Massachusetts  and,  while  there,  collected  from 
his  old  neighbors  and  friends  more  than  one  thousand  dollars  for  a  church 
building  at  Exira.  The  building,  thirty-two  by  forty  feet,  was  erected  in 
1870-71,  John  W.  Dodge  and  H.  U.  Hansen  being  the  principal  carpenters 
and  builders.  The  church  was  reorganized  on  May  10,  1871.  The  church 
edifice  was  dedicated  on  July  16,  1871,  Revs.  J.  W.  Pickett,  C.  D.  Wright 
and  John  F.  Taft  being  the  officiating  clergymen. 

This  was  the  first  church  edifice  in  the  county  and  is  still  occupied  by 
the  church.     The  first  resident  pastor  was  Oren  Cummings. 

At  the  death  of  Deacon  Bush  he  left  one  thousand  dollars  as  a  perma- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  1 93 

nent  fund,  the  interest  of  which,  only,  was  to  be  devoted  perpetually  to  sup- 
port the  ministry,  and  this  fund  is  now  intact.  The  present  membership 
is  about  seventy- four. 

•  The  deacons  have  been  Lyman  Bush,  Boynton  G.  Dodge,  Enoch  Croy, 
David  Sewell,  William  C.  Sturgeon,  John  D.  Bush,  Henry  Seibert,  Louis 
E.  Borne,  William  Wissler  and  Frank  Heath.  The  church  has  been  faith- 
fully served  by  the  following  pastors :  Oren  Cummings,  E.  S.  Hill,  C.  D. 
Wright,  John  S.  Taft,  A.  J.  R.  Smith,  R.  W.  Burgess,  J.  M.  Cummings, 
J.  A.  Hallock,  A.  W.  Thompson,  D.  M.  Hartsough,  Q.  C.  Todd,  A.  M. 
Beman,  Joseph  F.  Roberts,  M.  D.  Reed,  H.  L.  Wissler,  E.  H.  Votard, 
W.  W.  Hartsough,  J.  L.  Fisher,  F.  H.  Richardson,  W.  L.  Holly,  James 
H.  Mintier,  Noah  A.  Hollingshead,  and  Rev.  Jessie  Gettys,  who  is  the  pres- 
ent pastor. 

Today  this  is  the  only  Congregational  church  in  the  county. 

OAKFIELD    CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH. 

About  1866-8  a  Congregational  church  was  organized  at  Oakfield,  Exira 
township.  The  following  were  members  of  this  church:  E.  W.  Pearl  and 
wife,  William  C.  Norton,  James  M.  Jones  and  wife,  Herman  G.  Smith, 
Marianne  Smith,  Joe  Barham  and  wife,  John  C.   Norton. 

This  church  was  supplied  by  Rev.  Edwin  S.  Hill,  from  Grove  City, 
and  Rev.  C.  D.  Wright,  from  Exira.     This  church  is  now  extinct. 

METHODIST   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH,    EXIRA. 

The  birth  of  the  Methodist  church  in  Exira  properly  dates  from  the 
organization  of  the  Levi  B.  Montgomery  class  in  1855.  The  members  of 
that  class  were  Levi  B.  Montgomery  and  wife,  George  W.  Sharp  and  wife, 
Nathaniel  Wiggins  and  wife,  Mrs.  Mary  Anderson,  Mrs.  Ann  Crane,  with 
Rev.  J.  S.  Rand  as  first  pastor. 

At  the  twelfth  annual  session  of  the  Iowa  Methodist  Episcopal  Con- 
ference, in  September,  1855,  Exira  was  included  in  the  Cass  mission,  Coun- 
cil Bluffs  district,  and  Rev.  Rand  was  again  appointed  pastor  and  seventy- 
five  dollars  appropriated  from  the  missionary  funds  of  the  conference  toward 
his  support. 

At  the  conference  in  September,  1856,  Audubon  and  Shelby  counties 
were  united,  under  the  name  of  Audubon  and   Shelby  mission,   and  Rev. 

(13) 


194  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

J.  M.  Baker  appointed  pastor,  with  seventy  dollars  from  the  conference 
missionary  funds  toward  his  salary. 

In  1857  Audubon  mission  stood  alone,  with  Rev.  J.  M.  Baker  again  as 
pastor,  who,  at  the  end  of  the  year,  reported  sixty  members  and  thirteen 
probationers.  Also  one  Sunday  school,  with  five  officers  and  teachers  and 
twenty  scholars.     This  was  the  first  Sunday  school  in  the  county. 

At  the  conference  in  September,  1858,  Audubon  and  Lewis  were  united, 
under  the  name  of  Lewis  and  Audubon  mission,  and  fifty  dollars  appro- 
priated from  the  mission  funds  to  apply  on  the  salary  of  Rev.  J.  M.  Rust, 
who  was  appointed  pastor,  with  residence  at  Exira.  At  the  end  of  the  year 
Rev.  Rust  reported  sixty  members  and  ten  probationers,  one  church  build- 
ing, four  Sunday  schools,  twenty-four  officers  and  teachers  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  scholars. 

At  this  time  the  development  of  the  country  had  become  so  rapid,  the 
trail  of  the  Indian  having  given  place  to  the  steel  rails  of  the  railroad  now 
pointing  to  the  Missouri  river;  the  hunting  grounds  having  become  fields 
of  waving  grain;  the  tepee  and  Indian  village  being  supplanted  by  com- 
fortable homes  and  thriving  towns;  the  population  becoming  more  dense, 
and  the  territory  of  the  conference  being  so  great,  consisting  of  all  of  Iowa, 
all  settled  portions  of  Nebraska  and  part  of  Missouri;  that  at  the  sixteenth 
session  of  the  Iowa  annual  conference  at  ]\Iuscatine,  held  in  September, 
1859,  it  was  deemed  the  wise  thing  to  divide  the  conference,  and  the  West- 
ern Iowa  conference  was  organized.  Audubon  county  was  included  in  the 
Audubon  and  Lewis  mission,  Council  Bluffs  district,  and  Rev.  D.  B.  Clary 
was  appointed  pastor,  with  residence  at  Exira.  At  the  end  of  the  year  Rev. 
Clary  reported  eighty-seven  members  and  fourteen  probationers,  five  Sun- 
day schools,  with  two  hundred  and  two  members. 

In  September,  i860,  at  the  first  session  of  the  Western  Iowa  confer- 
ence. Rev.  C.  F.  Spooner  was  appointed  to  the  Lewis  and  Audubon  mission, 
and^  at  the  end  of  the  year  reported  ninety-eight  members,  forty  probationers 
and  four  Sunday  schools,  with  one  hundred  and  sixty  members. 

At  the  annual  conference  in  September,  1861,  a  new  district  was  formed, 
called  the  Lewis  district.  Lewis  was  detached  from  Audubon  and  made  a 
station.  Audubon  was  called  Audubon  mission,  Lewis  district,  and  Rev. 
C.  F.  Spooner  was  appointed  as  pastor,  with  sixty-two  dollars  and  fifty 
cents  appropriated  from  the  mission  funds  to  apply  to  his  support.  At  the 
end  of  the  year,  Reverend  Spooner  reported  seventy-six  members  and  seven 
probationers,  two  Sunday  schools,  with  seventy-nine  members. 

In    September,    1862,    Rev.    S.    W.    Milligan   was   appointed   pastor   to 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  I95 

Audubon  mission,  with  sixty-five  dollars  appropriated  from  the  Mission 
funds.  He  reported  sixty-seven  members  and  nine  probationers,  three  Sun- 
day schools,  with  ninety-eight  members. 

In  September,  1863,  Audubon  and  Lewis  were  again  joined  as  Audu- 
bon and  Lewis  circuit,  and  Rev.  S.  W.  Milligan  was  appointed  pastor.  The 
circuit  was  then  composed  of  the  following  classes :  Lewis,  Grove  City, 
Middle  Grove,  Audubon  (city),  Exira,  Oakfield  and  Buck  Creek,  including 
one  hundred  and  three  members,  thirteen  probationers  and  four  Sunday 
schools,  with  one  hundred  and  eighty-two  members. 

In  September,  1864,  the  name  Western  Iowa  annual  conference  was 
changed  to  Des  Moines  annual  conference,  and  a  new  district  formed,  called 
Wintust  district,  of  which  the  Lewis  and  Audubon  circuit  was  a  part,  with 
Rev.  N.  L.  Phillips  as  pastor.  At  the  end  of  the  year.  Rev.  Phillips  reported 
one  hundred  and  five  members,  twenty-one  probationers  and  four  Sunday 
schools,  with  one  hundred  and  forty-four  members. 

In  September,  1865,  Rev.  John  G.  Gates  was  appointed  pastor  and 
reported  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  members,  fifty  probationers  and  seven 
Sunday  schools  with  two  hundred  and  thirty  members. 

In  September,  1866,  M.  Sheets  was  appointed  pastor  and  reported  two 
hundred  and  eight  members,  fifty-one  probationers  and  eight  Sunday  schools 
with  three  hundred  and  fifteen  members. 

During  the  years  1867-8-9  the  circuit  was  known  as  the  Grove  City 
circuit  and  was  composed  of  the  following  classes:  Grove  City,  Audubon 
City,  Exira  and  Oakfield,  with  the  following  pastors :  Rev.  William  Abra- 
ham, in  1867;  Rev.  W.  H.  Records,  in  1868,  and  Rev.  Jacob  Levan,  in  1869. 

In  1870  the  name  of  the  circuit  was  changed  to  Exira,  Atlantic  dis- 
trict, and  included  all  of  Audubon  county  and  some  points  in  Cass.  Prior 
to  this  time,  services  had  been  held  in  private  homes  or  the  school  house. 
From  1870  to  1873  they  were  kindly  permitted  to  use  the  new  Congrega- 
tional church  at  Exira.  The  pastors  were  Rev.  J.  G.  Gates,  1870-71,  and 
Rev.  George  W.  Saint,  1872. 

Reverend  Saint  died  just  after  the  fourth  quarterly  meeting  and  just 
before  the  annual  conference.  Then  came  Rev.  George  W.  Gauffer  in  1873. 
During  this  year  a  church  edifice  twenty-four  by  thirty-two  was  erected  on 
the  site  where  Squire  James  P.  Lair  now  resides.  This  was  the  second 
church  building  in  the  coiinty,  the  other  being  the  Congregational  church 
in  Exira.  Rev.  B.  L.  Jackson  (supplied)  in  1874,  and  Rev.  W.  T.  Reid 
served  in  1875. 

In   1875  Exira  circuit  was  divided  and  a  new  circuit,  called  Hamlin, 


196  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

formed,  embracing  the  north  nine  townships  of  Audubon  county.  Rev.  John 
W.  Hardin  came  in  1876;  Rev.  W.  R.  Douglas,  in  1877;  Rev.  O.  E.  Moore, 
in  1878;  Rev.  C.  H.  Mcintosh  supphed  in  1879;  Rev.  D.  C.  Adams  supphed 
in  1880;  Rev.  J.  W.  Bott  was  pastor  in  1881  and  1882. 

In  1881,  the  church  not  being  large  enough  to  accommodate  the  grow- 
ing congregation,  plans  were  laid  and  steps  taken,  money  solicited,  and  a 
new  building,  of  larger  proportions,  was  erected  and  dedicated  by  the  presid- 
ing elder,  Rev.  W.  T.  Smith,  on  January  22,  1882. 

The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  W.  W.  Dauner  in  1883,  after  whom  followed 
Rev.  F.  T.  Stevenson,  1884-5;  L.  C.  Burling,  1886-7;  R.  T.  Leary,  1888; 
A.  B.  Shipman,  1889;  J.  S.  Morrow,  1890;  D.  H.  K.  Dix,  1891-92;  Rev.  W. 
J.  Richards,  1893;  Rev.  C.  H.  Miller,  1894;  Rev.  L.  H.  Humphey,  1895  and 
1896;  Rev.  O.  T.  Nichols,  1897  and  1898;  Rev.  R.  C.  F.  Chambers,  1899; 
Rev.  J.  M.  Whitehead,  1900;  Rev.  J.  E.  Nichol,  1901  and  1902;  Rev.  E.  C 
Holliday,  1903;  Rev.  T.  G.  Aten,  1904;  Rev.  A.  Dove,  1905;  Rev.  J.  A. 
Howard,  1906;  Rev.  E.  W.  Bates,  1907;  Rev.  W.  E.  Harvey,  1908;  Rev. 
John  Harned,  1909-1910-1911  ;  Rev.  George  A.  Lawton,  1912;  Rev.  Henry 
P.  Grinyer,  1913-14,  who  is  the  present  pastor. 

The  present  membership  is  about  forty.  The  church  maintains  a  flour- 
ishing Sunday  school  and  a  splendid  Ep worth  League. 

Since  1896,  the  Hamlin  class  has  been  affiliated  with  this  charge,  and 
at  present  Buck  Creek  class  is  also  a  part  of  the  work. 

OAKFIELD    CLASS    OF    THE    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

A  class  was  formed  in  about  1856-7  at  Oakfield,  with  Richard  M.  Lewis 
as  leader,  and  was  a  part  of  the  Audubon  and  Lewis  circuit.  This  class  is 
now  extinct. 

Audubon  and  Lewis  circuit,  in  1864,  was  composed  of  the  following 
classes:  Lewis,  Grove  City,  Middle  Grove,  Audubon  City  (in  section  25, 
Exira  township),  Exira,  Oakfield  and  Buck  Creek,  and  at  other  times  the 
preaching  points  changed. 

FIRST  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  AUDUBON. 

In  giving  a  history  of  this  church  we  find  that  we  cannot  do  better 
than  copy  a  historical  sketch  written  by  A.  H.  Roberts  and  read  at  an 
anniversary  meeting  of  the  church  held  in  December,  1913.     It  is  as  follows: 

"At  the  meeting  of  the  Des  Moines  conference  in  1875,  Exira  circuit 
was  divided  and  a  new  circuit  formed  named  Hamlin,  and  including  all  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  I97 

Audubon  county  north  of  Exira.  Rev.  J.  M.  Bay  was  sent  as  pastor  and, 
at  a  salary  of  two  hundred  dollars,  served  one  year.  Then  came  Rev.  G.  H. 
Detwiler,  who  served  very  acceptably  two  years.  By  reference  to  minutes 
of  the  fourth  quarterly  conference,  held  August  lo,  1878,  we  find  that  S.  D. 
Coonrod  was  appointed  a  committee  to  secure  church  property  in  the  new 
town  (as  Audubon  was  then  called).  At  the  conference  of  1878,  Rev. 
Detwiler  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  W.  Lewis,  under  whose  pastorate  the  class 
in  Audubon  was  organized.  At  the  first  quarterly  conference  of  this  year, 
held  at  Irwin,  November  7,  1878,  the  pastor's  salary  was  placed  at  $500,  and 
apportioned  as  follows:  Irwin,  $225;  Viola,  $200;  Audubon,  $100;  Diggs, 
$30.  This  would  indicate  that  the  membership  of  that  quarterly  conference 
had  faith  in  the  new  town ;  for  there  had  not  up  to  this  time  been  any  religious 
service  in  the  town,  neither  was  there  a  public  building  in  which  services 
could  be  held.  But  the  school  building  on  Davenport  street  was  then  in 
course  of  construction  and  on  December  15  following,  the  first  service  was 
held,  being  a  sermon  by  Rev.  J.  W.  Lewis,  the  congregation  consisting  of 
fifteen  persons,  viz :  Frank  Hobart,  J.  W.  Pollet,  W.  E.  Campbell,  E.  M. 
Funk,  A.  H.  Roberts,  John  Schaly,  J.  H.  Thorp,  M.  Leach,  Peter  Theilen, 
Doctor  Brown,  William  Cloughly,  P.  McKinley,  W.  H.  Scott,  Noah  Keller, 
and  George  A.  Atkinson. 

"The  unique  thing  about  this  congregation  was  that  it  was  composed 
entirely  of  men,  not  a  woman  being  present.  When  we  remember  that  in 
the  ordinary  congregation  women  are  largely  in  excess  of  men,  this  strikes 
one  as  being  at  least  peculiar,  but  the  explanation  is,  there  were  not  at  that 
time  to  exceed  five  women  in  the  town. 

"From  this  time  on,  services  were  held  every  two  weeks.  First  in  the 
above  mentioned  school  house,  then  in  the  court  house,  and  later  in  the  new 
school  building,  and  finally  in  the  new  church.  As  time  passed  the  services 
were  increased  to  one  service  each  Sunday,  and  later  to  two  services. 

"The  second  quarterly  meeting  for  the  year  of  1878-9,  was  held  in 
p3;33p  s^M  s;j3qo>j  -j^  "V  ^^"P  qoiqAV  ;^  '6Zgi  '6  puB  g  Xj^njqa^  'uoqnpny 
trustee  for  Audubon  and  a  committee  appointed  to  solicit  funds  for  the 
erection  of  a  parsonage  in  town.  The  committee  did  not  meet  with  the  suc- 
cess deemed  necessary  in  order  to  undertake  the  work,  so  the  matter  was 
dropped. 

"The  first  communion  service  held  in  the  town  was  at  this  meeting  and 
Audubon  was  reported  as  having  paid  five  dollars  to  support  the  ministry. 

"On  April  13,  1879,  a  Sunday  school  was  organized  and  the  following 
officers    elected :  Superintendent,    A.    H.    Roberts ;    assistant    superintendent. 


198  AUDUBON    COUNTY^   IOWA. 

Chester  Wheeler;  secretary,  Miss  Kate  Cameron;  treasurer,  E.  W.  Beghtol. 
Number  of  scholars  present,  twenty-three.  For  more  than  a  year  this  was 
the  only  Sunday  school  in  town.  Some  time  during  the  same  month  the 
society,  or  class,  was  organized  and  M.  D.  Bailey  appointed  leader. 

"x\t  the  third  quarterly  meeting  at  Irwin,  May  i,  E.  W.  Beghtol,  S.  H. 
Schryver  and  Chester  Wheeler  were  added  to  the  board  of  trustees.  At  the 
fourth  quarterly  meeting  a  resolution  was  passed,  requesting  the  name  of  the 
circuit  be  changed  from  Hamlin  to  Audubon.  Accordingly  the  annual  con- 
ference, in  September,  1879,  changed  the  name  to  Audubon  circuit  and  sent 
Rev.  A.  W.  Armstrong  as  pastor,  whose  salary  was  placed  at  $500,  appor- 
tioned as  follows:  Audubon,  $150;  Irwin,  $150;  Viola,  $150;  Cameron, 
$50 ;  the  Diggs  appointment  being  dropped.  On  September  22,  the  board  of 
trustees,  composed  of  P.  McKinley,  Chester  Wheeler,  J.  A.  Miller,  S.  H. 
Schryver  and  A.  H.  Roberts,  executed  articles  of  incorporation  as  provided 
by  the  laws  of  the  state,  and  steps  were  taken  looking  toward  the  erection  of 
a  church  edifice,  a  subscription  being  started,  headed  with  three  fifty-dollar 
subscriptions.  The  first  money  paid  toward  the  enterprise  was  two  dollars 
by  S.  W.  Smith,  September  26,  1879. 

"After  the  completion  of  the  court  house,  we  were  permitted  to  use  it 
until  January,  1880,  when  through  the  kindness  of  the  board  of  directors 
we  were  permitted  to  furnish  and  use  the  east  upstairs  room  in  the  new 
school  building.  This  we  continued  to  use  the  balance  of  the  year.  The 
trustees  having  put  in  the  foundation  on  May  17,  the  contract  for  enclosing 
the  church  was  awarded  to  R.  A.  Chaplin  for  one  thousand  three  hundred 
and  seventy-five  dollars. 

"At  the  fourth  quarterly  conference,  held  July  17,  the  trustees  in  their 
report  said :  'We  have  during  the  year  incorporated  according  to  law  and 
have  received  as  a  donation  from  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  Company,  lots 
26  and  27,  block  7,  of  Audubon,  upon  which  we  have  in  course  of  construc- 
tion a  church  thirty  by  fifty  with  a  corner  tower  ten  by  ten.  The  contract 
for  enclosing  the  same,  including  laying  the  floor,  was  awarded  to  R.  A. 
Chaplin  for  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars.  We  have 
received  from  the  Church  Extension  Society  five  hundred  dollars.  Two 
hundred  dollars  as  a  donation  and  three  hundred  dollars  as  a  loan,." 

"Although  Bro.  A.  W.  Armstrong  had  been  in  the  ministry  but  one 
year,  yet  he  took  hold  of  matters  with  a  master  hand,  doing  a  great  amount 
of  hard  and  faithful  work  during  the  summer  in  soliciting,  collecting,  etc., 
and  even  to  performing  of  manual  labor  on  the  building.  For  well  do  I 
remember  having  seen  him  seated  upon  a  scaffold  near  the  top  of  the  belfry, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  1 99 

with  brush  in  hand,  doing  the  work  of  an  artisan.  He  closed  a  very  accept- 
able year  in  September,  in  proof  of  which  he  received  from  the  class  in  town 
$223.95,  being  $75.95  in  excess  of, our  apportionment,  the  outside  points, 
however,  not  having  paid  their  apportionment  in  full.  Thirty-eight  were 
received  by  letter  on  the  circuit  during  this  year.  Rev.  W.  C.  Smith  was  the 
next  pastor,  coming  in  September,  1880,  whose  salary  was  fixed  at  six  hun- 
dred dollars  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  for  house  rent,  the  preach- 
ing points  being  the  same  as  in  the  previous  year. 

"After  many  hard  struggles  by  the  official  members,  for  you  must 
remember  we  had  no  wealth  in  the  church  then,  unless  it  was  a  wealth  of 
perseverance  and  trust  in  God,  the  church  was  in  December,  ready  for  dedica- 
tion, having  cost  about  two  thousand  three  hundred  dollars.  Presiding  Elder 
Smith  conducted  the  dedication  services  on  December  12,  at  which  time  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  were  raised  and  the  church  cleared  of  indebtedness 
excepting  the  three  hundred  dollars  due  the  Church  Extension  Society, 
which  was  paid  in  annual  payments.  At  the  expiration  of  the  first  year, 
Reverend  Smith,  in  accordance  with  the  wish  of  the  charge,  was  returned, 
his  salary  this  year  being  $800  including  house  rent.  The  apportionment 
was  as  follows:  Audubon,  $600;  Irwin,  $120;  Lone  Willow,  $80;  Viola  and 
Cameron  having  been  cut  off  and  made  the  nucleus  for  a  new  circuit.  Dur- 
ing the  two  years'  pastorate  of  Reverend  Smith,  the  church  gained  strength 
quite  rapidly  by  accessions  by  letter,  also  twenty  were  received  on  probation. 
The  conference  of  1882  sent  Rev.  L.  M.  Campbell  as  pastor,  who  served  one 
year,  at  a  salary  of  six  hundred  dollars  and  one  hundred  and  ten  dollars  for 
house  rent.  The  circuit  at  this  time  consisted  of  but  two  points,  Audubon 
and  Lone  Willow.  Sixteen  were  received  on  probation  this  year  and  a  goodly 
number  by  letter.  Rev.  J.  W.  Bott  was  appointed  pastor  in  September,  1883, 
and  served  three  years.  The  first  year  the  salary  was  six  hundred  dollars 
and  one  hundred  and  forty-four  dollars  for  house  rent.  The  second  year 
six  hundred  dollars;  the  third  year  five  hundred  dollars,  and  parsonage  rent. 
During  the  year  1884,  Lone  Willow  as  a  preaching  point  was  dropped,  the 
membership  having  moved  away  and  dissensions  having  arisen  within  the 
class  to  such  a  degree  that  it  was  impossible  to  keep  up  the  organization,  thus 
leaving  Audubon  a  station.  During  the  year  1885,  our  parsonage  was  bought 
and  moved  to  its  present  location  and  repaired,  at  a  cost  of  about  four  hun- 
dred dollars.  Three  hundred  dollars  of  this  debt  was  paid  by  borrowing 
from  the  Church  Extension  Society,  and  this  obligation  was  canceled  in 
December,  1890.  From  the  pastor's  report  to  the  last  quarterly  conference 
of  his  pastorate  we  glean  the  following :     Probation  record  during  the  three 


200  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

years,  2,2;  received  by  letter,  32;  total  accessions  during  the  three  years,  64; 
removals  in  various  ways,  69 ;  removals  in  excess  of  accessions,  5. 

"In  September,  1886,  Rev.  J.  B.  Harris  came  as  pastor  and  Methodism 
at  once  began  an  advance  movement.  Members  were  seen  in  the  pews  who 
had  not  been  there  for  months  and  the  outside  world  began  moving  our  way. 
Brother  Harris  remained  three  years,  the  salary  being  six  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  and  parsonage  rent  the  first  year ;  eight  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  and 
rent  the  second ;  and  one  thousand  dollars  and  rent  the  third  year,  all  of  which 
was  paid  in  full.  In  1887  repairs  were  made  on  the  church,  including  the 
putting  in  of  the  gallery,  painting,  papering,  etc.,  at  a  cost  of  some  six  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  in  1889,  a  kitchen  was  added  to  the  parsonage,  at  a  cost 
of  about  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  dollars.  There  were  received  during 
the  three  years  eighty-two  probationers,  the  church  experiencing  some 
gracious  revivals,  the  membership  quickened  and  the  attendance  at  the  social 
meetings  increasing  to  a  fair-sized  audience,  the  membership  at  the  close 
of  the  third  year  being  one  hundred  and  forty-three.  It  was  the  wish  of 
Presiding  Elder  Blodgett  that  Brother  Harris  be  returned  for  the  fourth 
year,  but  being  fearful  that  his  physical  strength  would  fail,  at  request  of 
himself  and  nearest  friends,  a  change  was  made  and  in  September,  1889, 
Rev.  E.  E.  Ilgenfritz  was  assigned  to  Audubon  and  remained  four  years, 
under  whose  ministrations  the  church  continued  to  prosper.  Many  of  us 
remember  him  as  a  tireless  worker,  and  one  whose  ability  to  get  to  the  bottom 
of  our  pockets  has  seldom  been  equalled,  and  never  excelled.  We  had  for 
some  time  felt  the  need  of  more  room  in  order  to  accommodate  those  who 
desired  to  attend  our  services,  and  had  at  various  times  discussed  the  matter 
of  adding  to  the  old  church  or  building  a  new  one,  but  the  old  building  being 
in  such  shape  that  it  could  not  well  be  added  to,  and  the  cost  of  building  a 
new  one  so  great,  the  matter  was  put  off  from  time  to  time,  until  at  a  meeting 
of  the  official  board  held  January  26,  1891.  the  members  of  the  board  pledged 
two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  solicit 
subscriptions. 

"The  members  and  friends  responded  so  readily  and  liberally,  that  the 
trustees,  on  Eebruary  9,  voted  to  at  once  make  preparations  for  building. 
Foster  &  Libbe,  of  Des  Moines,  drew  the  plans  and  bids  were  asked  from 
contractors.  Closing  services  in  the  old  church  were  held  from  April  8  to 
12,  a  number  of  former  pastors  participating  and  'goodbye'  was  said  to 
the  old  church,  Sunday,  April  12.  The  building,  exclusive  of  foundation, 
tower  and  furniture,  was  sold  to  T.  J.  Campbell  for  two  hundred  dollars. 

"On  April  27.  Hart,  Markley  &-  Eddy  were  awarded  the  contract  for 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  20I 

building  the  church  above  the  foundation,  and  Cavinaugh,  of  Atlantic,  given 
the  contract  for  the  foundation.  The  corner  stone  was  laid  by  P.  E.  Frank- 
lin, assisted  by  Rev.  Ilgenfritz,  and  in  it  was  deposited  a  Bible,  hymn  book, 
discipline,  history  of  the  Audubon  church,  names  of  presiding  elder,  names 
of  pastors,  names  of  trustees,  roll  of  membership  of  the  church,  copies  of  the 
Audubon  Republican  and  Advocate  and  North  Western  and  Central  Chris- 
tian Advocates,  etc. 

"While  erecting  the  new  church,  our  services  were  held  in  the  court 
house  and  on  October  25,  the  church,  being  complete  excepting  the  basement, 
was  dedicated  by  P.  E.  Franklin,  assisted  by  Revs.  Ilgenfritz,  J.  B.  Harris, 
A.  W.  Armstrong,  E.  Dickinson,  pastor  of  Presbyterian  church,  and  R.  A. 
Smith,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church.  The  cost  of  the  church  was  $8,042. 
$1,752  was  needed  to  free  the  church  of  debt.  A  subscription  was  taken 
and  $1,949  was  pledged.  In  1893,  the  basement  was  finished  and  in  Septem- 
ber of  that  year  the  annual  session  of  the  Des  Moines  conference  was  held 
in  Audubon  and,  although  our  resources  for  entertainment  were  taxed  to  the 
utmost,  by  the  help  of  outside  friends  and  the  members  of  the  other  churches, 
we  were  enabled  to  win  the  praise  of  the  ministers  for  our  hospitality,  and 
in  this  connection,  I  am  sure  we  owe  our  Presbyterian  friends  a  debt  of 
gratitude  for  the  royal  manner  in  which  they  assisted,  opening  their  homes  as 
freely  as  our  own  members. 

"This  conference  assigned  Rev.  A.  T.  Jeffrey  to  Audubon,  who  remained 
with  us  one  year,  and  spiritually,  this  was  one  of  the  best  years  in  our  his- 
tory ;  prayer  meetings  being  very  large  and  the  attendance  at  Epworth  League 
being  so  large  the  rear  room  would  not  accommodate  them,  but  were  held  in 
the  basement. 

"In  September,  1894,  Rev.  W.  M.  Dudley  was  assigned  to  Audubon 
and  did  excellent  work  for  three  years  and  was  sent  back  for  the  fourth 
year,  but  was  soon  promoted  by  the  presiding  elder  to  fill  a  vacancy  at  Atlan- 
tic and  Rev.  W.  H.  Shipman  was  transferred  from  Dexter  to  Audubon. 
Brother  Shipman  remained  two  years.  It  was  during  his  pastorate  that  the 
saloons  were  opened,  under  a  petition  that  the  board  of  supervisors  declared 
sufficient,  but  which  the  courts  declared  insufficient.  I  am  of  the  opinion 
that  the  saloons  would  still  be  here  were  it  not  for  Brother  Shipman's 
courage  in  fighting  them. 

"In  September,  1899,  Rev.  R.  W.  Matheny  was  assigned  to  Audubon 
and  rendered  two  years  of  acceptable  service.  Especially  were  the  evening 
congregations  large,  the  young  people  flocking  to  hear  him.  It  was  during 
his  pastorate  (in  1900)  that  the  present  parsonage  was  bought  at  a  cost  of 
two  thousand  dollars,  one  thousand  two  hundred  being  paid  on  it. 


202  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

"The  salary  from  Brother  Harris  up  to  this  time  was  one  thousand 
dollars  per  year  and  parsonge  rent,  excepting  the  last  year  of  Brother  Ship- 
man  the  salary  was  placed  at  eight  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  but  nine  hun- 
dred and  thirty-seven  dollars  was  paid  to  him. 

"In  September,  1901,  Rev.  P.  J.  Vollmer  was  sent  to  Audubon  and 
remained  two  years.  In  January  and  February,  1902,  the  'Sunday  meetings' 
were  held  and  one  hundred  and  eighty  probationers  received  into  our  church ; 
one  hundred  and  twelve  of  these  were  received  into  full  membership.  Rev. 
Vollmer's  salary  was  placed  at  one  thousand  one  hundred  dollars,  but  only 
one  thousand  twenty-nine  dollars  was  paid  the  first  year  and  one  thousand 
forty-seven  dollars  the  second. 

"In  September,  IQ03,  Rev.  A.  A.  Walburn  was  sent  to  us  and  remained 
two  years.  Under  his  able  preaching  and  wise  administration  the  church 
again  began  the  advance  movement,  but  Brother  Walburn  was  very  seriously 
handicapped  first  by  the  illness,  and  later  by  the  death  of  Sister  Walburn, 
who  was  taken  home  July  5,  1904.  Brother  Walburn's  salary  was  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred  dollars  per  year  and  parsonage  rent. 

"In  September,  1905,  Rev.  A.  R.  Grant  was  assigned  to  Audubon,  and 
under  his  ministration  our  church  continued  to  prosper  and  take  on  new  life 
and  activity  in  all  departments ;  the  prayer  meetings  showed  increased  inter- 
est and  attendance,  perhaps  more  than  any  other  service,  and  the  raising  of  a 
subscription  of  one  thousand  two  hundred  dollars,  with  which  to  liquidate 
the  debt  of  eight  hundred  dollars  on  the  parsonage  and  four  hundred  dollars 
to  provide  a  steel  ceiling  for  the  auditorium  of  our  church  indicate  that  our 
members  and  friends  were  still  very  much  alive.  The  salary  remained  at 
one  thousand  two  hundred  dollars  and  parsonage. 

"At  the  annual  conference  in  September.  1907,  Rev.  P.  V.  D.  Vedder 
was  assigned  to  Audubon  and  did  efficient  and  acceptable  service  until  August, 
1908,  when,  while  taking  his  vacation,  which  he  was  spending  on  his  farm  in 
North  Dakota,  Brother  Vedder  was  stricken  with  paralysis  and  from  that 
time  on  was  unable  to  preach.  At  the  annual  conference  in  September,  at 
the  request  of  our  fourth  quarterly  conference.  Brother  Vedder  was  again 
assigned  to  Audubon  and  his  salary  again  placed  at  one  thousand  two  hun- 
dred dollars  and  parsonage  rent,  which  was  paid  in  full,  notwithstanding  he 
was  never  able  to  preach,  but  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  neigJiboring  pastors 
by  arrangement  with  Brother  Vedder  until  the  first  of  May,  1909,  when  he 
secured  Rev.  D.  B.  S.  Prather,  who  had  just  graduated  from  Northwestern 
School  of  Theology  at  Evanston,  as  assistant  pastor  until  conference  in 
September,  1909. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  203 

"Brother  Prather  had  done  such  acceptable  service  and  had  so  endeared 
himself  to  our  people  that  a  unanimous  request  was  made,  and  a  committee 
consisting  of  E.  Bilharz,  W.  C.  Elliott  and  A.  H.  Roberts,  was  appointed  and 
went  to  Ames  to  plead  for  the  appointment  of  Brother  Prather  as  our  pastor, 
but  the  plea  was  refused  and  Rev.  J.  P.  Morley  assigned  to  Audubon,  who 
served  one  year.  In  September,  1910,  Rev.  J.  H.  Freedline  was  sent  us  and 
is  now  serving  his  fourth  year,  this  being  only  the  second  time  in  the  history 
of  the  charge  where  a  pastor  has  remained  longer  than  three  years  and  our 
church  now  thinks  we  have  one  of  the  best  preachers  in  the  Des  Moines  con- 
ference. 

"For  some  time  we  had  felt  the  need  of  some  improvements  at  the  par- 
sonage and  of  a  choir  room.  So,  in  191 1,  we  boldly  waded  into  the  matter 
and  made  improvements  costing  three  thousand  dollars,  consisting  of  a  choir 
room  eighteen  by  twenty-two,  veneering  the  foundation  and  basement  story 
of  the  church  with  Des  Moines  flint  brick  and  painting  the  outside.  The 
addition  of  the  choir  room  fills  a  long-felt  want,  for  it  not  only  means  a 
comfortable,  commodious  and  pleasant  place  for  the  choir  to  meet,  but  is 
also  used  for  other  small  meetings  as  well  as  making  a  new  and  needed 
entrance  and  vestibule  to  the  church  parlors. 

"While  upon  the  subject  of  choirs,  it  is  but  proper  to  say  that  our  large 
chorus  choir  is  one  of  which  our  church  is  proud,  and  has  been  one  of  the 
strong  elements  in  our  work  since  the  organization  of  our  church,  the  best 
musical  talent  of  the  town  having  been  associated  with  us  in  our  choir. 

"At  the  parsonage  the  one-story  kitchen  was  raised  to  two  stories  and  a 
modern  bath  room  installed  above,  a  porch  built  in  front,  a  hot-air  furnace 
put  in,  the  whole  parsonage  repapered  and  painted  outside  and  in,  and  this 
year  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society  has  refrescoed  and  decorated  the  church  inside, 
and  recarpeted,  with  Wilton  velvet  Brussels  carpet  at  an  expense  of  five  hun- 
dred dollars. 

"Revival  meetings  have  been  held  at  various  times,  and  at  the  meeting 
this  fall  upwards  of  sixty  decided  to  live  Christian  lives  and  forty-three  were 
added  to  the  church.  Our  Sunday  school,  Epworth  League  and  other  socie- 
ties of  the  church  have  all  been  helpful  factors  in  carrying  on  the  Master's 
work,  and  as  we  enter  upon  the  thirty-sixth  year  of  our  work  as  a  church, 
we  do  so  with  a  firm  faith  that  the  Master  will  still  use  us  for  the  advance- 
ment of  his  cause. 

"The  presiding  elders  serving  during  the  existence  of  the  charge  are: 
Rev.  John  Hestwood,  September,  1876  to  1880;  W.  T.  Smith,  September, 
1880  to   1882;  W.  C.  Martin,   September,   1882  to  1885;  C.  W.   Blodgett, 


204  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

September,  1885  to  1890;  D.  C.  Franklin,  September,  1890  to  1896;  W.  W. 
Ramsey,  September,  1896  to  1899;  W.  O.  Allen,  September,  1899  to  Janu- 
ary, 1904;  William  Stevenson,  January,  1904,  to  the  time  of  McDade's 
appointment;  Rev.  E.  W.  McDade,  1909  to  1915. 

"The  Sunday  school  has  during  these  years  in  the  main  continued  to 
prosper,  although,  being  a  branch  of  the  church,  has,  of  course,  felt  the  waves 
of  depression  that  have  come  to  the  church,  yet  it  has  had  no  small  influence 
in  sustaining  and  upholding  the  church  and  moulding  Christian  character. 
In  fact,  twice  in  the  church's  history,  we  believe  the  Sunday  school  was  the 
principal  factor  in  binding  and  holding  our  people  together.  Our  Epworth 
League  was  organized  in  1891  and  has  been  a  strong  factor  in  training  our 
young  people  to  be  Christian  workers  and  loyal  supporters  of  the  church. 
The  first  cabinet  was :  A.  H.  Roberts,  president ;  M.  Johnson,  first  vice- 
president  Ella  Van  Scoy,  second  vice-president;  Ellis  Harper,  third  vice- 
president  ;  Myrtle  Sharp,  fourth  vice-president ;  Myrtle  Wilson,  secretary ; 
Hettie  Van  Scoy,  treasurer.  The  present  cabinet  is :  President,  John  M. 
Renftle;  first  vice-president,  Gladdys  Fancher;  second  vice-president,  Hazel 
Mooreman ;  third  vice-president,  Lucile  Wright ;  fourth  vice-president,  Vina 
Fancher;  secretary,  Margaret  Weston;  assistant  secretary,  Wanda  Wright; 
treasurer,  Etta  Kennells ;  organist,  Eloise  Buck ;  chorister,  W.  W.  Smith. 
The  Junior  League,  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  Women's  Foreign  Missionary  Society 
and  Women's  Home  Missionary  Society  have  each  done  their  share  in  sus- 
taining and  carrying  on  the  work,  although  I  have  not  the  statistics  of  their 
work  at  hand. 

"God  has  been  gracious  in  sparing  the  lives  of  our  members,  and  yet, 
while  the  shadows  have  been  falling  on  homes  all  around  us,  we  could  not 
but  expect  that  some  of  our  members  would  be  called  from  the  church 
militant  to  the  church  triumphant.  Some  have  peacefully  fallen  asleep, 
others  have  died  triumphantly,  and  because  of  these  bright  examples  of 
Christian  living  and  dying;  because  of  the  severing  of  heart  strings,  many 
of  our  members  feel  that  they  have  stronger  ties  to  bind  them  to  the  eternal 
world  than  before.  There  are  many  who,  by  their  lives  of  piety,  Christian 
zeal,  liberality  and  devotion  to  the  cause,  are  worthy  of  special  mention, 
but  time  forbids,  and  although  their  good  deeds  may  not  be  recorded  here, 
there  is  the  assurance  that  in  the  record  written  on  high,  the}^  will  receive 
the  proper  recognition  and  there  will  be  no  errors  there." 

Since  the  above  was  written,  the  church  has  continued  to  prosper.  Rev. 
Freedline  completed  his  four  years  of  very  successful  pastorate  in  Septem- 
ber,  19 14,  and  the  conference  sent  Rev.  Jackson  Giddens  as  pastor,  who  is 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA,  205 

giving  very  acceptable  service.  The  present  membership  of  the  church  is 
three  hundred  and  forty-five,  and  of  the  Sunday  school  over  three  hundred. 
A.  H.  Roberts  is  now  serving  his  thirty-seventh  year  as  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school. 

At  her  death,  in  19 13,  Mrs.  Lois  G.  Stuart  remembered  this  church  in 
her  will  by  a  bequest  of  one  thousand  dollars,  which  is  greatly  appreciated  by 
all  the  members.  The  following  have  served  as  lay  delegates  to  the  lay 
electoral  Conferences:  1879,  Charles  Walker;  1883,  A.  H.  Roberts;  1887,  A. 
H.  Roberts;  1891,  John  Van  Scoy;  1895,  Dr.  C.  W.  DeMott;  1899,  A.  H. 
Roberts;  1903,  A.  H.  Roberts;  1907,  Mrs.  A.  L.  Brooks;  191 1,  A.  C.  Ross; 
191 5,  A.  H.  Roberts. 

In  1900  A.  H.  Roberts  represented  the  Des  Moines  conference  as  a  lay 
delegate  in  the  general  conference  at  Chicago. 

ROSS   M.   E.    CHURCH. 

The  Ross  class  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized  in  1892 
as  a  part  of  what  was  then  Audubon  circuit,  the  other  points  on  the  circuit 
being  Bethel,  Melville  Center  and  Sunny  Side.  The  charter  members  or 
Organizers  were:  J.  J.  Quimby  and  wife,  Charles  Kibler  and  wife,  A.  J. 
Eddy  and  wife,  and  others.  The  church  building,  which  is  twenty-four  by 
thirty-six  in  size,  with  vestibule  and  spire,  was  erected  in  1892  under  the 
ministrations  of  Rev.  A.  V.  Knepper  and  cost  one  thousand  two  hundred 
dollars.    It  was  dedicated  on  June  4,  1892,  by  Rev.  E.  E.  Ilgenfritz. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  those  who  have  served  as  pastors :  Rev.  A. 
V.  Knepper,  Rev.  W.  J.  Richards,  1893;  Rev.  T.  W.  Tippet,  1894;  Rev. 
I.  H.  Elliott,  1895;  Rev.  Samuel  Krell,  1896-7;  Rev.  C.  H.  Miller,  1898; 
Rev.  O.  T.  Nichols,  1899;  Rev.  M.  F.  Loomis,  1900;  Rev.  George  Wey- 
rauch,  1901-2;  Rev.  E.  W.  Bates,  1903;  Rev.  E.  H.  Moore,  1904;  Rev.  B. 
Shinn,  1905;  Rev.  M.  L.  Hill,  1906;  Rev.  E.  B.  Scoggen;  Rev.  C.  S. 
Lyles,  who  is  the  present  pastor.  The  class  is  now  a  part  of  the  Manning 
charge.     The  present  membership  is  fifteen. 

GRAY   M.    E.    CHURCH. 

Fray  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized  in  1885,  ^s  a  part  of 
the  Manning  charge,  with  seven  charter  members,  J.  M.  Greenlee,  Mary  J. 
Greenlee,  Russell  A.  Steere,  Alice  J.  Steere  and  three  others.  The  church 
edifice,  thirty-two  by  forty  feet  in  size,  costing  one  thousand  five  hundred 


206  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

dollars,  was  built  in  1886.  The  dedication  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev. 
H.  J.  Everly. 

Rev.  I.  H.  Elliott  was  pastor  from  1885  to  1887;  Rev.  J.  S.  Throckmor- 
ton, 1887  to  1888;  Rev.  J.  W.  Eckels,  1888-9;  Rev.  I.  M.  O'Flying.  '89  to 
'91;  Rev.  S.  O.  Elliott,  '94  to  July,  '95;  Rev.  W.  B.  Cox,  July,  '95,  to  Sep- 
tember, '95  Rev.  G.  W.  Wood,  '95  to  '98;  Rev.  S.  T.  Weaver,  '98  to  1900; 
Rev.  F.  T.  Stevenson,  1900  to  1901 ;  Rev.  A.  A.  Bennett,  '01  to  '04;  Rev.  J, 
N.  McCurdy,  '04  to  '05 ;  Rev.  A.  L.  Golden,  '05  to  '08 ;  Rev.  R.  E.  Harvey, 
'08  to  '10;  Rev.  J.  A.  Hosier,  '10  to  '11  ;  Rev.  E.  B.  Scoggen,  '11  to  '14.  The 
present  pastor  is  Rev.  C.  S.  Lyles.     The  membership  is  thirty-four. 

VIOLA   CENTER  M.   E.   CHURCH. 

The  Viola  Center  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized  in  1880 
and  was  connected  with  the  Dedham  charge,  with  which  it  has  been  identified 
since.  The  church  building,  which  was  erected  in  1887,  is  a  frame  structure, 
thirty-two  by  sixty  feet  in  size.  The  membership  is  not  large,  on  account  of 
its  proximity  to  other  churches.  The  ministers  who  served  as  pastors  are :  Rev. 
J.  S.  Morrow,   1882;  Rev.  S.  Mihigan,   1883;  Rev.  J.  S.  Hall,   1884;  Rev. 

D.  W.  Henderson,  1884;  Rev.  W.  Stevenson,  1885;  Rev.  Charles  Brown, 
1886;  Rev.  F.  J.  Brown,  1887;  Rev.  R.  R.  C.  Grantham,  1888-9;  Rev.  A. 
Adair,  1890;  Rev.  F.  M.  Carpenter,  1891 ;  Rev.  I.  M.  O'Flying,  1892;  Rev. 
R.  E.  Harvey,  1893-4-5-6  and  7;  Rev.  W.  L.  Cox,  1898-9;  Rev.  J.  W.  Lucas, 
1900;  Rev.  W.  H.  Doyle,  1901-2;  Rev.  A.  J.  Mathews,  1903-4;  Rev.  W.  T. 
Rink,  1905-6;  Rev.  W.  E.  Shugg,  1907-8-9;  Rev.  J.  H.  Frail,  1909-10;  Rev. 

E.  R.  Stroud,  1911-12;  Rev.  C.  S.  Lyles,  1913.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev. 
C.  W.  Peer. 

HAMLIN    M.    E.    CHURCH. 

We  have  not  the  data  as  to  the  first  organization  of  the  Hamlin  church. 
However,  we  find  that  in  the  early  seventies,  it  was  the  center  from  which 
radiated  the  religious  influence  for  the  north  nine  townships  in  the  county, 
but  after  the  building  of  the  town  of  Audubon  that  center  was  transferred, 
and  by  death  and  removal  the  membership  in  Hamlin  became  so  weak  that 
services  for  a  time  were  almost,  if  not  wholly,  abandoned.  -In  1896  the 
class  was  reorganized  with  the  following  members  and  connected  with  the 
Exira  charge:  William  L.  Clark  and  wife,  James  McNutt  and  wife,  Frank 
White  and  wife.  George  H.  Morey  and  wife,  R.  J.  Fullerton  and  wife,  Emily 
Godwin  and  Frank  Godwin. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  20/ 

In  1898,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  O.  T.  Nichols,  the  present  church 
edifice,  a  structure  twenty-eight  by  thirty-six  feet  in  size,  was  erected,  at  a 
cost  of  one  thousand  two  hundred  dollars.  The  building  committee  was 
W.  L.  Clark,  James  McNutt  and  George  Lafoy.  Andrew  Dove  did  the 
carpenter  work  and  Lyman  Kelley  the  mason  work. 

The  following  have  served  as  pastors :  Rev.  L.  H.  Humphrey,  O.  T. 
Nichols,  R.  C.  F.  Chambers,  J.  E.  Nichol,  T.  G.  Aten,  E.  W.  Bates,  W.  E. 
Harvey,  John  Harned,  George  A.  Lawton  and  H.  P.  Grinyer,  the  present 
pastor.  The  present  membership  is  about  forty-five.  A  flourishing  Sunday 
school  is  maintained  under  the  superintendency  of  John  H.  Parnham. 

GREELEY   CENTER    M.    E.    CHURCH. 

The  Greeley  Center  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  located  in  section  22, 
Greeley  township,  was  organized  in  1886,  with  the  following  membership: 
John  H.  Reynolds,  Lucy  Reynolds,  Fred  Reynolds,  Samuel  W.  Reynolds 
and  Katie  V.  Reynolds.  Services  were  held  in  the  Greeley  Center  school 
house  until  in  1898,  when  the  present  church  was  built,  its  size  being  twenty- 
four  by  thirty-six  feet,  and  cost  one  thousand  eighty  dollars.  The  present 
membership  is  twenty-six.  A  Sunday  school  and  Epworth  League  are  main- 
tained a  greater  portion  of  the  time. 

The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Lewis  Tabor,  a  local  preacher ;  then  followed 
Rev.  F.  B.  Dunn.  Rev.  William  Mercer,  Rev.  W.  J.  Richards,  Rev.  L.  D. 
Bartley.  Rev.  M.  T.  Brown.  Rev.  J.  F.  Davis,  Rev.  T.  G.  Clark,  Rev.  G.  E. 
Nichols,  Rev.  W.  T.  Rink,  Rev.  Elliott  Voorhees,  Rev.  R.  B.  Hughes,  Rev. 
T.  G.  Aten,  Rev.  P.  A.  Smith,  Rev.  L.  D.  Gager,  Rev.  F.  C.  Whtiney,  Rev. 
R.  P.  Roberts.  Rev.  Robert  Swick,  Rev.  F.  C.  Taylor  and  the  present  pastor, 
Rev.  H.  T.  Young.  This  church  has  always  been  associated  with,  and  a  part 
of,  the  North  Branch  circuit. 

MELVILLE   CENTER   M.    E.    CHURCH. 

The  Melville  Center  class  of  the  IMethodist  Episcopal  church  was  organ- 
ized in  1892  as  a  part  of  the  Audubon  circuit  and  is  located  in  section  22, 
Melville  township.  Among  the  early  members  were  James  Hunt,  P.  J. 
Keith  and  wife  and  A.  B.  Hunt  and  wife.  The  church  building,  twenty- four 
by  thirty-six  feet  in  size,  with  vestibule,  was  erected  in  1892,  at  a  cost  of  one 
thousand  two  hundred  dollars. 

Rev.  A.  V.  Knepper  was  the  first  pastor  and  was  largely  instrumental  in 
the  building.     He  was  followed  by  Rev.  W.  J.  Richards,  Rev.  T.  W.  Tippett, 


2o8  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Rev.  I.  H.  Elliott,  Rev.  Samuel  Krell,  Rev.  C.  H.  Miller,  Rev.  O.  T.  Nichols, 
Rev.  M.  F.  Loomis,  Rev.  George  Weyrauch,  Rev.  E.  W.  Bates,  Rev.  E.  H, 
Moore,  Rev.  B.  Shinn  and  Rev.  M.  L.  Hill. 

Owing  to  removals  and  other  causes,  the  membership  became  reduced 
to  two  or  three  members,  and  not  being  able  to  support  a  pastor,  no  services 
were  held  for  three  or  four  years,  but  a  Sunday  school  was  maintained  a  por- 
tion of  the  time,  until  the  spring  of  1914,  when,  largely  through  the  influence 
of  Rev.  J.  H.  Freedline,  then  pastor  at  Audubon,  services  were  renewed  and 
since  that  time  has  been  supplied  by  the  pastor  in  Audubon.  During  the  fall 
of  1914  a  revival  was  held  by  Rev.  Jackson  Giddins,  and  accessions  were 
received  until  now  the  membership  is  twenty-two,  with  preaching  every  Sun- 
day afternoon  and  a  flourishing  Sunday  school,  superintended  by  Mrs.  W.  A. 
Hollister, 

BETHEL  M.  E.  CHURCH. 

Bethel  Methodist  Episcopal  church  is  located  in  section  5,  Melville 
township.  It  was  organized  in  1887  by  the  following  members,  a  portion  of 
whom  came  from  Viola  church,  and  others  who  resided  at  too  great  a  dis- 
tance to  attend  any  church :  C.  H.  Sampson  and  wife,  W.  W.  Weston  and 
wife,  Charles  J.  Johnson  and  wife,  Otis  Morey  and  wife,  L.  M.  Carper  and 
wife,  D.  D.  Sampson  and  wife,  H.  Byrd  and  wife,  William  Wilde  and  wife, 
Mrs.  Olive  Beason,  Ella  Beason  and  Lewis  Beason. 

A  Sunday  school  was  first  organized,  with  C.  H.  Sampson  as  superin- 
tendent ;  afterward  a  class  was  organized  and  attached  to  the  Audubon  cir- 
suit.  Arrangements  were  made  with  Rev.  F.  M.  Carpenter  to  supply  the 
church  until  the  annual  conference  convened  in  Septeml^er,  when  Rev.  Will- 
iam Mercer  came  as  pastor,  under  whose  pastorate,  in  1888,  a  neat  church 
building,  twenty-eight  by  thirty-six  feet  in  size,  was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  one 
thousand  five  liundred  dollars.  The  class  continued  as  a  part  of  the  Audu- 
bon circuit  until  1907,  with  the  following  pastors  serving:  Rev.  F.  B.  Dunn, 
Rev.  A.  V.  Knepper,  Rev.  W.  J.  Richards,  Rev.  T.  W.  Tippett,  Rev.  I.  H. 
Elliott,  Rev.  Samuel  Krell,  Rev.  C.  H.  Miller,  Rev.  M.  F.  Loomis,  Rev.  G. 
W.  Weyrauch,  Rev.  E.  W.  Bates,  Rev.  E.  H.  Moore,  Rev.  B.  Shinn,  Rev. 
M.  L.  Hill. 

In  1907  the  class  was  detached  from  the  Audubon  circuit  and  annexed 
to  the  Dedham  circuit,  the  following  pastors  serving:  Rev.  W.  E.  Shugg, 
two  years;  Rev.  J.  H.  Prall,  two  years;  Rev.  E.  R.  Stroud,  two  years;  Rev. 
C.  S.  Lyles,  one  year,  and  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  C.  W.  Peer.  The  present 
membership  is  about  forty.    The  Sunday  school  has  continued  to  do  excellent 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  209 

work  all  these  years,  at  times  the  membership  running  up  to  one  hundred. 
Since  C.  H.  Sampson's  removal,  D.  D.  Sampson  has  been  superintendent. 

SUNNYSIDE    CLASS   OF  THE   M.   E.    CHURCH. 

About  1 89 1  a  class  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized  at 
Sunny  Side  school  house,  Greeley  township.  Some  of  the  leading  persons 
in  its  organization  were  David  Sheets,  Col.  E.  G.  White  and  wife,  R.  H.  Gar- 
nett  and  wife,  W.  C.  Rice  and  wife  and  Mrs.  F.  M.  Rice.  The  first  pastor  was 
Rev.  L.  Tabor,  a  local  preacher,  who  supplied  for  a  time.  Afterward  the  . 
class  was  attached  to  the  Audubon  circuit  and  the  following  served  as  pas- 
tors :  Rev.  A.  V.  Knepper,  Rev.  W.  J.  Richards,  Rev.  T.  W.  Tippett,  Rev. 
I.  H.  Elliott,  Rev.  Samuel  Krell.  By  removals  and  death,  this  class  became 
so  weakened  that  services  were  abandoned  in  1897,  those  remaining  taking 
their  membership  elsewhere. 

FIRST    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH    OF   AUDUBON. 

On  July  7,  1899,  at  the  time  of  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  the 
new  church,  Rev.  E.  B.  Cousins  gave  the  following  historical  sketch  of  this 
church  up  to  that  time,  which  is  the  best  obtainable : 

"An  encouraging  prospect  appearing  for  the  organization  and  establish- 
ment of  a  Presbyterian  church  in  the  new  town  of  Audubun,  which  had  just 
become  the  terminus  of  the  railroad,  located  centrally  in  Audubon  county, 
with  assuring  promises  of  soon  becoming  the  county  seat;  and  with  an 
urgent  demand  for  such  a  church  being  manifest,  on  the  part  of  a  large 
number  of  the  business  men  and  citizens  of  the  surrounding  country  the 
presbytery  of  Council  Bluffs,  at  an  adjourned  meeting,  held  in  Council 
Bluffs,  November  12,  1878,  appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  Rev.  John 
Herron  and  Elder  J.  G.  Cotton,  both  of  Atlantic,  to  look  over  the  field,  and, 
if  the  way  be  clear,  effect  an  organization  at  their  earliest  convenience. 

"That  committee  at  once  proceeded  to  a  more  thorough  canvass  of  the 
field  during  the  following  winter  and  early  spring,  while  the  young  town  was 
growing  rapidly,  and,  after  a  number  of  services,  held  in  the  school  house 
in  town  by  Rev.  John  Herron  and  Rev.  Ed.  B.  Cousins,  of  Clarence,  Iowa, 
the  prospect  brightened,  the  demand  on  the  part  of  the  people  became  more 
urgent  and  the  way  appeared  clear  to  effect  the  formal  organization. 

"A  public  meeting  of  the  congregation  was  held  in  the  school  house  on 

(14) 


2IO  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Monday,  April  14,  1879,  at  three  P.  M.,  and  after  a  sermon  by  Rev.  John 
Herron,  the  committee  proceeded  at  once  to  the  organization. 

"It  was  found  that  only  seven  were  then  fully  prepared  to  become  mem- 
bers of  the  organization,  five  by  letter  and  two  by  examination  and  confes- 
sion of  faith.  Three  others  reported  having  sent  for  their  church  letters,  but 
had  not  yet  received  them  and  only  one  of  that  number  ever  received  his 
letter  and  formally  united  with  the  church.  So  this  church  was  organized 
really  with  only  seven  members.  The  roll  of  original  membership  is  as  fol- 
lows:  By  letter,  E.  C.  Brown,  Alex.  A.  Campbell  and  wife,  Mrs.  Maggie 
Ross,  Evan  Davis;  by  examination  and  confession,  Robert  Henderson  and 
Mrs.  Janet  Grifiin,  and  George  W.  Newcomer  by  letter,  April  28,  fourteen 
days  after  organization.  The  membership  thus  constituted  chose  the  name 
by  which  the  new  church  should  be  known  and  enrolled  upon  the  records  of 
presbytery  as  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Audubon.  This  was  also  the 
first  and  only  Presbyterian  church  in  Audubon  county. 

"E.  C.  Brown  and  A.  A.  Campbell  were  elected  and  ordained  the  first 
ruling  elders.  Capt.  Charles  Stuart,  A.  A.  Campbell,  E.  C.  Brown,  Wilson 
Burnside,  Evan  Davis,  Robert  Henderson,  John  L.  Dynes  and  George  W. 
Newcomer  were  elected  as  a  building  committee,  the  latter  five  of  whom 
were  also  elected  as  the  first  trustees.  The  newly  organized  church  at  once 
made  a  pastoral  call  and  extended  the  same  to  Rev.  Ed.  B.  Cousins,  of  Clar- 
ence, Iowa,  to  become  its  first  pastor. 

"The  formal  organization,  thus  completed,  was  reported  by  the  com- 
mittee to  the  presbytery  in  session  at  Walnut,  Iowa,  April  18,  1879.  The 
report  was  approved  and  the  church  enrolled  by  presbytery. 

"The  pastoral  call  previously  made  by  the  church  was  presented  to 
presbytery  by  Elder  E.  C.  Brown.  That  body,  according  to  form,  placed  said 
call  in  the  hands  of  the  pastor-elect,  who  accepted  it  formally,  but,  on  due 
deliberation,  it  was  thought  best,  both  by  himself  and  the  presbytery,  to  delay 
the  consummation  of  the  pastoral  union  until  reasonable  time  and  oppor- 
tunity were  granted  for  pastor  and  people  to  become  better  acquainted.  On 
motion,  the  call  was  returned  to  the  church,  with  the  suggestion  that,  Tn 
view  of  the  youthfulness  of  the  church,  the  formation  of  a  pastoral  relation 
be  deferred  until  the  next  stated  meeting  of  the  presbytery.' 

"The  church  then  engaged  the  services  of  the  pastor-elect  for  one  year 
as  stated  supply.  Services  were  held  in  the  school  house  each  alternate 
Sabbath  until  the  new  church  could  be  erected  and  completed,  which  occurred 
about  one  year  later.  The  building  committee  diligently  prosecuted  their 
work.    The  required  funds  were  readily  raised,  the  people  generallv  respond- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  211 

ing  liberally  according  to  their  means.  Plans  and  specifications  were  pro- 
cured and  adopted.  The  contract  was  let  so  that,  early  in  June,  1879,  the 
building  (thirty-eight  by  sixty  feet)  was  raised  and  rapidly  approaching 
completion  when  a  severe  wind  storm  leveled  the  entire  structure  to  the 
ground.  After  a  serious  delay,  however,  the  work  was  taken  up  again  with 
renewed  vigor  and  zeal  and,  with  a  force  of  twenty  or  more  men,  from  the 
ruins  of  the  old,  a  new  structure  was  soon  erected  upon  the  original  founda- 
tion. The  work  was  carried  along  to  completion  at  an  extra  cost  of  about 
four  hundred  dollars,  and  on  Sabbath,  January  18,  1880,  the  first  service 
was  held  in  the  church.  The  text  of  the  discourse  was  Psalms  122:1,  "1  was 
glad  when  they  said  unto  me,  let  us  go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord,"  and  the 
appreciation  of  the  truth  of  that  text  was  greatly  attested  by  an  immense 
audience,  both  morning  and  evening,  with  congregations  who  appeared  glad 
to  be  permitted  to  again  attend  divine  service  in  a  church  building.  After 
holding  service  the  next  Sabbath,  the  building  was  closed  for  inside  painting 
and  finish,  until  Sabbath,  March  28,  when  it  was  again  occupied,  and  after  a 
sermon  by  the  pastor-elect,  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper  was  observed, 
with  a  number  of  accessions  to  the  church  membership.  Regular  services 
were  held  until  the  day  of  formal  dedication,  May  9,  when  Rev.  Thomas  H. 
McClelland,  D.  D.,  of  Council  Bluffs,  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon.  The 
dedicatory  prayer  and  address  were  made  by  Rev.  Ed.  B.  Cousins,  pastor- 
elect,  and  the  house  was  formally  dedicated  to  the  service  and  worship  of 
Almighty  God,  free  from  debt.  The  entire  cost  was  something  over  four 
thousand  dollars,  of  which  the  presbytery  board  of  church  erection  gave 
seven  hundred  dollars.  The  two  valuable  lots,  each  fifty  by  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  in  size,  were  donated  by  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad  Com- 
pany. The  magnificent  gift  to  this  church  of  the  premium  four-hundred- 
dollar  Mancely  &  Kimberly  Troy  bell  is  due  to  the  good  offices  of  Capt. 
Charles  Stuart,  since  deceased,  who  not  only  secured  the  donation  of  one 
hundred  dollars  each  from  three  of  the  prominent  officers  of  the  railroad 
company  with  free  freight  from  Chicago,  but  generously  footed  the  balance 
of  the  bill  himself. 

"After  nearly  one  year's  services  as  stated  supply,  a  new  call  for  the 
pastoral  services  of  Rev.  Edward  B.  Cousins  was  issued  and  forwarded  to 
the  presbytery  in  session  at  Emerson,  April  16,  1880.  The  same  was  accepted 
by  him.  Rev.  John  Herron  preached  the  installation  sermon.  Rev.  S.  L. 
McAffee  charged  the  pastor.  Rev.  Thomas  McClelland  charged  the  people  at 
installation  day.  May  9,  1880.  On  April  4,  1880,  the  Sabbath  school  was 
organized,  with  a  membership  of  fifty,  which,  within  one  year,  about  doubled 


212  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

itself  in  numbers  and  during  two  following  years  grew  to  and  sustained  an 
average  membership  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five.  A  choice  library  of 
two  hundred  and  sixty-four  volumes  was  put  in,  at  a  cost  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars. 

"From  its  organization  until  the  present  time  (July  7,  1899),  a  little 
over  twenty  years,  only  six  different  ministers  have  been  engaged  to  serve 
this  church  for  regular  stated  term.  Of  these,  three  have  been  regularly 
installed  as  pastors,  and  the  other  three  served  as  stated  supplies.  The  first 
pastorate  closed  on  May  13,  1883,  after  a  little  more  than  four  years' 
service,  by  Rev.  E.  B.  Cousins.  After  trying  the  weekly  supply  system,  on 
October  25,  1883,  Rev.  D.  A.  Blose  was  installed  as  pastor,  and  served  until 
the  spring  of  1885.  In  May,  1885,  R^v.  J.  H.  Bartlett  came  as  stated  supply 
for  one  year  and  in  January,  1886,  left  the  field  and  presbytery.  The  church 
then  remained  vacant  until  September,  1886,  when  Rev.  Edward  Dickinson 
came  and  engaged  as  stated  supply.  He  continued  in  that  capacity  for  nearly 
ten  years,  an  able,  efficient  preacher  and  successful  laborer  in  the  Master's 
vineyard,  until  the  close  of  August,  1896.  He  v/as  followed  by  Rev.  Joseph 
Austin  Cahill,  who,  in  September,  1896,  engaged  as  stated  supply  for  one 
year  and  again  the  church  was  vacant.  In  1897  Rev.  John  F.  Hinkhouse 
began  serving  the  church  as  stated  supply,  the  engagement  being  for  twelve 
or  fifteen  months,  with  a  view  to  settlement  as  pastor,  if  the  way  appear  clear. 
He  came  from  Lenox,  where  his  labors  had  been  abundantly  blessed,  and  his 
cordial  greeting  in  this  new  field  gave  encouraging  promise  of  successful 
work  and  blessed  results  in  the  Master's  cause  among  us.  That  promise  has 
been  verified  even  in  a  much  larger  measure  than  could  be  hoped  for,  even 
by  the  most  sanguine.  During  the  winter  of  1897-8  he  secured  the  assistance 
of  Evangelist  Foot  in  conducting  a  series  of  meetings  of  two  weeks,  with 
blessed  results,  some  of  the  precious  fruits  of  which  were  the  gathering  into 
church  of  many  by  letter  and  by  confession  of  faith  in  Christ.  His  ministra- 
tions, thus  proving  so  satisfactory  to  the  church  and  congregation,  also 
accomplished  another  most  important  result  of  effectually  bringing  to  a  pre- 
mature end  the  un-presbyterian  stated  supply  system  so  long  in  vogue  in  this 
church. 

"On  April  3,  1898,  a  formal  ballot  was  taken  with  a  view  to  calling 
Rev.  Hinkhouse  to  a  pastorate  of  the  church,  resulting  in  one  hundred  yeas  to 
one  nay.  The  call,  after  the  usual  form  by  the  presbytery,  was  accepted  by 
Rev.  Hinkhouse.  The  formal  installation  ceremony  occurred  on  May  13, 
1898.  Under  the  new  pastorate  the  work  has  gone  forward  very  encourag- 
ingly  for  more  than  a  year,   showing  in  good  results  a  steady,   healthful 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  213 

growth  and  a  continued  increasing  interest  on  the  part  of  the  membership 
and  congregation.'' 

The  old  building  proving  to  be  inadec^uate  for  the  needs  of  the  con- 
gregation, a  congregational  meeting  was  held  on  February  15,  1899,  to  con- 
sider the  question  of  building  a  new  one.  It  was  unanimously  voted  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  erection  of  a  new  edifice.  A  building  committee  was  appointed, 
consisting  of  Rev.  J.  F.  Hinkhouse,  Thomas  Oliver,  W.  Burnside,  R.  L. 
Harris,  H.  A.  Arnold,  W.  H.  Cowles,  J.  M.  McKarahan  and  Samuel  Switzer. 
The  committee  at  once  proceeded  to  the  work  of  soliciting  funds  and  select- 
ing plans  for  a  beautiful  and  commodious  (seventy  by  eighty  feet  in  size) 
building,  which  was  built  of  frame,  veneered  with  pressed  brick,  at  a  cost  o'f 
twelve  thousand  dollars.  This  is  the  largest  and  best  appointed  church 
building  in  the  county.  It  was  dedicated  on  the  loth  of  December,  1899, 
free  from  debt,  through  the  generosity  of  Mrs.  Lois  G.  Stuart,  who  gave  one 
dollar  for  each  dollar  subscribed,  and  then  made  up  a  deficiency  at  the  end; 
recently  this  church  has  also  received  five  thousand  dollars,  bequeathed  to  it 
by  Mrs.  Stuart  in  her  will. 

During  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Hinkhouse  the  "Sunday  Meetings"  were 
held,  from  which  this  church  received  a  wonderful  inspiration,  gathering  in 
about  two  hundred  new  members,  some  of  whom  have  proven  strong  factors 
and  burden  bearers  in  the  church  work. 

Rev.  Hinkhouse  remained  as  pastor  till  January  17,  1904,  when  he 
removed  to  Sioux  City.  The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  Samuel  Conybeare,  who 
began  his  work  on  the  first  Sunday  in  May,  1904,  and  continued  the  work  in 
a  very  acceptable  manner  until  February  24,  1907,  when  he  severed  his  con- 
nection to  accept  a  call  to  Cedar  Rapids.  The  services  of  Rev.  D.  C.  Mcin- 
tosh were  then  secured,  he  beginning  his  labors  on  March  31,  1907,  and  con- 
tinuing until  January  24,  1909.  The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  A.  B.  Miller,  who 
came  on  April  11,  1909,  and  continued  until  September  8,  1913,  when  he 
accepted  a  call  to  Tarkio,  Missouri.  The  next  to  accept  the  pastorate  was 
Rev.  Thomas  B.  Greenlee,  who  begun  his  work  on  January  25,  1914,  and 
who  is  still  pastor,  doing  acceptable  service  and  under  whose  ministry  the 
church  still  prospers. 

A  strong  and  active  Ladies'  Aid  Society  and  Woman's  Missionary 
Society  have  done  and  are  still  doing  excellent  service  in  carrying  on  the 
work  of  the  church.  A  Christian  Endeavor  Society  has  also  been  no  small 
factor  in  helping  the  young  people  in  the  Christian  way,  and  the  Sunday 
school,  a  greater  portion  of  the  time  under  the  superintendency  of  Rev.  E.  B. 
Cousins,  has  been  a  power  for  the  building  up  of  Christian  characters  among 
the  children  and  young  people. 


214  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

In  1 89 1  this  congregation  purchased  a  two-story,  eight-room  house, 
across  the  street,  for  a  parsonage,  which  was  remodeled,  a  hot-air  furnace 
put  in,  and  other  improvements  made,  at  a  total  cost  of  about  three  thousand 
dollars.  This  church  also  organized  what  was  known  as  the  "Old  Hamlin" 
Presbyterian  church,  a  branch  of  this  church,  the  membership  there  being 
members  of  this  church.  The  present  membership  of  the  church  is  two  hun- 
dred and  ten. 

OLD    HAMLIN    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

• 

As  a  branch  of  the  Audubon  Presbyterian  church,  an  organization  was 
effected  at  Old  Hamlin  in  1893,  J-  T.  Bell,  D.  L.  Thomas  and  W.  D.  Stanley 
being  largely  instrumental  in  the  movement,  as,  on  account  of  the  distance 
to  Audubon,  they  were  not  able  to  attend  worship  regularly.  In  the  same 
year  a  neat  church,  twenty-eight  by  thirty-six  feet  in  size,  was  built,  at  a  cost 
of  about  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  Services  were  held  and  also  a 
Sunday  school  conducted  for  a  number  of  years,  the  following  doing  pastoral 
work:  Rev.  E.  Dickinson,  Rev.  J.  A.  Cahill,  Rev.  J.  F.  Hinkhouse,  Rev.  J. 
T.  Ragan,  Rev.  W.  Graham,  Rev.  Hamilton,  Rev.  Samuel  Boyce,  Rev.  Paul 
Nailor,  Rev.  Montgomery,  Rev.  Coneybeare,  Rev.  Archie  Mitchell.  Since 
1909  there  has  been  no  pastor  and  no  services.  The  building  has  recently 
been  sold  and  removed. 

UNITED    BRETHREN. 

There  are  two  United  Brethren  churches  in  the  county.  One  is  located 
at  Gray  and  the  other  at  the  northeast  corner  of  section  23,  Cameron  town- 
ship, both  comprising  one  circuit,  with  one  pastor. 

GRAY  U.   B.   CHURCH. 

The  society  at  Gray  was  organized  in  1889,  with  twenty-one  charter 
members.  The  church  edifice,  erected  in  1890,  is  twenty-eight  by  thirty-six 
feet  in  size,  and  cost  approximately  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  The 
present  membership  is  fifty-one.  The  following  have  served  as  pastors  of 
this  church :  Revs.  N.  F.  Hicks,  A.  J.  Patterson,  J.  H.  Young,  H.  M.  Potter, 
Rev.  Wickwire,  L.  Nichols,  J.  M.  Harper,  J.  L.  Hayden,  G.  N.  Porter,  G.  E. 
Bertch,  H.  G.  Hicks,  L.  A.  Fleming,  H.  A.  Hayes,  C.  J.  Stark,  G.  N.  Arnold, 
A.  H.  McVey,  F.  M.  Boyd  and  J.  A.  Mitchell,  who  is  the  present  pastor. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  215 


EDEN    VALLEY    U.    B.    CHURCH. 


The  Eden  Valley  United  Brtehren  church  is  located  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  section  23,  Cameron  township,  and  was  named  by  T.  J.  Sheley. 
The  class  was  organized  about  1883.  and  among  the  early  members  were 
Joshua  Rodgers  and  wife,  Myrtle  Rodgers,  James  Kilpatrick  and  wife,  W. 
R.  Neitzel  and  wife,  William  Ballou  and  wife  and  William  Pangborn  and 
wife.  Not  one  of  these  charter  members  is  now  living.  Services  were  held 
in  Sands'  school  house  until  the  erection  of  the  present  church  building,  in 
1 90 1,  during  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  G.  E.  Bertch.  The  size  of  the  build- 
ing is  tw^enty-eight  by  thirty-six  feet,  with  vestibule  and  spire,  and  the 
cost  was  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  Sunday  school  is  held  each 
Sunday,  followed  by  preaching.  The  present  membership  is  about  forty,  and 
the  pastor  in  charge  is  Rev.  J.  A.  Mitchell.  The  list  of  pastors  who  have 
served  the  charge  is  the  same  as  the  Gray  list,  is  being  a  part  of  the  Gray 
circuit.  This  church  is  well  located  and  occupies  a  splendid  field  for  active 
Christian  work. 

AUDUBON    MISSION    EVANGELICAL   ASSOCIATION. 

In  1880  Rev.  J.  H.  Yaggy  came  to  Audubun  county  and  purchased  a 
tract  of  land  in  Douglas  township.  Through  Rev.  Yaggy's  influence,  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company  donated  forty  acres  of 
land  adjoining  his,  to  the  Evangelical  Association  for  church  purposes.  A 
number  of  families,  members  of  the  Evangelical  Association,  having  settled 
near,  the  Audubon  mission  was  formed.  Pleasant  Hill  class  being  one  point 
and  Rev.  Yaggy  preaching  the  first  sermon.  Fairview  class,  two  miles  south- 
west of  Audubon,  was  organized  on  July  2,  1882,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
year  the  pastor  reported  a  membership  of  thirty-seven,  and  fifty  members  of 
the  mission. 

During  that  year  services  were  also  held  at  Melville  Center  and  at 
Morlands  school  house,  one  mile  south  of  Viola  Center,  also  at  Winter's 
school  house.  In  1883  Rev.  J.  W.  Hamilton  came  as  pastor.  During  that 
year  Fairview  class  was  moved  two  miles  west,  and  the  class  thereafter 
known  as  the  Pleasant  Hill  class;  a  new  class  was  organized  at  Hamlin. 

Rev.  G.  F.  Heilman  was  assigned  as  pastor  in  1884  and  returned  in 
1885.  During  this  year  a  new  appointment  was  taken  up,  being  the  Aikman 
school  house  in  Lincoln  township.  Rev.  J.  H.  Yaggy,  who  was  then  presid- 
ing elder,  moved  to  Audubon.     The  net  gain  in  membership  that  year  was 


2l6  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 

thirty-five.  In  1886  Rev.  C.  Knoll  was  appointed  as  pastor.  During  that 
year  the  congregation  at  Viola  became  too  large  to  be  accommodated  in  the 
school  house  and  plans  were  laid  and  money  subscribed  for  a  new  church. 
In  1887  R^"^'-  L.  N.  Day  was  assigned  as  pastor  and  served  two  years.  The 
Mt.  Zion  church,  in  Viola  township,  was  built,  and  dedicated  on  June  28, 
1887,  Rev.  J.  H.  Yerger  officiating,  assisted  by  Revs.  Yaggy,  Knowl,  Urbino 
and  Day.  Services  having  been  held  irregularly  at  Aikman's  school  house  in 
Lincoln  township,  it  was  now  taken  up  as  a  regular  appointment  and  in 
1888'  a  class  of  nine  members  formed.  In  1888  about  fourteen  of  the  mem- 
bership of  the  Mission  moved  away,  a  total  loss  of  one-third  of  the  member- 
ship, making,  above  the  gains,  a  net  loss  of  nine.  In  1889,  Rev.  J.  H.  Yaggy 
was  assigned  as  pastor  and  served  two  years.  A  new  appointment,  Highland 
Grove,  seven  miles  south  of  Audubon,  was  taken  up  and  a  class  of  forty- 
five  organized;  also  Lone  Willow  and  Diggs  were  supplied. 

In  1 89 1  Rev.  Arthur  Lyttle  came  as  pastor  and  two  new  appointments 
were  taken  up,  Hamlin  Center  and  Greeley  No.  4.  Excellent  revivals  were 
held  this  year,  fifty  conversions  reported  and  a  net  gain  in  membership  of 
twenty-three.  In  1892  Rev.  G.  F.  Heilman  was  pastor  and  Rev.  A.  W. 
Lyttle  assistant.  Pleasant  Hill.  Highland  Grove.  Terry  and  Easts  were 
detached  and  formed  a  new  mission,  called  Hamlin  mission,  both  being 
served  by  the  pastor  and  assistant.  Revs.  Heilman  and  Lyttle  were  again 
assigned  to  the  work  in  1893  and  had  a  large  increase  of  membership  at  ^It. 
Zion  and  Aikmans.  New  appointments.  Prairie  and  Swaney  school  house, 
were  taken  up.  In  1894  Rev.  Heilman  was  again  assigned  as  pastor.  Mt. 
Zion  was  detached  and  Pleasant  Hill  added  and  the  town  of  Audubon  taken 
up  as  a  new  appointment. 

BETHANY  CHURCH  EVANGELICAL  ASSOCIATION,  AUDUBON. 

The  Audubon  mission  of  the  Evangelical  Association,  having  long  had 
an  organization  doing  Christian  work  around  Audubon,  but  having  no 
organization  in  the  town,  in  1894  it  was  thought  expedient  to  organize  a 
class  in  town,  which  was  done  with  the  following  charter  members :  Joseph 
Kopp,  Louisa  Kopp,  Mrs.  G.  W.  Hoover  and  J.  W.  Richards.  A  building 
committee,  consisting  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Yaggy,  Rev.  W.^  R.  Astleford.  J.  Kopp, 
John  Ott,  Charles  Evans  and  Rev.  G.  F.  Heilman,  was  appointed  and  the 
work  of  building  a  church  at  once  began.  On  September  3.  of  that  year,  a 
comfortable  church,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  two  hundred  and  costing  two 
thousand  dollars,  was  dedicated,  free  from  debt. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  21 7 

In  1895  the  charge  was  served  by  Rev.  L.  N.  Day,,  alternate  Sundays; 
when  away  attending  district  work,  R.  H.  Lint,  G.  M.  Thorp,  W.  R.  Astle- 
ford  and  W.  C.  Lang  snppHed.  Rev.  Day  was  returned  for  the  years  1896 
and  1897,  with  Rev.  M.  J.  Conner  as  assistant.  During  this  year  a  comfort- 
able parsonage  was  erected,  adjoining  the  church,  and  made  ready  for  occu- 
pancy by  Rev.  G.  L.  Wilson,  who  served  as  pastor  for  the  station  in  1898. 
In  1899  Rev.  L.  J.  U.  Smay  served  as  pastor,  when  Mt.  Zion  was  again 
attached  to  the  charge.  In  1900  Rev.  M.  J.  Conner  came  as  pastor  and  good 
revivals  were  held  at  Audubon,  Fairview  and  Pleasant  Hill. 

In  1 90 1  Rev.  Conner,  having  been  returned,  a  good-sized  front  was 
built  to  the  parsonage,  the  old  one  forming  a  dining  room  and  kitchen.     In 

1902,  also  in  1903,  Rev.  Conner  w^as  returned.  In  the  latter  year  Fairview, 
in  Douglas  township,  was  discontinued  and  Champion  Hill  added.  Rev. 
C.  D.  Wendel  came  as  pastor  in  1905  and  served  until  1907.  In  1908  Rev. 
C.  H.  Schlesselman  was  assigned  and  served  during  1909  and  1910.  Rev. 
J.  C.  Schwab  was  pastor  in  1911-1912  and  1913.  In  1914  Rev.  Clinton  F. 
Smith  was  assigned  and  is  the  present  pastor.  He  also  serves  the  church  at 
Ross,  the  two  constituting  the  Audubon  circuit. 

The  present  membership  is  sixty-five  and  the  church  is  stronger  today 
than  ever  before,  both  in  ability  as  workers  and  financially.  A  good  Sunday 
school  and  a  strong  Young  People's  Society  are  supported.  Mrs.  Lois  G. 
Stuart  remembered  this  church  in  her  will  to  the  amount  of  one  thousand 
dollars. 

FRIEDMANS    EVANGELICAL    CHURCH    OF    ROSS. 

Friedmans  Evangelical  church,  at  Ross,  was  organized  in  March,  1900, 
with  the  following  charter  members :  Rev.  A.  Raecker,  Chris  Bauer,  Will- 
iam Weiderstein,  John  Nakies,  John  Koenig.  Charles  Heuss,  William  Deist, 
William  Lhrenkransz,  Christ  Mack  and  Egbert  Drussel.  They  erected  a 
church  edifice  the  same  year,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  one  hundred  and  fifty, 
at  a  cost  of  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  The  present  membership  is 
fifty. 

Those  who  have  served  as  pastors  are:     1899- 1900,  A.  Roecker;  1901- 

1903,  H.  J.  Faust;  1904-1906,  M.  J.  Knolls;  1907-1908,  E.  C.  Granner; 
1909-1910,  R.  J.  Simon;  1911-1914,  O.  Mehnert.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev. 
Clinton  F.  Smith.  The  services  are  held  in  the  German  language,  excepting 
that  every  two  weeks,  at  night,  the  Rev.  C.  L.  Fuller,  from  Mt.  Zion,  preaches 
in  English  language. 


2l8  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

MT.  ZION  EVANGELICAL  CHURCH. 

Mt.  Zion  Evangelical  church,  located  in  section  27,  Viola  township, 
was  organized  in  school  house  No.  8,  in  the  year  1883.  The  leading  mem- 
bers in  organizing  were  William  Morland,  Nels  Olsen,  James  Yeager,  Jesse 
Snively  and  Harve  Gipple.  The  church  building,  a  frame  structure,  thirty- 
two  by  forty-four  feet  in  size,  was  erected,  with  a  vestibule  eight  by  fourteen 
and  spire  twenty-three  feet  high,  in  1887,  at  a  cost  of  two  thousand  dollars. 

The  pastors  who  have  served  this  church  are  the  Revs.  Knoll,  Day, 
Heiliman,  Astleford,  Throp,  Plummer,  Buttman,  Lehman,  J.  H.  Yaggy, 
Fickinger,  O.  M.  Yaggy,  C.  D.  Wendel,  H.  Alber,  M.  O.  Mehnert  and  the 
present  pastor.  Rev.  C.  L.  Fuller.  The  present  membership  is  forty-one. 
The  church  has  a  good  parsonage  property  adjoining  the  church. 

FAIRVIEW    CLASS,    EVANGELICAL    CHURCH. 

Fairview  class  of  the  Evangelical  church  is  located  in  the  school  house 
in  district  No.  4,  Greeley  township.  Having  no  church  building,  they  wor- 
ship in  the  school  house.  The  class  was  organized  in  1891,  with  a  mem- 
bership of  ten,  and  the  present  membership  is  fourteen.  A  large  portion  of 
the  time  this  class  has  been  idntified  with  the  Evangelical  church  in  Audubon, 
but  a  portion  of  the  time  it  has  been  connected  with  Mt.  Zion,  as  at  present. 

Rev.  J.  H.  Yagg}'-  was  instrumental  in  organizing  the  class  and  was 
its  first  pastor;  then  followed  Rev.  Astleford,  Rev.  M.  J.  Connor,  Rev.  J, 
Wirth,  Rev.  George  Heileman,  Rev.  O.  M.  Yaggy,  Rev.  C.  D.  Wendel,  Rev. 
C.  H.  Schlesselman,  Rev.  J.  C.  Schwab  and  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  C.  L. 
Fuller. 

HAMLIN   EVANGELICAL  CHURCH. 

A  class  of  the  Evangelical  church  was  organized  at  Hamlin  Station 
about  1 89 1  and  a  church  building  erected.  Some  of  the  charter  members 
were  Robert  Campbell  and  wife,  D.  Brandstatter  and  wife,  H.  Young  and 
wife  and  J.  Skinner  and  wife.  This  church  never  had  a  large  membership, 
and  their  ranks  were  so  depleted  by  removals  that  it  was  found  difficult  to 
keep  up  the  organization ;  consequently,  it  was  decided  to  sell  the  building 
and  disband  the  organization,  which  was  accordingly  done.  The  building 
was  sold  to  the  Danish  Lutherans  in  1906,  who  have  since  occupied  it  and 
have  a  flourishing  membership. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  219 

CHRISTIAN  CHURCH,   EXIRA. 

About  1 86 1  Elder  C.  P.  Evans  preached  several  times  in  the  school 
house  at  Audubon  City,  near  Hamlin  Grove,  in  Exira  township.  His  efforts 
were  rewarded  by  the  conversion  of  Hanna  M.  Hamlin,  Malinda  C.  Hamlin, 
John  Wilcox  and  Joseph  Wilcox,  who  were  then  baptized  in  Troublesome 
creek.  Elder  Evans  is  still  preaching  at  Arapahoe,  Nebraska,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven  years.  Benjamin  F.  Thomas  settled  at  Hamlin  Grove,  Febru- 
ary 20,  1864,  and  preached  occasionally  in  Exira  and  vicinity  until  1868, 
when  he  went  to  Missouri.  James  Wilson  settled  near  Exira  in  1865  and 
preached  there  several  years.  In  1866-7  Elder  J.  C.  White,  from  Adel, 
Iowa,  preached  several  times  in  Exira,  and  in  April,  1867,  he  baptized 
tv/enty-two  converts  and  formed  a  temporary  church  organization  in  Exira. 
The  meetings  were  held  in  the  old  school  house. 

In  1876  a  permanent  organization  was  effected,  with  twenty-two  mem- 
bers, and  Elder  J.  M.  Crocker  became  the  first  regular  pastor.  Melvin  Nichols 
also  preached  there  occasionally.  In  1877  a  church  edifice  was  erected, 
thirty-eight  by  fifty-four  feet  in  size,  at  a  cost  of  one  thousand  four  hundred 
dollars.  Elders  Crocker  and  Nichols  contributed  their  personal  labors  to 
the  enterprise.  This  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  June,  19 10,  and  a 
more  pretentious  and  modern  building  was  erected  the  same  year  upon  the 
same  ground.  The  present  membership  is  about  one  hundred. 

There  have  been  as  elders,  Joseph  Clure,  William  R.  Botts,  James  P. 
Lair,  W.  C.  Mitchell,  Charles  W.  Johnson,  Joseph  H.  Bell,  Fred  Anderson, 
Oscar  Hunt ;  deacons,  Joseph  H.  Bell,  Jesse  E.  Miller,  Burt  Anderson,  Charles 
Clure,  Samuel  D.  Ham,  Charles  McCord,  Nels  H.  Johnson,  Okey  Hendrick- 
son,  George  Milliman,  W.  W.  Hammer,  John  Stoner,  Ola  Christensen,  Roxy 
Huyck,  N.  P.  Christensen,  Charles  E.  Hawk,  John  Porter,  Hans  Nelson, 
George  Gore,  Hugh  Smith,  P.  Frederick,  Elmer  Heath,  P.  I.  Whitted ;  pas- 
tors, James  Wilson,  J.  M.  Crocker,  G.  W.  Hamilton,  J.  A.  Walten,  Charles 
A.  Lockhart,  J.  C.  McOuarry,  L.  H.  Humphreys,  E.  C.  Whittaker  G.  E. 
Nichols,  H.  A.  Pallister,  C.  A.  Poulson,  T.  A.  Manley,  S.  M.  Smith,  Charles 
.  S.  Linkletter. 

CHURCH    OF    CHRIST. 

The  Church  of  Christ,  at  Audubon,  was  organized  in  1894  by  the  fol- 
lowing charter  members :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Aldrich,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  H. 
Beason.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  J.  Burrows,  Mrs.  T.  V.  Belles,  Mrs.  Rachel  Cole, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Dawson,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  Gates,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  C. 


220  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Keith,  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  George  W.  Ellis.  The  church  edifice,  forty-six  by  forty- 
eight  feet  in  size,  was  erected  in  1900,  at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars.  The 
membership  at  present  is  about  forty. 

These  have  served  as  pastors :  Elders  C.  A.  Lockhart,  W.  B.  Clemens, 
R.  Y.  Leeson,  J.  H.  McSparran,  A.  A.  Holmes,  H.  C.  Littleton,  W.  H. 
McCormick,  H.  Wilson,  I.  E.  Carney,  P.  J.  Pond,  Frank  Maples,  C.  A. 
Vonnay,  J.  J.  Ruppert,  F.  E.  Glendenning,  William  P.  Hauser. 

A  Young  People's  Society  and  a  flourishing  Sunday  school  are  main- 
tained. Carl  Xeilsen  is  the  present  superintendent.  The  following  have 
been  elders:  J.  C.  Keith,  W.  H.  Aldrich,  T.  H.  Beason  and  C.  Gates; 
deacons,  J.  W.  Landerman,  Carl  Xeilsen,  James  Hollenbeck  and  James  Gray. 
Mrs.  D.  C.  Ross  is  president  of  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society;  Miss  Mabel  Keith 
is  clerk. 

Rev.  D.  Y'.  Bryant,  from  luka,  Illinois,  has  recently  taken  charge  of  the 
church  as  pastor,  and  now  devotes  half  his  time  to  this  pastorate  and  the 
other  half  to  Planning. 

yirs.  Lois  G.  Stuart  also  bequeathed  this  church  one  thousand  dollars. 

FISCUS    CHURCH    OF    CHRIST. 

The  Church  of  Christ,  at  Spring  Valley — later  known  as  the  Fiscus 
Church  of  Christ — was  organized,  February  5,  1882.  The  charter  member- 
ship was  composed  mostly  of  families  formerly  from  Indiana,  who  were  the 
first  settlers  of  that  neighborhood.  Their  names  were,  Adam  Cain  Fiscus, 
who  was  the  first,  and  continued  as  their  preacher  for  a  number  of  years; 
Wilson  Fiscus  and  wife,  Emma  Fiscus,  Albert  Fiscus  and  wife,  Eliza;  Isaac 
Fiscus  and  wife,  Melissa;  Elias  Fiscus  and  wife,  Harriet;  Levy  Fiscus; 
Sarah  J.  Fiscus;  Adeline  Fiscus;  Mrs.  Martha  Somerlot;  Mrs.  Ruth  Duling; 
Mrs.  Paulina  Wiley;  Mrs.  Eliza  J.  Rinehart;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Spear;  J.  F. 
Conrad;  Henry  Hauser;  Nelson  Hon  and  wife,  Mary;  E.  J.  Arney  and  wife, 
Lucinda;  Hannah  Hilsabeck;  Mrs.  Ann  M.  Speas;  Jesse  Hon  and  wife, 
IMatilda,  and  Mrs.  Mary  Mitten.  A  number  of  these  people  had  formerly 
been  members  of  the  old  Bethel  Church  of  Christ,  in  Owen  county,  Indiana, 
and  others  had  been  members  of  the  Bethel  Grove  church,  of  Marshall 
county,  Iowa.  The  elders  were  A.  C.  Fiscus,  Wilson  Fiscus  and  Elias  Fis- 
cus; deacons,  E.  J.  Arney  and  Albert  Fiscus. 

Other  members  were  added  from  time  to  time,  until  a  large  congrega- 
tion was  built  up,  with  a  good  Sunday  school,  and  regular  preaching  services 
were  held  for  a  number  of  years.     This  was  the  only  organized  Church  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  221 

Christ  in  that  part  of  the  county,  and  its  membership  finally  included  almost 
the  entire  community,  people  coming  a  long  distance  in  their  farm  wagons 
to  attend  these  services.  Protracted  meetings  were  held  from  time  to  time, 
when  great  crowds  would  fill  the  school  house  at  night  to  overflow.  All  the 
spring-seats  from  the  wagons  would  be  carried  in  to  seat  the  women  and 
children,  the  men  standing  in  the  doorway  and  at  the  open  windows,  eager 
to  hear  the  preached  word.  All-day  basket-meetings  were  often  held  at 
some  grove  near  by  (a  church  building  was  never  erected),  and  always  drew 
large  crowds  of  people,  who  were  welcome  and  well  fed,  for  the  friendship 
and  hospitality  of  the  people  was  unlimited  and  their  faithfulness  and  loyalty 
never  questioned. 

Brother  A.  C.  Fiscus  served  this  congregation  for  a  number  of  years 
as  pastor  and,  as  the  membership  were  of  rather  limited  means  he  depended 
largely  upon  his  farm  for  support  of  himself  and  family.  Later,  came 
Brother  W.  N.  Littell,  who  served  for  some  time,  and  who  also  started  the 
first  store  and  the  postof^ce  at  Fiscus.  Then  came  Brother  Tibbitts,  of 
Botna,  Iowa,  followed  by  Brother  D.  H.  Reagan,  of  Indiana,  and  Brother 
F.  A.  Sheets,  of  Manning,  who  was  followed  by  Brother  C.  A.  Lockhart,  of 
Exira. 

During  all  these  years,  death  called  the  members  one  by  one,  to  cease 
their  labors  and  answer  the  call  to  the  Great  Beyond,  and,  like  other  country 
churches,  there  was  great  loss  by  removals.  Thus  the  membership  of  what 
was  once  a  prosperous  church  gradually  weakened  until  it  was  difficult  for 
the  few  struggling  members  to  keep  the  work  going,  so  that  all  efforts  finally 
ceased,  and  the  organization  was  abandoned. 

Of  the  charter  members,  there  are  but  four  now  living,  and  only  three 
now  reside  in  Audubon  county.  Elias  Fiscus,  one  of  them,  also  one  of  the 
elders,  now  has  his  home  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Speas,  in  Lincoln  town- 
ship, who  kindly  furnished  many  of  the  facts  for  this  little  history  of  this 
church  and  who  knows  the  history  of  the  county  almost  from  the  beginning, 
he  being  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  that  part  of  the  county;  also,  Mrs.  Ruth 
Duling  (now  Mrs.  Hilsabeck)  still  lives  in  Douglass  township,  and  Mrs. 
Eliza  Rinhart,  who  lives  in  Audubon. 

Those  of  this  congregation  who  still  survive  and  have  found  homes 
elsewhere,  no  doubt  still  remember  the  joys  and  sorrows  and  the  struggles 
of  the  organization  that  sprang  up,  bore  its  fruit,  brought  souls  into  the 
kingdom,  nurtured  the  children  into  manhood  and  womanhood,  saw  lover 
and  sweetheart  made  one,  saw  father  and  mother  pass  to  the  Great  Beyond, 
held  friends  and  neighbors  together  in  love  and  friendship,  made  the  com- 


222  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

munity  better  for  its  influence,  and  finally,  after  having  lived  its  life,  to 
slowly  fade  away  and  pass  into  history.  But  the  great  good  that  it  accom- 
plished and  the  influence  that  it  shed  abroad  in  the  world,  eternity  alone  can 
tell. 

ST.  John's  evangelical  Lutheran  church  ( German). 

On  August  I,  1875,  a  few  German  Lutheran  families  residing  in  Audu- 
bon township,  Audubon  county,  and  in  Grant  township,  Guthrie  county,  met 
for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  Lutheran  congregation.  Those  participating 
and  who  became  charter  members  were  Henry  Nesack,  who,  at  the  age  of 
eighty- four,  is  still  (191 5)  an  active  member  and  the  only  charter  member 
remaining  a  member  of  the  congregation;  George  Faga,  now  in  Chicago; 
John  ]\Iueller,  now  in  Adair,  Iowa;  Henry  Gerbol(;it,  Fred  Fienen,  and  the 
late  Henr}'  Faga. 

A  constitution  was  adopted  and  the  little  band  organized  for  effective 
Christian  work.  No  meeting  was  held  until  the  spring  of  1876,  when  the 
congregation  was  increased  by  the  addition  of  six  new  members,  and  from 
that  time  on  the  congregation  continued  a  steady  and  healthy  growth,  the 
present  membership  being  eighty-five,  a  majority  of  whom  are  heads  of 
families. 

Rev.  John  Horn,  at  that  time  of  Dexter,  Iowa,  was  secured  as  the  first 
pastor  of  this  little  flock.  Services  were  held  every  four  weeks  in  the  public 
school  houses,  or  in  the  homes  of  the  members.  In  1880  Rev.  Fred  Ehlers, 
a  young  man  and  a  graduate  of  one  of  the  Lutheran  colleges,  was  called  to 
take  charge  of  the  congregation.  He  accepted  and  proved  to  be  such  an 
energetic  and  faithful  worker  that  in  a  short  time  the  congregation  grew  to 
such  proportions  that  the  school  houses  would  not  accommodate  it.  In  1884, 
at  a  special  meeting  called  to  consider  the  matter,  it  was  decided  to  erect  a 
church  edifice.  Accordingly,  plans  were  laid  and  a  site  selected,  being  the 
one  where  the  church  now  stands,  on  the  east  side  of  the  public  highway 
between  Audubon  and  Guthrie  counties,  in  Grant  township,  Guthrie  county. 
A  church,  thirty-six  by  fifty  feet  in  size,  was  erected  that  year  and  has  been 
in  continuous  use  since.  A  few  years  later  the  congregation  built  a  school 
house  adjacent  to  the  church,  where  both  English  and  German  languages  are 
taught. 

After  ten  years  of  faithful  and  successful  service.  Rev.  Ehlers  was 
called  to  another  field  of  labor  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  O.  Clocter,  who, 
for  nineteen  years,  continued  to  minister  to  the  flock,  sharing  its  joys  and 
sorrows,  and  adding  many  new  members  during  his  pastorate.     In  1905  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  223 

congregation  built  a  fine  parsonage  on  a  site  on  the  west  side  of  the  pubhc 
highway,  in  Audubon  township. 

Five  years  later,  Rev.  Clocter  accepted  a  call  to  Minnesota  and  Rev.  A. 
H.  Deletzke,  the  present  pastor  of  the  congregation,  who  at  that  time  held  a 
charge  in  Ft.  Dodge,  was  called,  and  has  very  successfully  continued  his 
ministrations  up  to  the  present  time.  About  two-thirds  of  the  membership 
of  this  congregation  live  in  Audubon  county,  principally  in  Audubon  town- 
ship, the  remaining  members  living  in  Guthrie  county.  The  present  value  of 
the  church  property,  including  the  parsonage  and  school,  is  about  ten  thou- 
sand dollars.    Regular  services  are  held  in  the  English  and  German  languages. 

AUDUBON    TOWNSHIP    CHRISTIAN    CHURCH. 

A  Sunday  school  was  organized  in  school  district  No.  2  about  1899, 
which  was  changed  to  district  No.  3.  About  1903-5  a  church  society  was 
organized,  consisting  of  Mrs.  F.  W.  Hocamp,  Mrs.  Alonzo  F.  Littlefield, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Porter,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Baker,  Mrs.  William  Van 
Aernam.  A  large  church  edifice  was  then  erected  in  the  northeast  corner  of 
section  8.  The  pastors  were  supplied  from  Exira  and  were  the  same  as  at 
that  place,  Rev.  E.  C.  AVhittaker  being  the  first.  It  never  had  a  resident 
pastor.  Most  of  the  members  have  removed  and  regular  services  are  no 
longer  maintained.     The  present  membership  is  about  six. 

GERMAN    EVANGELICAL    LUTHERAN    TRINITY     CHURCH,     LINCOLN     TOWNSHIP. 

During  the  years  1870  to  1879  a  number  of  German  Lutheran  families 
having  settled  in  Douglas,  LeRoy  and  Cameron  townships,  but  more  in  Lin- 
coln township,  they  were  spiritually  advised  by  Lutheran  ministers  who  hap- 
pened in  this  vicinity.  The  first  Lutheran  minister  who  regularly  attended 
these  widely  scattered  Lutheran  people  was  Rev.  F.  J.  Oehlert,  of  Walnut, 
Iowa,  who,  from  April,  1879,  to  March,  1880,  held  regular  services,  admin- 
istered the  communion  and  baptized  their  children. 

On  January  2,  i88'i,  under  the  supervision  of  Rev.  W.  Mallon,  mis- 
sionary of  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Missouri  synod,  these  people 
organized  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Trinity  Church  of  Lincoln  township. 
This  congregation  has,  through  all  these  thirty-four  years  of  its  existence, 
stood  devoutly  in  practice  as  well  as  in  theory,  for  the  true  Lutheran  doc- 
trine, as  contained  in  the  Bible  and  preached  by  Dr.  Martin  Luther  and  his 
followers.  The  congregation  is  a  member  of  the  well-known  Evangelical 
Lutheran  synod  of  Missouri,  Ohio,  and  other  States,  consisting  of  2,978 
organized  and  1,127  unorganized  congregations,  a  total  of  4,105,  with  2,535 
ministers  and  professors. 


224  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

The  first  board  of  trustees  and  elders  elected  were,  Aug  Polzin,  Hum 
Polzin,  John  Polzin,  Hy  Borkowski,  Alb  Polzin,  Kienst  Sen,  George  Bald- 
sen  and  George  Schroeder.  Subsequent  to  the  work  of  Revs.  Oehlert  and 
Mallon,  the  congregation  called,  at  intervals,  Rev.  Fred  Ehlers,  of  Adair, 
Iowa,  on  June  20,  1881 ;  Rev.  Jul  Dickman,  of  Atlantic,  Iowa,  on  August  13, 
1882,  then,  after  a  vacancy  of  four  months.  Rev.  Anthon  Ehlers,  of  Elling- 
wood,  Kansas,  on  December  26,  1886.  He  served  the  congregation  with 
great  faithfulness  and  satisfaction  for  a  period  of  nearly  nineteen  years, 
finally  resigning  on  account  of  nervous  prostration.  Rev.  J.  P.  Guenther, 
of  Boone,  Iowa,  was  then  called  and  served  for  six  and  a  half  years,  when, 
in  the  latter  part  of  1912,  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  E.  J.  W.  Starck,  was 
called. 

The  membership  of  this  congregation  underwent  the  trials  and  hard- 
ships incident  to  the  early  settlers  of  the  county,  but,  true  to  their  aim  to 
serve  in  this  their  adopted  country,  not  only  their  families,  but  also  their 
country  as  good  and  law-abiding  citizens  and  Christians,  they  strove  with  all 
their  power  to  uphold,  build  up,  enlarge  and  strengthen  their  church  for  their 
own  eternal  blessing.  So,  on  January  20,  1884,  they  began  building,  on 
section  27,  Lincoln  township,  their  first  church  edifice,  a  structure  thirty  by 
fifty  feet  in  size,  which  was  dedicated  on  July  6,  1884.  This  building  was 
twice  damaged  by  storm.  The  congregation,  having  outgrown  this  building, 
it  was  turned  into  a  school  house  and,  on  the  2nd  day  of  June,  1901,  it  was 
replaced  by  a  larger  and  more  costly  church  edifice,  thirty-six  by  seventy- 
two  feet  in  size,  with  a  spire  ninety-two  feet  high.  The  cost  of  the  first  build- 
ing was  eight  hundred  dollars  and  the  new  one  about  five  thousand  dollars. 

This  church,  after  being  in  use  twelve  years,  was  razed  to  the  foundation 
and  totally  destroyed  by  the  tornado  that  laid  Omaha  in  ruins,  on  Easter 
day,  ]\Iarch  23,  1913,  nothing  but  a  glass  picture  and  the  bell  being  unbroken. 
But,  with  a  large  faith  in  God,  this  people  again  went  to  work  with  a  will  and, 
Phoenix-like,  there  arose  from  the  ruins  another  beautiful  edifice,  and  on  the 
26th  of  October,  191 3,  a  grand  dedication  of  the  new  church  took  place.  It 
is  a  more  costly  structure,  costing  nine  thousand  dollars,  with  inclined  floor 
and  very  finely  decorated,  and  equipped  with  furniture  to  the  amount  of 
two  thousand  dollars. 

In  1884  a  well-appointed  parsonage  consisting  of  nine  rooms  and  hall 
was  built  near  by  on  section  22. 

The  regularly  attended  school  of  the  congregation  is  taught  by  the  pastor 
from  September  till  June  of  each  year,  excepting  one  month  allowed  for 
cornpicking.     The  attendance  the  past  year  was  forty-seven  scholars.     With 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  225 

the  number  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  souls,  there  are  about  two  hundred 
members  and  the  voting  members  number  thirty-six.  Under  the  supervision 
of  the  Rev.  E.  J.  W.  Starck,  the  elders  are  Ludw  Borkowski  and  William 
Berg;  the  board  of  trustees  are  Aug.  Brown,  Alb  Rudwick  and  Aug.  Kienast; 
cashier,  G.  F.  Borkowski ;  secretary,  Otto  Rudnick ;  chairman,  Louis  Grote- 
keschen.  A  number  of  the  members  of  this  congregation  having  residence 
in  Audubon,  services  are  held  there  every  two  weeks  on  Sunday  aftrnoon, 
in  the  Danish  church.  All  worship  is  conducted  in  the  German  language. 
In  the  school,  both  English  and  German  are  taught. 

GERMAN  LUTHERAN  CHURCH. 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Friedens  church  of  the  German  Evangelical 
synod  of  North  America  is  located  in  Audubon,  having  been  organized  in 
1 89 1.  Among  the  active  and  leading  members  in  pushing  the  organization 
and  building  were  Christ  Hahn  and  Conrad  Burkhardt.  The  church  edifice, 
which  was  erected  in  1891,  is  fifty  by  twenty-eight  feet  in  size,  and  cost  two 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  The  present  membership  is  ten.  The  fol- 
lowing here  served  as  pastors;  Reverend  Strange,  Reverend  Herman,  Rev- 
erend Rounthal,  Reverend  Dollman,  Reverend  Seek,  Reverend  Jansen,  Rev- 
erend Braun  and  the  present  pastor.  Reverend  Gust  Tillmanses.  Services 
are  held  irregularly. 

DANISH    LUTHERAN     CHURCH,    AUDUBON. 

The  Danish  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  of  Audubon,  was  organized, 
February  9,  1909,  under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  G.  B.  Christiansen,  R.  D. 
However,  the  church  work  among  the  Danish  people  in  Audubon  was  begun 
about  1884.  As  most  all  of  the  Danes  belong  to  the  Lutheran  church  in 
Denmark  and  wished  to  continue  the  same  relationship,  the  work  was  taken 
up  among  them,  not  by  the  mother  church  in  Denmark,  but  by  men  whom 
God  called  to  the  ministry  in  this  country,  and  who  gladly  took  hold  of  the 
work  among  their  countrymen  in  the  United  States. 

Rev.  Mr.  Auker,  now  (1914)  located  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  was  the  first 
who  held  a  Lutheran  meeting  in  the  Danish  language  in  Audubon.  He  came 
here  in  1884  from  Elk  Horn,  Iowa,  where  he,  at  that  time  and  for  about 
thirty  years,  was  located.     He  served  the  people  for  about  two  years. 

From  1886  to  1888,  Rev.  C.  Falck,  now  (1914)  located  in  Jewell,  Iowa, 
but  who  at  that  time  held  a  charge  in  Oak  Hill,  came  here  and  held  services 

(15) 


226  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

once  each  month.  After  some  interruption  in  the  services.  Rev.  A.  C.  Weis- 
mann.  from  Jacksonville,  Iowa,  came  and  held  services  from  1894  till  1902. 
Following  him  came  Rev.  Brede  Johnson,  from  Biithana,  Iowa,  who  served 
two  and  one-half  years.  In  1905  Rev.  G.  B.  Christiansen,  from  Ebenezer, 
took  lip  the  work  and  continued  to  preach  here  until  1909.  During  the  years 
prior  to  1909,  the  church  had  no  building  of  its  own.  but  held  services  in 
the  Evangelical  church  a  large  part  of  the  time.  Now  it  became  more 
thoroughly  organized  with  a  membership  of  about  one  hundred  and,  oppor- 
tunity presenting  itself,  bought  the  Baptist  church,  at  a  cost  of  three  thou- 
sand dollars.  The  church  has  a  seating  capacity  of  four  hundred. 
At  the  same  time,  the  congregation  bought  a  house  located  next  to  the  church 
on  the  north,  to  be  used  as  a  parsonage.  This  house  was  rebuilt  and  modern- 
ized in  1 9 14,  so  that  now  the  church  owns  a  splendid  property,  including  a 
fine  home  for  the  pastor.  In  November,  190S',  Rev.  J.  P.  Christiansen,  then 
in  Lincoln.  Nebraska,  accepted  a  call  here  and,  with  his  family,  came  here 
]\Iav  14.  1909,  and  has  continued  the  work  since. 

The  present  membership  is  two  hundred  and  seven.  The  Sunday  school 
has  ten  teachers,  with  sixty-five  children.  The  Young  People's  Society  was 
organized,  December  9,  1909,  with  twenty-eight  members.  The  present 
membership  is  seventy-two.  The  Ladies  Aid  Society,  which  was  organized 
some  years  ago,  number  forty-five.  All  of  the  services  are  conducted  in  the 
Danish  language  and,  as  one-fourth  of  the  population  of  Audubon  is  Danish, 
there  is  a  great  field  for  work. 

EBENEZER   DANISH    EVANGELICAL   LUTHERAN    CHURCH. 

The  Ebenezer  Danish  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  which  is  located  in 
Douglas  township,  was  organized  in  1895,  the  following  persons  uniting  m 
the  organization:  Nels  C.  N.  Schmidt  and  wife,  Peter  N.  Schmidt  and  wife, 
Ham  N.  Schmidt  and  wife,  Ham  Nelson  and  wife,  Peter  Andersen  and  wife 
and  Nels  Andersen. 

In  1896  a  church  edifice,  twenty-six  by  forty  feet  in  size,  was  erected, 
at  a  cost  of  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  In  1908  the  growth  of  the 
congregation  compelled  the  providing  of  more  room  and  an  addition  and 
improvements  were  made  at  a  cost  of  two  thousand  dollars,  the  present 
church  being  twenty-six  ])y  fifty-two  feet  in  size.  In  1904  a  fine  parsonage 
was  built  adjoining  the  church,  at  a  cost  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  dol- 
lars. Rev.  A.  C.  \\'eismann  was  the  first  pastor,  continuing  until  about 
1905,  when  Rev.  G.  B.  Christiansen  became  pastor  and  remained  with  the 
church,  giving  excellent  service. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  22J 

Reverend  Christiansen  is  president  of  the  Danish  Evangehcal  church 
in  America,  his  work  occasionally  calling  him  to  the  Atlantic  or  Pacific  coast. 
A  good  Sunday  school,  with  a  membership  of  about  forty,  is  maintained, 
also  a  Young  People's  Society.  The  present  membership  of  the  church  is 
thirty-two  families  and  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  members. 

OTHER  DANISH    CHURCHES. 

The  Danish  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  Exira  was  organized  on 
]\Iay  19.  1905.  and  in  1907  erected  a  substantial  church  edifice,  at  a  cost  of 
three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  This  is  a  flourishing  society,  with  a 
membership  of  ninety-eight.  Those  who  have  served  as  pastors  are  Revs. 
Thomas  Jersild,  James  K.  Jensen,  Jens  P.  Christensen  and  Peter  Rasmussen, 
the  present  pastor. 

The  Danish  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  Hamlin  was  organized  in 
1904  and  in  1906  bought  its  church  edifice  from  the  Evangelical  church.  The 
value  of  its  building  is  one  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  The  present  mem- 
bership is  one  hundred  and  fifty-two.  The  following  have  served  as  pastors : 
Reverends  Johnson,  James  K.  Jensen,  Jens  P.  Christensen  and  Peter  Ras- 
mussen, the  present  pastor. 

Immanuel  church  of  the  Danish  Evangelical  church  of  America,  located 
at  Kimballton,  was  organized  in  1897.  The  church  edifice,  which  has  a  seat- 
ing capacity  of  four  hundred,  was  erected  in  1904,  at  a  cost  of  seven  thousand 
five  hundred  dollars.  The  membership  of  this  church  is  one  hundred,  and 
the  church  being  located  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Danish  settlement,  is  favor- 
ably situated  for  doing  a  large  amount  of  good.  The  following  have  served 
as  pastors :  Revs.  C.  Sorensen.  J.  ^L  Gregerson  and  J.  Jorgensen,  who  is  the 
present  pastor. 

DANISH    LUTHERAN    CHURCHES. 

Bethany  Danish  Evangelical  Lutheran  congregation  was  organized  in 
1890.  During  the  same  year  five  acres  of  land,  located  on  a  beautiful  hill 
two  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Kimballton,  on  section  16,  Sharon  town- 
ship, were  purchased  and  a  church,  thirty-two  by  forty  feet,  costing  one 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars  was  built  on  this  land.  This  church  stood 
only  eight  years,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  caused  by  its  being  struck 
by  lightning.  Neither  discouraged  nor  down-hearted,  the  congregation 
immediately  set  to  work,  contributed  liberally  of  their  means,  and  had  a  new 
church  edifice  built  upon  the  same  site  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year — 1898. 


228  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

The  next  year,  1899,  a  comfortable  and  convenient  six-room  parsonage  was 
built.  The  church  is  located  on  one  side  of  a  public  highway  and  the  par- 
sonage is  on  the  other  side.     The  cemetery  adjoins  the  church  grounds. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  congregation,  there  was  no  church  in  Kimball- 
ton,  so  that  a  number  from  that  place  belonged  to  Bethany  church.  Later, 
when  a  church  was  built  in  Kimballton,  these  withdrew,  but,  notwithstanding 
their  leaving,  this  congregation  has  made  steady  progress  and  today  numbers 
fifty-four  families,  comprising  three  hundred  souls. 

Rev.  Christian  Auker,  Rev.  P.  S.  Vig,  Rev.  Frimodt  Moller,  Rev.  N.  P. 
Simonson,  Rev.  Buda  Johansen  and  Rev.  Christian  Hansen  have  served  as 
pastors  of  this  church,  Rev.  H.  L.  Jensen  being  the  present  pastor.  This 
church  is  splendidly  located  for  doing  a  great  work  among  the  Danish  people. 

Oak  Hill  Danish  Lutheran  church  in  America  is  located  on  section  21, 
Oakfield  township.  It  was  organized  about  1895  by  a  number  of  Danish' 
families  who  had  settled  west  of  Brayton.  From  the  first,  this  has  been  a 
flourishing  congregation.  The  church  edifice,  which  is  twenty-four  by  forty- 
eight  feet  in  size,  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  two  thousand  dollars..  Among 
those  who  have  served  as  pastors  are,  Rev.  Skovgaard,  November,  1890,  to 
November,  1893;  Reverend  Gravengaard,  1894;  Rev.  N.  P.  Hold,  May,  1900, 
to  June,  1903;  Reverend  Jensen,  1903  to  1907;  Reverend  Jorgensen,  1908-9; 
Rev.  H.  E.  Raven,  1910-13.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  H.  C.  Strandskoo, 
who  has  a  catechetical  class  of  thirty-six  children.  The  pastor  of  this  church 
also  serves  St.  Johannes  church  in  the  northeast  part  of  Oakfield  township. 
The  two  churches  pay  a  salary  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  year 
and  the  free  use  and  occupation  of  the  parsonage  and  eight  acres  of  land. 
The  present  membership  is  fifty  families  or  two  hundred  members. 

St.  Johannes  Danish  Lutheran  church  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  in 
America  is  located  near  the  northeast  corner  of  Oakfield  township  and  was 
organized  about  1905.  This  church  is  affiliated  with  the  Oak  Hill  Danish 
church  and  is  served  by  the  same  pastor,  Rev.  H.  C.  Strandskoo  being  the 
present  minister.  The  church,  which  was  built  in  1905  and  is  twenty-eight 
by  fifty  feet  in  size,  cost  two  thousand  dollars.  The  congregation  consists 
of  about  fifty  families,  or  two  hundred  souls  and  is  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

SEVENTH-DAY  ADVENTIST  CHURCHES. 

In  the  winter  of  1885-86,  Elder  O.  A.  Olson  came  to  the  small  settle- 
ment of  Danes  living  in  Indian  Creek  valley,  and  began  a  series  of  religious 
meetings.  These  were  the  first  religious  meetings  held  in  this  neighborhood. 
There  were  but  a  few  families  living  there  and  they  were  somewhat  scattered 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  229 

but  an  interest  was  soon  awakened,  the  meetings  being  held  in  the  small  and 
humble  homes  of  the  people.  Success  attended  the  labors  of  Elder  Olson, 
and  a  large  portion  of  the  community  accepted  his  teachings.  On  March  17, 
1886,  at  the  home  of  Peter  Axelson,  in  Sharon  township,  the  first  church  of 
Seventh-Day  Adventists  in  Audubon  county  was  organized  with  a  member- 
ship of  twenty-three.  About  the  same  time  occurred  the  first  baptism  in 
Indian  Creek. 

Only  four  of  the  original  members  are  now  living  in  this  vicinity,  a  num- 
ber having  passed  away  and  others  having  found  homes  elsewhere.  During 
1886  seven  more  joined  the  church  and,  early  in  1887,  another  seven  joined, 
making  thirty-seven  members  at  the  end  of  the  first  year.  During  this  year 
(1887)  this  church  was  received  into  the  Iowa  conference  of  Seventh-Day 
Adventist.  The  first  officers  were,  elder,  John  H.  Johnson;  deacon  and 
treasurer,  Nels  J.  Boose;  secretary,  Peter  Axelson.  These  have  all  passed 
away.  Jens  Sorensen  was  the  next  elder.  Many  years  of  his  life  were  given 
to  the  work,  and,  by  his  labors,  example  and  influence,  he  did  much  to  build 
up  this  church.  For  four  years  after  the  organization,  services  were  held  in 
the  Stanley  school  house,  but,  in  the  spring  of  1890,  the  first  Seventh-Day 
Adventist  church  in  the  county  was  built,  on  section  36,  Sharon  township,  at 
a  cost  of  eight  hundred  dollars.  Although  the  members  were  poor,  the  church 
was  dedicated  free  from  debt.  Since  that  time,  J.  M.  Peterson,  Chris  Juhl 
and  H.  C.  Peterson  have  served  as  elders.  The  church  has  steadily  grown 
in  numbers  and  now  there  is  a  membership  of  seventy-four. 

In  1909  an  addition  was  built  to  the  church,  to  be  used  for  school  pur- 
poses, at  a  cost  of  one  thousand  two  hundred  dollars.  This  school  is  sup- 
ported by  the  church  and  in  it  the  children  are  educated  in  hand,  mind  and 
heart,  the  Bible  being  a  part  of  their  daily  studies.     The  enrollment  the  first 

t 

year  was  about  thirty.  After  two  years  of  successful  work,  two  years  were 
added  to  the  eighth  grades,  making  ten  years  in  all.  Miss  Anna  Johnson  was 
the  first  teacher.  Then  Miss  Marion  Johnson  was  selected  to  take  charge 
of  the  advanced  work.  Following  the  retirement  of  Miss  Anna  Johnson 
from  school  life.  Miss  Iva  Dike  filled  the  vacancy.  In  1913-14  Miss  Jennie 
Nelson  assisted  Miss  Marion  Johnson  and,  this  year.  Miss  Delia  Jensen  is 
teaching  the  lower  grades.  The  earnest,  faithful  and  efficient  efforts  of  these 
God-fearing  girls  have  greatly  assisted  the  young  people  of  this  church  in 
avoiding  many  of  the  evils  existing  today;  not  one  of  the  young  men  is 
addicted  to  the  habit  of  tobacco  or  liquor.  Thirteen  have  graduated  from 
this  school,  having  passed  the  examination  given  by  the  county,  and  three 
more  will  receive  the  eighth  grade  diploma  this  spring. 


230  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Thousands  of  dollars  have  been  raised  by  this  church  in  tithes  and 
offerings  for  the  support  of  missionary  work  in  this  country,  and  in  China, 
Africa,  India  and  in  other  mission  fields  abroad.  In  1914  the  sum  of  three 
thousand  seven  hundred  ninety-three  dollars  and  fifteen  cents  was  paid  in 
tithes  and  offerings  for  foreign  fields,  besides  maintaining  the  expense  of 
both  church  and  school.  Several  hundred  dollars  have  been  given  for  churches 
and  schools  located  elsewhere.  The  ofticers  of  this  church  for  191 5  are: 
Elder,  A.  P.  Hansen;  deacon,  Henry  Andersen;  treasurer,  Lawrence  Axel- 
son;  secretary,  P.  C.  Knudson.  These  men  have  held  these  offices  a  num- 
ber of  years. 

One  young  lady,  Miss  Rose  Boose,  has  been  sent  from  this  church  as  a 
foreign  missionary,  and  is  now  laboring  in  India.  Others  of  the  young  people 
of  the  church  are  in  training  for  like  service.  The  work  of  this  church  is 
surely  equalled  by  few  and,  we  are  inclined  to  believe,  surpassed  by  none, 
taking  into  consideration  size  of  membership  and  opportunity. 

If  each  organized  church  in  the  county  would  do  a  proportionate  amount 
of  good,  according  to  their  ability,  what  a  mighty  force  for  righteousness 
our  churches  would  be. 

The  East  Exira  Seventh-Day  Adventist  church  was  organized  in  a 
school  house,  about  nine  miles  east  of  Exira,  on  April  21,  1900,  by  Elders 
E.  G.  Olson  and  William  Johnson.  There  were  eight  charter  members,  as 
follows :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chris  Juhl,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  T.  Bascom,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Chris  Berthelsen  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  W.  Jensen.  Chris  Juhl  was 
elected  as  the  first  elder,  which  position  he  filled  for  a  number  of  years  until 
he  moved  to  Stuart.  Since  then  J.  \V.  Jensen  has  served  as  elder.  The 
meetings  were  held  in  various  school  houses  at  different  times  until  Februar}^, 
1913,  at  which  time  the  Christian  Science  people  of  Exira  kindly  consented 
to  rent  their  church  to  the  Seventh-Day  Adventists  for  Sabbath  services,  and 
whenever  not  in  use.  Meetings  were  held  here  for  one  year.  Then  the 
congregation  became  t6o  large  for  the  little  church  and  a  larger  building  was 
needed.  The  Congregational  people  then  kindly  consented  to  lease  their 
church  for  services,  when  not  needed  by  themselves,  and  the  East  Exira 
Seventh-Day  Adventists  church  now  meets  regularly  there.  There  are  forty 
members  in  the  organized  church  and  about  sixty  in  the  Sabbath  school. 

The  Seventh-Day  Adventist  church  in  Audubon  was  organized  on  May 
15,  1887,  by  Elder  J.  W.  Wiloby  and  Ira  Hankins,  the  following  being 
enrolled  as  charter  members:  Mrs.  R.  G.  Ping,  Mrs.  J.  N.  Brockway,  Mrs. 
George  Keene,  Mrs.  F.  Trude,  H.  Johnson  and  wife  and  Mr.  Martin  and 
his  mother.     The  first  meetings  were  held  in  the  school  house,  until   1889, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  23 1 

where  the  present  church  was  built,  being  in  size  twenty-four  by  thirty-six 
feet  and  costing  one  thousand  dollars.  The  present  membership  of  the 
church  is  fifteen.  The  church  has  not  maintained  a  regular  pastor,  but  the 
following  have  served :  Rev.  J.  W.  Wiloby,  Rev.  Ira  Hankins,  Rev.  E.  G. 
Olson,  Reverend  Starr.  E.  G.  Olson,  W.  A.  Frederickson  and  Chris  Juhl 
have  served  as  elders.  A  sabbath  school  has  been  maintained  regularly,  Mrs. 
Rose  Brockway  being  superintendent.  Mrs.  Alice  Esbeck  is  secretary  of  the 
church. 

BAPTISTS. 

The  First  Baptist  church  of  Audubon  was  organized  on  April  i,  1881, 
at  a  meeting  presided  over  by  Rev.  D.  D.  Proper.  The  charter  members  were 
E.  F.  Fales,  Mrs.  C.  A.  Fales,  H.  M.  Talbot,  Mrs.  M.  Scott,  Mrs.  E.  J.  Ford, 
Mrs.  V.  Sands,  Mrs.  S.  Davis,  Rev.  H.  F.  Sharpmack  and  wife,  F.  M.  Van 
Pek,  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Van  Pelt,  Mrs.  Elnora  Howald,  V.  Sands,  Lsabel  Harris 
and  Mrs.  E.  M.  Funk.  The  first  deacons  were  E.  F.  Fales  and  F.  M.  Van 
Pelt;  the  first  clerk  and  treasurer  was  H.  M.  Talbot.  Rev.  A.  F.  Sharp- 
nack  was  engaged  to  preach  once  in  two  weeks  for  the  first  year.  The  first 
covenant  meeting  was  held  on  April  27,  1881.  The  church  did  not  advance 
rapidly.  Some  removed,  while  others  seemed  for  a  time  to  slacken  their 
former  zeal  for  the  cause  they  had  once  espoused.  Hence,  the  society  has 
but  little  history  to  record  until  October,  1887,  when  it  was  reorganized, 
embracing  some  few  of  the  remaining  charter  members.  In  September, 
1888,  plans  were  matured  for  the  erection  of  a  church.  Lots  were  purchased 
of  the  railroad  company,  directly  opposite  the  court  house.  During  the 
winter  of  1888-9  ^  good-sized  edifice  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  three  thousand 
dollars.  Rev.  A.  C.  Zollhoffer  was  pastor  when  the  plans  for  the  building 
were  made,  but,  in  October,  1888,  he  resigned.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
Richmond  A.  Smith,  under  whose  pastoral  labors  the  work  prospered  for  a 
time.  The  church  was  completed  and  dedicated.  After  Reverend  Smith, 
came  Rev.  Mr.  Parsons.  A  number  of  active  and  influential  members  moved 
away,  the  services  finally  ceased  and,  after  some  years  in  1909,  the  church 
was  bought  by  the  Danish  Lutheran,  who  still  own  and  occupy  it.  After  the 
discontinuance  of  the  services,  some  of  the  remaining  members  joined  the 
Christian  church,  some  the  Methodist  and  others  the  Evangelical  church. 

OAKFIELD  DANISH    BAPTIST   CHURCHES. 

The  Danish  Baptist  church  in  Oakfield  township  belongs  to  the  Danish 
Baptist  denomination,  or  church,  affiliated  with  the  Danish  Baptist  general 


232  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

conference  and  the  various  connections  of  the  Baptist  denomination  of 
America  and  the  world.  It  is  located  five  miles  west  and  two  miles  north 
of  Bray  ton,  section  5,  Oakfield  township.  It  was  organized  in  1888,  with 
twenty-four  charter  members.  Among  the  old  members  yet  belonging  to 
the  church  are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  P.  Kragelund,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jens  Christensen, 
Messrs.  O.  H.  Jacobson,  Nels  Hansen,  Chris  Jorgensen  and  others.  The 
church  grew  for  some  years,  had  large  congregations  and  exerted  a  good 
influence.  Later,  some  of  the  members  moved  away  and  others  live  at  some 
distance  from  the  church,  necessitating  the  taking  up  of  an  outstation,  eight 
miles  southeast,  in  Cass  county,  where  many  attend  the  meetings.  The  pres- 
ent membership  is  fifty-five.  The  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1893,  its 
seating  capacity  being  about  three  hundred. 

One  quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  the  church  the  parsonage,  a  six-room 
house,  with  barn  and  other  buildings,  and  five  acres  of  land,  is  located.  The 
value  of  the  property  is  about  three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  and  is  free 
from  debt. 

The  pastors  who  have  served  are  Revs.  F.  M.  Andersen,  C.  Pedersen, 
C.  L.  A.  Christensen,  A.  P.  Nielsen,  C.  Andersen  and  the  present  pastor,  Rev. 
P.  C.  Larsen,  who  serves  the  church,  together  with  an  American  church  in 
Shelby  county.  Besides  these  pastors,  other  men  who  have  done  good  work 
are  Revs.  A.  C.  Nasby,  F.  Olsen,  H.  A.  Richenbach,  M.  A.  Wesgaard,  C.  H. 
Bobirg  and  M.  U.  Sorensen.  The  present  pastor  has  been  on  the  field  about 
two  years,  coming  from  Cuppy  Grove  Baptist  church  in  Shelby  county.  He 
uses  the  English  language  in  his  services,  not  only  in  the  American  church, 
but  also  in  his  two  out-stations.  He  has  held  rural  pastorates  in  Iowa  for 
the  past  thirteen  years;  is  vice-president  of  the  Danish  conference;  a  member 
of  the  Iowa  Baptist  board  and  of  the  Baptist  state  commission. 

The  majority  of  the  Oakfield  church  members  are  quiet,  devoted,  indus- 
trious people,  who  are  some  of  the  best  citizens  of  the  community,  and,  as  this 
church  is  located  in  a  good  field,  it  is  undoubtedly  doing  a  good  work  for 
the  saving  of  souls. 

The  Union  Baptist  church  of  Greeley  township,  located  on  section  23, 
was  organized  in  1882  by  the  following  charter  members:  Rev.  and  Mrs. 
Charles  Berry,  S.  S.  Berry,  Hugh  McClaren  and  wife,  Henry  Mapes  and 
wife,  Adolphus  Burtt,  Mrs.  Harriet  Burtt,  Mrs.  Hannah  Cox,  Mrs.  Margaret 
Huston,  Henry  Snowgoose  and  Maggie  IMcClaren,  thirteen  in  all.  For 
several  years,  meetings  were  held  in  the  school  house,  but  in  1891  the  present 
church,  a  comfortable  frame  building,  was  erected,  at  a  cost  of  two  thou- 
sand dollars.     The  following  have  served  as  pastors :  Revs.  A.   F.   Sharp- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  233 

nack,  Charles  Berry,  Reverend  and  Mrs.  Mackey,  F.  Reed,  D.  D.  Downs, 
George  Hickok,  C.  V.  Bentley,  Charles  Sloan,  H.  H.  Cross,  L.  L.  Smith  and 
Eli  Loney,  who  is  the  present  pastor.  The  present  membership  is  forty-one. 
A  very  interesting  Sunday  school  is  maintained.  Also  a  Baptist  Young 
Peoples  Mission,  with  a  good  membership,  is  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

FIRST   BAPTIST    CHURCH    OF    BRAYTON. 

By  reference  to  the  history  of  the  Oakfield  Methodist  Episcopal  class,  it 
will  be  seen  that  religious  services  were  held  in  Oakfield  as  early  as  1856-7, 
and  also  by  referring  to  the  Oakfield  Congregational  church,  it  will  be 
observed  that  about  1866-8  the  congregationalists  organized  there,  and  later 
the  Evangelicals  also,  held  services  there.  These  services  were  held  in  the 
school  house,  where  a  Sunday  school  had  been  maintained  during  all  these 
years.  The  successful  continuation  of  these  services  and  the  Sunday  school 
during  many  years  can  be  credited  to  the  untiring  effort  of  Prof.  H.  G. 
Smith  and  family  and  J.  M.  Hill  and  family,  both  of  whom  have  passed  to 
their  reward.  It  was  reserved  for  the  Baptists  to  erect  the  first  church  edifice 
and  to  organize  the  first  denominational  church  in  Brayton.  That  the  Bap- 
tists should  have  secured  a  footing  there  is,  perhaps,  due  to  the  efforts  of  one 
man,  A.  T.  Horton,  familiarly  known  as  "Uncle  Ace,"  more  than  any  other 
one.  In  the  spring  of  1880  he  with  his  family,  removed  from  Marion 
county,  Iowa,  and  settled  about  two  miles  northwest  of  Brayton.  He  was  at 
this  time  fifty-eight  years  of  age.  but  "Uncle  Ace"  had  always  been  a  Bap- 
tist and  could  not  be  anything  else.  No  sooner  had  he  became  established 
in  his  new  home,  than  he  began  efforts  to  secure  religious  services  iii  the 
school  house  nearest  his  home  and,  although  there  was  no  formal  church 
organization,  religious  services  were  conducted  there  more  or  less  frequently 
by  the  Baptists  for  a  number  of  years.  These  efforts,  with  the  assistance  and 
cooperation  of  others  heretofore  mentioned,  crystalized  the  religious  senti- 
ment of  the  community  and  rendered  it  possible  to  cement  it  together  in  one 
organization.  In  the  winter  of  1893  three  Baptist  ministers,  Reverend 
Downs,  Reverend  Hickock  and  Rev.  Harry  Ferguson,  conducted  revival 
services  in  the  old  hall  at  Oakfield.  At  first,  their  efforts  were  fruitless,  but 
they  persevered  with  a  trust  in  God.  Ferguson  was  a  host  within  himself, 
talented,  tactful,  resourceful,  sincere,  an  excellent  judge  of  human  nature,  a 
good  "mixer,"  plain  and  unassuming,  the  friend  of  everybody.  To  the 
people,  he  was  just  Harry  Ferguson.  Incidentally,  he  was  the  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  church  at  Cumberland.  Iowa,  and  his  church  had  sent  him  to  Bray- 


234    '  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

ton  for  a  season  of  missionary  work.  No  task  was  too  arduous  for  him  to 
undertake ;  he  never  became  discouraged,  nor  was  any  service  too  humihating. 
He  subsequently  became  district  missionary  and  afterwards  removed  to 
Oregon.  Together  with  his  two  assistants,  they  assailed  the  enemy  in  mass 
formation  until  they  penetrated  the  lines.  The  results  of  the  meetings  were 
many  converts  and  the  formal  organization  of  the  church.  Some  of  the  first 
members  were,  J.  S.  Harter  and  wife,  A.  T.  Horton  and  wife.  J.  G.  Chamber- 
lain and  wife,  O.  F.  Ide  and  wife,  Mark  Heath  and  wife,  W.  R.  Koob  and 
wife,  J.  O.  Cotton  and  wife,  L.  B.  Clark  and  wife,  I.  H.  Jenkins  and  wife, 
Mrs.  Fanny  Howell,  W.  Brinkerhoff,  Curt  Cotton,  Grace  Clark,  Maria 
Jenkins,  Frank  Jenkins,  Pearl  Jenkins,  May  Jenkins,  and  there  were  many 
others  whose  names  are  not  available  for  the  reason  that  the  records  of  that 
church,  like  the  average  church,  have  been  imperfectly  kept. 

A  commodious  and  comfortable  church  edifice  was  at  once  erected  in 
Brayton.  Soon  afterward  there  were  enrolled  about  eighty  members,  and 
the  congregation  was  in  a  flourishing  condition.  The  first  minister  called  as 
pastor  was  Reverend  Doane,  who  was  ordained  subsecjuent  to  taking  up  the 
pastorate.  Among  the  other  pastors  who  followed  him — and  there  were 
many — were  Reverend  Jewell,  Reverend  Brown,  Reverend  O'Connor,  Rev- 
erend Sloan  and  Reverend  Wilcox.  There  were  others  whose  stay  was  of 
short  duration.  The  church,  like  many  other  churches,  has  had  its  "ups  and 
downs"  and  some  of  the  members  think  that  during  the  last  few  years  the 
"downs"  have  predominated.  Many  of  the  members  have  died  and  others 
have  moved  away,  until  there  appears  to  be  not  enough  left  to  carry  on  the 
work.  They  have  a  fine  church  building,  free  from  debt,  recently  lighted 
with  electricity.  The  field  is  white,  already  to  harvest,  but  the  reapers  are 
few,  and  the  remaining  members  are  praying  that  the  Lord  of  the  harvest 
will  send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest. 

FIRST  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST,  SCIENTIST,  EXIRA. 

The  First  Church  of  Christ.  Scientist,  was  organized  at  Exira,  on  May 
15,  1897,  with  twelve  members.  The  following  have  been  first  readers  in  the 
church :  John  G.  Gates,  R.  Ella  Hensley,  William  R.  Bruner,  Flora  B.  Hens- 
ley,  Isaac  Statzell.  The  church  edifice  was  built  in  1906-7,  at  a  cost  of 
seven  hundred  dollars.     The  present  membership  is  seven. 

CATHOLIC   CHURCHES. 

Holy  Trinity  Roman  Catholic  church,  at  Exira,  was  organized  as  St. 
Boniface   church   in    1879.    the    following  persons   being   charter   members: 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  235 

John  Martes,  William  Bintner,  Peter  Tharnish,  John  Rieff,  Frank  Dorr.  The 
first  church  building,  a  wooden  structure,  was  erected  in  1879.  Having  out- 
grown this  building,  the  present  church,  a  brick  edifice,  eighty  by  forty  feet 
in  size,  was  erected  in  1902,  at  a  cost  of  ten  thousand  dollars. 

The  Holy  Trinity  school  has  also  been  connected  with  this  church,  but 
has  been  temporarily  discontinued.  The  present  church  membership  is  one 
hundred  and  seventy,  or  about  forty-five  families.  The  list  of  pastors  who 
have  served  the  church  is  Rev.  Father  Gaul,  Rev.  Father  P.  Daley,  both  from 
Atlantic ;  Rev.  Father  P.  J.  Morin,  Rev.  Father  Bernhard  Jacobmire,  Rev. 
Father  J.  J.  Moran,  from  Audubon,  and  the  following  resident  pastors,  Rev. 
Father  H.  J.  Zaiser,  May,  1894,  to  August  18,  1898;  Rev.  Father  Julius 
Farlenschmid,  August  18,  1898,  to  1902;  Rev.  Father  S.  F.  Wieland,  1902 
to  1907:  Rev.  Father  Charles  F.  Hundt,  1907  to  191 1;  Rev.  Father  James 
McDonald  (from  Audubon),  191 1  to  1913;  Rev.  Father  John  Mayer,  1913 
to  date. 

ST.  Patrick's  roman  catholic  church,  at  audubon. 

Early  in  the  history  of  Audubon  there  settled  in  the  town,  John  Holland 
and  family,  Nicholas  Roth  and  family,  John  Ballman  and  family,  J.  P. 
Thanish  and  family,  John  Martin  and  family,  and,  in  the  country  adjacent  to 
Audubon,  B.  Cunningham  and  family,  E.  Roche  and  family  and  possibly 
other  Catholic  families  whose  names  are  not  recalled. 

In  about  i88'i,  Rev.  Father  Gaule  came  from  Atlantic  to  look  after  these 
families  and,  at  the  first  meeting,  celebrated  mass  at  the  home  of  John  Hol- 
land. Later,  the  meetings  were  held  in  the  public  school  house.  Father  Gaule 
continuing  his  visits  every  four  or  six  weeks  until  1883.  In  the  spring  of 
1882,  under  the  direction  of  Father  Gaule,  a  church,  twenty-eight  by  forty- 
five  feet  in  size,  was  erected  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  two  blocks  east  of  the 
park.  Soon  after  its  erection  the  church,  during  a  severe  storm,  was  moved 
from  its  foundation,  but  was  replaced,  with  much  efifort  and  expense. 

In  1883  Rev.  Father  Daly,  who  was  then  stationed  in  Atlantic,  began 
visiting  Audubon,  as  a  successor  to  Father  Gaule,  about  every  four  weeks, 
and  continued  to  do  so  for  six  vears. 

Rev.  Father  P.  J.  Morin  was  the  first  resident  pastor,  coming  in  1889 
and  serving  one  year.  He  was  followed  by  Rev.  Father  Bernhard  Jacob- 
meier,  who,  in  189 1,  built  the  comfortable  parsonage  just  north  of  the  church. 
He  served  three  years  and  in  1894  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Father  J.  J.  Moran, 
whose  pastorate  lasted  one  year.  In  1895  ^^^'-  Father  Mathew  Gleason 
came  as  pastor  and  rendered  the  church  six  years  of  very  acceptable  service, 


236  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

being  a  very  popular  pastor  and  building  up  the  church  till  it  became  neces- 
sary to  enlarge  the  structure  to  its  present  size,  building  an  addition,  twenty- 
eight  by  forty  feet.  He  was  followed  by  Rev.  Father  Loftus,  whose  pastor- 
ate lasted  till  1901.  During  his  time  the  parsonage  was  remodeled  and 
rebuilt  to  harmonize  with  the  ability  and  needs  of  the  parish.  Rev.  Father 
Flavin  succeeded  Father  Loftus  in  1901  and  remained  until  1904.  During 
his  pastorate,  a  two-story  school  building,  thirty-two  by  forty-eight  feet  in 
size,  was  erected,  east  of  the  church,  and  a  parochial  school  opened  under  his 
direction,  assisted  by  two  Sisters;  this  after  an  existence  of  some  years,  was 
discontinued. 

In  1904,  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  Father  James  McDonald,  was  assigned 
to  the  parish  and  has  done  faithful  and  efficient  service  for  his  church  dur- 
ing these  twelve  years.  He  is  very  popular  with  both  Catholics  and  Protes- 
tants, his  congregations  being  large  and  harmony  prevailing  between  pastor 
and  people.  The  present  membership  is  fifty  families,  or  more  than  two 
hundred  members,  many  of  them  being  families  of  wealth. 

RECAPITULATION. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  churches,  their  value  and  the 
number  of  members  of  the  various  denominations : 

Bldgs.  Value.  Members. 

Adventists 2  $3,000.00  129 

Baptists   3  7,500.00  106 

Congregational   i  1,200.00  74 

Catholic 2  1,500.00  300 

Christian   3  1,000.00  160 

Evangelical   3  5,500.00  170 

Lutheran   (Danish)    8  21,000.00  1.407 

Lutheran    (German)    2  11,500.00  210 

Methodist   Episcopal    9  24,800.00  587 

Presbyterian   i  15,000.00  210 

Scientist  (Christian) i  700.00  7 

United  Brethren 2  3,000.00  91 

The  foregoing  figures  as  to  valuation  and  membership  are  approximate 
only,  as.  owing  to  incomplete  records,  it  is  impossible  to  be  exact.  It  should 
also  be  borne  in  mind  that  some  denominations  include  all  members  of  the 
family  in  their  roll  of  members,  while  others  do  not. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  237 

The  number  of  church  buildings  in  each  township  is  as  follows :  Viola, 
2;  Cameron,  i;  Lincoln,  3;  Douglas,  i;  LeRoy,  10;  Milville,  2;  Gurley,  2; 
Hamlin,  2 ;  Sharon,  3 ;  Oakfield,  4 ;  Exira,  6 ;  Audubon,  i ;  total,  37. 

The  rise  and  fall  of  so  many  places  of  religious  service  in  the  county 
indicate  this  one  thing,  that  these  churches  apparently  have  not  been  able  to 
solve  the  ever-present  problem  in  all  denominations,  namely,  the  conservation 
of  our  rural  churches.  The  constant  ebb  and  flow  of  the  rural  population 
renders,  this  one  of  the  live  questions  of  the  day  in  the  religious  world.  The 
removal  of  a  single  family,  and,  not  infrequently,  of  one  individual,  from  a 
community  ofttimes  so  cripples  a  church  congregation  or  class,  as  to  almost 
compel  the  abandonment  of  the  work  at  that  point. 

Thus  we  find  that,  especially,  Protestant  churches  have  here  and  there 
been  compelled  to  drop  one-time  flourishing  points  and  take  up  new  points 
where  the  promise  appeared  good  for  greater  usefulness. 

The  proposition  to  make  the  rural  church  a  social  center  for  a  neighbor- 
hood or  community,  now  being  tried  in  many  places,  may  prove  of  great  value 
in  solving  this  problem,  but,  with  the  present-day  means  of  transportation,  the 
fleet  automobile,  with  ordinary  roads,  hardly  a  family  in  the  county  would 
be  more  than  a  half-hour's  ride  from  a  place  of  worship.  Especially  does  this 
appear  true  when  we  consider  the  churches  and  places  of  worship  that  are  just 
beyond  our  borders  in  adjoining  counties  and  where  many  of  our  people  hold 
their  membership  and  are  accustomed  to  worship.  These  places  are  not  men- 
tioned here,  as  this  history  is  confined  to  Audubon  county,  excepting  a  few 
instances  in  its  early  history. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY    SCHOOLS. 


THE    FIRST    SCHOOL. 

Daniel  AI.  Harris  and  Peoria  I.  Whitted  are  said  to  be  entitled  to  credit 
for  starting  the  first  school  in  Audubon  county.  At  their  suggestion,  in  the 
spring  of  the  year  1854,  they,  with  Xathaniel  Hamlin,  Richard  AI.  Lewis, 
Thomas  S.  Lewis,  Isaac  \\  D.  Lewis,  \V.  H.  H.  Bowen,  John  M.  Donnel, 
and  perhaps  others,  met  in  Mr.  Hamlin's  dooryard  and  agreed  to  erect  a 
log  room  for  a  private  school  house.  Mr.  Hamlin  and  Mr.  Bowen  agreed 
to  give  the  timber  in  the  tree  for  the  building.  The  Lewises,  Elijah  and 
William  Carpenter  and  Mr.  Bowen  cut  the  logs  and  Bowen  hauled  them 
with  an  ox  team.  The  people  assembled  on  a  day  set,  made  a  log  rolling 
and  put  up  the  walls  of  the  building  on  the  land  of  Mr.  Hamlin,  in  the  edge 
of  the  timber  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  leading  south  from  near  Hamlin's 
house,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant. 

Some  of  those  who  performed  the  work  were  John  S.  Johnson,  Reuben 
Carpenter,  John  M.  Donnel,  Daniel  M.  Harris,  James  Eagan,  Walter  J.  Jar- 
dine,  W.  H.  H.  Bowen,  and  perhaps  others.  Air.  Hamlin  was  the  "boss," 
and  Richard  M.  Lewis,  Isaac  V.  D.  Lewis,  William  Carpenter  and  Peoria 
I.  Whitted  were  axmen,  and  each  carried  up  a  corner  of  the  building.  The 
walls  were  rough  hewed  inside  and  chinked,  and  a  roof  put  on.  As  was  the 
custom,  and  to  encourage  the  workmen,  a  supply  of  "liquid  inspiration" 
was  on  hand,  but  tradition  does  not  mention  the  "bottle  holder."  Reuben 
Carpenter  gave  an  oak  tree  for  the  "shakes,"  or  long  shingles,  to  cover  the 
roof,  which  were  "rived"  by  him  and  the  Lewises  and  were  laid  on  by  Ham- 
lin, Whitted,  the  Lewises,  and  perhaps  others. 

A  half-sash  window,  with  ten  by  twelve  lights,  was  placed  in  the  north 
and  south  sides,  and  a  door  in  the  east  end  of  the  room.  Mr.  Bowen  got 
boards  at  Iraniston,  Iowa,  for  the  door  and  writing  desks,  the  latter  being 
formed  by  stout  pins  in  the  wall,  upon  which  boards  were  fastened.  The 
floor  was  made  of  split  basswood  logs,  called  "puncheons,"  and  the  benches 
for  seats  were  made  in  the  same  manner,  with  pins  for  legs. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  239 

Miss  Ella  Northgraves,  of  Cass  county,  taught  the  only  term  of  school 
in  this  room,  which  began  in  March,  1855.  She  was  hired  and  paid  by  Ham- 
lin and  Harris.  The  pupils  were  Mary,  Hannah,  Rose,  Malinda  and  W. 
Allan  Hamlin;  Belle,  James,  Clarinda  and  Daniel  W.  Harris;  Nancy  Stan- 
ley and  another  pupil  from  Grove  City,  name  unknown.  Such  was  the  foun- 
dation of  school  instruction  in  Audubon  county.  The  Hamlin  children, 
except  Mary,  and  the  Harris  children  mentioned  are  now  living.  Hannah 
Hamlin,  now  Mrs.  Hawk,  and  Rose  Hamlin,  now  Mrs.  Thomas,  became 
school  teachers.  John  F.  Wallace  afterward  taught  a  term  of  private  school 
in  Nathaniel  Hamlin's  old  first  log  dwelling. 

LOCATION    OF   SOME    COUNTY   SCHOOLS. 

In  1865  there  were  but  five  school  houses  in  Audubon  county,  viz. : 
one  at  Exira;  one  at  Audubon  City  (Hamlin's  Grove)  ;  one  on  section  27, 
Exira  township,  known  as  the  Frost  school ;  one  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
section  17,  Exira  township,  where  the  present  school  house  is  situated,  known 
as  the  Green  school  house,  and  one  at  Oakfield. 

The  following  year  there  was  a  new  school  house  built  at  Jobes,  on 
section  i,  Audubon  township;  one  near  Ballards,  on  section  36,  Oakfield 
township;  and  another  near  Beerses,  on  section  2,  Hamlin  township.  From 
that  time  onward  school  districts  and  school  houses  increased,  until  at  the 
present  time  ever}^  part  of  the  county  is  well  supplied. 

The  youths  of  Audubon  county  have  first-class  opportunities  of  obtain- 
ing primary  education,  and  the  high  schools  of  Audubon  and  Exira  furnish 
extra  facilities  for  pursuing  higher  branches  of  study. 

FIRST    COUNTY   INSTITUTE. 

In  1866,  while  Benjamin  F.  Thomas  was  county  superintendent  of 
schools,  a  teachers'  county  institute  or  convention  was  held  at  Exira  for  a 
week,  conducted  by  Professor  Enos,  from  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa.  This  was  the 
first  meeting  of  the  kind  in  the  county  attended  by  the  writer.  It  is  tradi- 
tional that  there  had  once  been  previously  a  teachers'  meeting,  when  Robert 
N.  Day  was  county  superintendent.  Those  in  attendance  at  the  institute  in 
1866  were  Benjamin  F.  Thomas,  Clara  Barlow,  Malinda  A.  Norton,  Jennie 
M.  Norton,  Jennie  McCowan,  Susan  Ballard,  Carrie  Ballard,  Helena  Dela- 
hoyde,  Laura  Delahoyde,  Julia  Delahoyde,  Tryphenia  Hopkins,  Edna  Prior, 
H.  F.  Andrews,  Charles  H.  Andrews,  Van  Buren  Crane  and  probably  others. 


240  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

It  was  a  pleasant  occasion  and  highly  enjoyed  by  the  teachers  and  citizens  in 
attendance.  Among  the  teachers  conspicuously  absent  were  John  A.  Hal- 
lock,  Beulah  Sylvester,  George  A.  Dissmore  and  Juliette  Bowen. 

In  1878  there  were  forty-nine  school  houses  and  one  thousand  two 
hundred  and  five  pupils  of  school  age  in  Audubon  county. 

COUNTY    SUPERINTENDENTS. 

Charles  F.  Wilcutt  was  county  superintendent  from  1884  to  1889,  inclu- 
sive. He  had  been  at  the  head  of  the  Exira  school  several  years.  He  graded 
the  school  and  brought  it  up  to  standard  requirements.  He  was  an  impor- 
tant factor  in  establishing  the  county  school  system  on  a  modern  basis.  In 
1888  the  system  of  the  rural  school  districts  and  school  houses  was  com- 
pleted about  as  we  have  it  at  the  present  time,  with  three  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-three  pupils  of  school  ages.  David  P.  Repass  was  the  next 
superintendent,  from  1890  to  1897,  inclusive,  another  model  school  officer. 
He  was  followed  in  turn  by  Robert  C.  Spencer  and  Arthur  Farquhar,  who 
were  also  able  and  efficient  officers. 

Miss  Ella  M.  Stearns,  the  present  incumbent  of  the  superintendent's 
office,  was  elected  in  1906,  practically  as  a  nonpartisan  candidate,  and  was 
re-elected  successively  several  times  in  the  same  manner.  This  unusual  com- 
pliment and  courtesy  suggests  her  ability  and  popularity  as  a  practical,  pro- 
gressive, up-to-date  educationalist,  and  head  of  the  present  county  school 
system. 

CHILDREN    OF    SCHOOL    AGE    IN    I905. 

The  enumeration  taken  in  1905  showed  the  following  number  of  chil- 
dren of  school  age  in  Audubon  county :  Independent  Districts — Audubon, 
542;  Exira,  242;  Gray.  64;  Brayton,  76.  Townships — Audubon.  377; 
Cameron,  234;  Douglas,  370;  Exira.  348;  Greely,  278;  Hamlin,  376;  Leroy, 
255;  Lincoln,  358;  Melville,  203;  Oakfield,  376;  Sharon,  504;  Viola,  247. 
Total,  4,850.     Illiterates  in  the  county,  97. 

SCHOOL   STATISTICS    FOR    I914. 

The  following  table  shows  the  school  enumeration  for  the  year  19 14, 
in  the  independent  districts  and  in  the  respective  townships  of  Audubon 
county : 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^   IOWA. 

School  houses.     Teachers. 

Audubon    2  16 

Exira i  9 

Gray i  3 

Kimballton    i  3 

Audubon  township 9  16 

Cameron  township 9  13 

Douglas  township 9  15 

Exira  township 10  18 

Greeley  township 9  15 

Hamlin  township 9  13 

Leroy   township 8  12 

Lincoln  township 8  11 

Melville  township 9  14 

Oakfield  township 9  14 

Sharon   township 9  13 

Viola  township 9  20 

Totals    __: 112  205 

Value  of  school  houses  in  191 5,  $141,950. 


241 

Pupils  enrolled. 

503 
301 

67 

72 
225 

150 
220 

200 

176 

230 

183 
141 

155 

195 
225 

171 


3.214 


REPORT  SHOWS  GOOD  CONDITION  OF  SCHOOLS. 

In  her  report  for  the  year  1914,  County  Superintendent  Ella  M.  Stearns 
included  the  following: 

"Born  in  rejoicing  and  cradled  in  hope, 
Pointing  new  paths  for  adventurous  feet, 

Promising  power  with  the  future  to  cope. 
Whispering  low  of  the  summer-time  sweet 

Camest  thou  hither.     Now  nearing  thy  bier. 
What  dost  thou  leave  us,  Oh,  vanishing  year  ?" 


"In  accordance  with  the  time-honored  custom,  this  is  where  the  business 
world  is  getting  ready  to  take  its  annual  inventory  of  its  resources  and  liabil- 
ities, and  so  we  believe  this  may  be  a  fitting  time  for  a  brief  review  or  inven- 
tory of  our  schools. 

"Our  commission  of  education  has  recently  said,  'Among  the  greatest 
(16) 


242  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

needs  of  rural  schools  of  the  United  States  is  that  of  better  houses.  Most  of 
the  older  houses  are  cheap,  ugly,  uncomfortable,  badly  ventilated,  poorly 
heated  and  lighted,  with  no  conveniences  for  school  work  and  many  with 
inadequate  and  filthy  outbuildings.  In  many  places,  abandoned  churches  and 
cabins,  no  longer  fit  for  use  as  homes,  are  given  over  to  the  schools — some- 
what as  out-grown,  out-worn  and  cast-off  clothing  is  given  to  paupers. 

CONDITIONS    IN    AUDUBON    COUNTY. 

"The  first  part  of  this  statement  will  apply  to  some  of  the  schools  in  our 
county.  The  'vanishing  year'  will  leave  us  with  some  'ugly,  uncomfortable, 
badly  ventilated,  poorly  heated  and  lighted  school  buildings  and  some  wrecked 
and  filthy  outbuildings,  that  are  both  a  physical  and  moral  menace  to  the 
pupils  of  those  districts.  \A'hile  these  are  classed  as  liabilities,  we  have  a 
goodly  number  of  resources  to  place  on  the  other  side  of  the  balance  sheet. 

"The  year  19 14  has  added  several  new  and  sanitary  school  buildings  to 
our  capital  stock  of  new  buildings  given  in  at  the  beginning  of  the  year. 

WHAT  SCHOOL  HOUSES  SHOULD  BE. 

"School  houses  are  not  onlv  the  temples  which  we  erect  to  the  god  of 
childhood ;  they  are  the  homes  of  our  children  for  a  large  part  of  the  day, 
through  the  most  plastic  years  of  their  lives,  the  years  when  they  are  the 
most  responsive  to  impressions  of  beauty  or  of  ugliness,  and  when  their 
environment  is.  therefore,  most  important.  The  houses  should,  therefore,  be 
planned  and  built  not  only  with  the  feeling  of  reverence  with  which  all  tem- 
ples and  other  sacred  buildings  are  erected,  but  also  with  that  care  for  health, 
comfort  and  convenience  which  we  exercise  in  the  building  of  our  homes. 
It  is  economic  waste  of  the  worst  type  to  spend  annually  large  sums  for 
schools,  perhaps  larger  sums  in  the  time  of  children  and  then  fail  of  the 
best  results  because  of  bad  construction  and  poor  equipment  of  school  houses. 
It  is  worse  than  an  economic  waste  to  destroy  the  health  and  lives  of  children 
through  failure  to  observe  simple  and  well-known  sanitary  laws.  The  school 
improvement  leagues  of  some  of  our  states  have  taken  for  their  motto,  'For 
Our  Schools :  Health,  Comfort  and  Beauty.' 

HEALTH,    COMFORT    AND    BEAUTY. 

"This  has  been  the  motto  taken  for  our  new  buildings  in  this  county  and 
has  been  carried  out  to  the  best  of  our  ability  in  several  of  the  older  buildings 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  243 

in  the  county.  'Health  and  Comfort'  have  been  looked  after  in  lighting, 
heating  and  ventilating  of  the  buildings,  in  the  heated  cloak-rooms,  in  the 
handy  arrangements  of  the  fuel  room,  right-sized  desks  and  proper  arrange- 
ment of  them  and  in  the  use  of  the  sweeping  compounds  to  guard  against  an 
undue  amount  of  dust  in  the  school  rooms.  There  are  also  many  schools 
using  the  stone  water  jars  and  individual  drinking  cups.  One  of  the  most 
difficult  problems  of  hygiene  in  the  rural  school  is  that  connected  with  the 
water  supply. 

THE  BEAUTY   SIDE. 

"And  now  for  the  'Beauty'  side.  The  walls  of  several  school  rooms 
have  been  tinted  a  subdued  but  pleasing  color,  and  treated  with  a  flat  or  oil 
paint,  devoid  of  gloss,  washable  without  injury,  the  effect  of  the  decoration. 
This  has  been  done  at  comparatively  slight  expense.  There  have  been  put  up 
picture  rails  in  order  to  protect  the  walls,  if  for  no  other  reason.  The  school 
rooms  have  been  supplied  with  a  few  good  pictures  suited  to  the  age  of  the 
pupils;  many  of  these  are  worthy  copies  of  the  great  masterpieces.  And  we 
will  also  say  here  that  several  of  these  have  built-in  book  cases,  filled  with 
suitable  books  and  supplementary  readers,  along  with  other  suitable  furni- 
ture. 

"In  many  other  districts  having  the  older  buildings,  the  room  furnace,s 
have  been  installed  and  the  school  rooms  have  been  made  cheerful  and  com- 
fortable. The  large  majority  of  Audubon  county  rural  schools  are  kept  in 
very  good  condition.  In  talking  with  other  county  superintendents,  we  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  we  rank  well  with  the  other  counties  of  the  state, 
yet  there  is  still  room  for  improvement. 

"The  town  schools  in  the  county  are  well  housed  and  equipped  consider- 
ably above  the  average  towns  of  their  size.  One  of  our  towns  is  putting  up 
a  new  school  building  which  is  modern  in  every  respect  and  certainly  reflects 
credit  upon  the  community,  school  board  and  city  superintendent. 

"In  listing  our  resources,  we  have  kept  close  to  the  physical  or  material 
equipment  of  our  schools,  but  there  are  other  resources,  did  space  permit,  we 
might  mention  such  as  the  home  credit  work,  the  spelling  contests,  etc. 

COMMUNITY  MEETINGS. 

"The  work  the  young  people,  and  older  people,  too,  have  been  doing  in 
lyceums,  debating  clubs  and  country  life  clubs,  must  at  least  have  mention. 
The  work  for  the  coming  winter  has  already  started.     There  used  to  be  the 


244  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

husking  bees,  the  barn  raisings,  the  threshing  days  and  even  the  log-rolHngs. 
There  used  to  be  the  spelHng  bees,  the  old-time  'Hterataries,'  the  'heated' 
debates.  We  hope  to  hear  of  every  community  having  some  kind  of  organia- 
tion  this  winter  whereby  the  people  may  come  together  for  profit  and  amuse- 
ment. We  have  considerable  material  accumulated  in  our  office  just  waiting 
to  be  used  in  such  ways,  and  we  want  the  young  people  to  feel  free  to  come  to 
the  office  for  this  material. 

"The  school  house  door  must  swing  open  freely  for  all  who  would  work 
for  the  public  good  and  for  everything  that  may  contribute  to  community 
welfare.  Above  the  door  of  every  rural  school  house  in  the  land  should  some 
such  sentiment  as  this  be  written :  'This  Building  is  Dedicated  to  the  Service 
of  this  Community  and  to  a  Common  Cause  of  a  Better  Life  for  All.'  " 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


LODGES  AND  FRATERNAL  SOCIETIES. 


ORGANIZATIONS  AT  AUDUBON. 

Veritas  Lodge  No.  392,  Ancient  Free  &  Accepted  Masons.  Dispensa- 
tion dated  February  18,  1879.  Charter  dated  June  4,  1879.  First  meeting 
March  7,  1879.  Charter  members :  Ehas  W.  Beghtol,  Emerson  H.  Kimball, 
Arthur  L.  Sanborn,  Joseph  Snyder,  William  L.  Swaney,  A.  A.  Campbell, 
John  C.  Bonwell,  Robert  M.  Hubbard,  William  Wilde,  Chester  Wheeler, 
Cyrus  H.  Earhart,  Frank  H.  Burr,  Robert  G.  Sands. 

These  have  held  the  office  of  worshipful  master:  Elias  W.  Beghtol, 
Ethelbert  J.  Freeman,  John  D.  Holmes,  Marion  Johnson,  Andrew  F.  Arm- 
strong, Henry  W.  Hanna,  John  H.  Scott,  John  McKarahan,  James  L.  Rippey, 
Daniel  L.  Freeman,  A.  M.  Currier,  Joe  H.  Ross,  Walter  A.  Brainard,  Edward 
B.  Cousins,  William  R.  Smith,  Abner  H.  Edwards,  Halleck  J.  Mantz,  George 
Scott,  George  G.  Wever. 

Present  membership,  one  hundred  and  thirty-six. 

Amity  Chapter  No.  93,  Royal  Arch  Masons.  Dispensation  dated  April 
18,  1881.  Charter  dated  October  28,  1881.  Charter  members:  Thomas 
Chadwick,  Elias  W.  Beghtol,  Andrew  F.  Armstrong  Henry  Young,  Alpheus 

F.  Rogers,  Philip  Young,  Isaac  A.  Shingledecker,  Francis  M.  Jones,  Robert 

G.  Sands,  George  E.  Hastings. 

These  have  held  the  office  of  high  priest:  Thomas  Chadwick,  Elias  W. 
Beghtol,  Andrew  F.  Armstrong,  Henry  W.  Hanna,  Alexander  H.  Roberts, 
Charles  W.  DeMotte,  Edward  B.  Cousins,  Daniel  L.  Freeman,  John  M. 
McKarahan,  Frank  S.  Watts,  Abner  H.  Edwards,  George  W.  Preston,  John 
Weighton,  Charles  L.  Tramp,  Earl  Maharg. 

Present  membership,  ninety-three. 

Godfrey  Commandery  No.  44,  Knights  Templar.  Dispensation  dated 
April  15,  1882.  Charter  dated  June  22,  1882.  Charter  members :  Elkanah 
S.  Foster,  Isaac  A.  Shingledecker,  Ethelbert  J.  Freeman,  Elias  W.  Beghtol, 
Andrew  F.  Armstrong,  Henry  W.   Hanna,  William  H.   Scott,  Edward  B. 


246  '  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    U)\VA. 

Cousins,  Wilson  Biirnside,  John  Norris,  George  E.  Hastings,  Francis  M. 
Jones,  Alphens  F.  Rogers. 

These  have  held  the  office  of  eminent  commander:  Elkanah  S.  Foster, 
Ethelbert  J.  Freeman,  Isaac  A.  Shingledecker,  Daniel  H.  Walker,  Andrew 
F.  Armstrong,  William  H.  Scott,  Alexander  H.  Roberts,  John  A.  Nash, 
Edward  B.  Cousins,  John  B.  Doak,  Cyrus  H.  Earhart,  James  E.  Griffith,  Dan- 
iel L.  Freeman.  John  M.  McKarahan. 

Present  membership,  ninety. 

Audubon  Chapter,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  Instituted  November  21, 
1888,  with  sixty-one  charter  members.  First  officers:  Mrs.  Gertrude  R. 
Nash,  worthy  matron;  Mrs.  A.  H.  Roberts,  worthy  patron;  Mrs.  B.  W. 
Brown,  associate  matron;  Eva  Freeman,  treasurer;  Mrs.  H.  W.  Hanna, 
secretary;  Mrs.  H.  W.  Wilson,  conductor. 

Audubon  Chapter  No.  421,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  Organized  June 
15,  1908.  Chartered  October  29,  1908.  Charter  members:  Harriet  M. 
Bilharz,  Martha  A.  Bryant,  Christine  Christensen,  Agnes  Cole,  Lucile  Cole, 
Ada  Currier,  Drucca  Davis,  Nellie  Farquhar,  Alice  Layland,  Clara  E.  Mc- 
Leran,  Bertha  Musson,  Eva  Eearls,  Kathryn  Simpson,  Villa  Talbott,  Anna 
Tramp,  Nettie  L.  Ward,  Ada  K.  W^ever,  Emma  K.  Wilson,  Walter  A.  Brain- 
ard,  Daniel  L.  Freeman,  John  A.  Musson,  Will  R.  Smith,  Harper  W.  Wilson, 
A.  M.  Currier. 

These  have  held  the  office  of  worthy  matron  and  worthy  patron,  respec- 
tively: 1908-9 — Harriett  M.  Bilharz,  worthy  matron,  Daniel  L.  Freeman, 
worthy  patron;  1910 — Clara  E.  McLeran,  Arthur  Fanjuhar;  191 1 — Anna 
Tramp,  Adam  M.  Currier;  1912 — Nellie  Farquhar,  George  G.  Wever;  1913 — 
Etta  Kennels,  Joe  H.  Ross;  19 14 — Kathryn  Simpson,  George  W.  Wever; 
191 5 — Ada  K.  Wever,  Daniel  L.  Freeman. 

Present  membership,  eighty-seven. 

Aretas  Lodge  No.  396.  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Instituted 
August  17,  1879.  Charter  dated  October  23.  1879.  Charter  members  :  Henry 
E.  Cole,  William  Mallory,  S.  B.  Johnson,  Samuel  P.  Rhoads.  T.  M.  Acres, 
George  W.  Myers. 

These  have  held  the  office  of  noble  grand :  Henry  E.  Cole,  Seth  Paine, 
J.  F.  Wells,  J.  W.  Rosenburg,  Evan  Davis.  Thomas  J.  Stafford,  E.  M.  Funk, 
Fred  A.  Buthweg,  Joseph  H.  Breniman,  O.  A.  Overfield,  George  W.  Ellis, 
William  Cloughley,  H.  M.  Stuart,  Andrew  J.  Bailey,  James  R.  Chandler, 
John  H.  Frahm,  Charles  T.  Tramp,  Thomas  J.  P'rederick,  Peter  M.  Sheafer, 
Peter  I.  Drury.  Melvin  Nichols,  Eugene  M.  Johnson,  S.  A.  Aikeman,  James 
H.  Baker,  Harlan  P.  Albert,  James  L.  Rippey,  John  F.  Consigney,  Henry  J. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  247 

Cooley,  Henry  Rohrbeck ;  William  H.  Kelley,  Jr.,  Joseph  Dixon,  William  P. 
McLaren,  John  T.  Chapman,  John  Kennedy,  Joseph  Moody,  George  W. 
Hoover,  Roy  L.  Hibbs,  William  Hamilton,  C.  E.  Delahoyde,  Jens  O.  Christ- 
ensen;  Joe  H.  Ross,  William  Blohen,  O.  C.  Donaldson,  Harry  Parrott,  A.  H. 
Delahoyde,  J.  H.  Freedline,  William  A.  Thompson,  George  W.  Oelke,  John 
M.  Hite,  Charles  E.  Nelson,  H.  M.  McLuan,  Howard  E.  Kettell,  Jesse  Graves, 
John  A.  Graham,  A.  M.  Carrier,  George  W.  Dye,  F.  J.  Schwardt. 

Present  membership,  one  hundred  and  five. 

Allison  Post  No.  34,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Organized  March 
19,  1881.  Re-organized  May  4,  1883.  It  was  named  for  Capt.  Robert  Alli- 
son, Company  C.  Sixth  Regiment,  Iowa  \^olunteer  Infantry,  who  was  killed 
at  Missionary  Ridge,  November  25,  1863.  Charter  members:  Elkanah  S. 
Foster,  Seth  Paine,  H.  C.  Paul,  W.  P.  Roades,  Emerson  H.  Kimball,  D.  H. 
Walker,  Ethelbert  J.  Freeman,  Elias  W.  Bechtal,  J.  B.  Roades,  John  F.  Con- 
signey,  Henry  E.  Cole,  J.  P.  Gray,  B.  P.  Schovill,  Arthur  L.  Sanborn,  J.  C. 
Williams,  James  Pollett,  P.  H.  Anderson,  David  Adams,  John  Both,  Robert 
C.  Cobean,  Henry  Newmire,  C.  P.  Maple. 

These  comrades  have  held  the  office  of  post  commander :  Elkanah  H. 
Foster,  1881 ;  Ethelbert  J.  Freeman,  1883;  Melvin  Nichols,  1884;  J.  W.  B. 
Cole,  1885;  Clark  H.  Cross,  1886;  J.  Mai  Bryan.  1887;  Elisha  Baxter,  1888; 
Harper  W.  Wilson,  1889;  Henry  E.  Cole,  1890;  John  S.  Dennis,  1891 ;  Henry 
F.  Andrews,  1892;  Ed.  B.  Cousins,  1893;  Jo^^  E.  Sharp,  1894;  A.  S.  Culver, 
1895;  Abner  H.  Edwards,  1896;  G.  H.  Jones,  1897;  George  Agnew,  1898; 
Charles  Wilkins,  1899;  Hiram  M.  Talbot,  1900;  Joseph  Ridpath,  1901 ;  Mar- 
tin Smith,  1902;  J.  W.  Baker,  1903;  William  Lyman,  1904;  John  Ott,  1905; 
Daniel  L.  Thomas,  1906;  John  C.  Willson,  1907;  Clark  Wilson,  1908;  Lewis 
A.  McGinnis,  1909;  Ethelbert  J.  Freeman,  1910;  Wesley  H.  Jay,  191 1 ;  John 
N.  Brockway,  1912;  George  Agnew,  1913;  Anthony  N.  Detwiler,  1914;  J.  C. 
Fisher,  191 5. 

Audubon  Lodge  No.  164,  Knights  of  Pythias.  Organized  October  7, 
1886.  Charter  members :  William  Cloughley,  J.  W.  Rosenburg,  Seth  Paine, 
Harlan  P.  Albert,  Peter  Book,  H.  H.  Willis,  William  H.  O'Connell,  J.  A. 
Wheatley,  Edwin  Delahoyde,  Peter  W.  Ledyard,  Lewis  D.  Phelps,  Alfred 
L.  Brooks,  E.  J.  Smith,  W.  H.  McClure,  John  Intween,  Benjamin  F.  Howald, 
C.  H.  Colson,  W.  D.  Blackwood,  John  F.  Consigney,  Melvin  Nichols,  Hans 
A.  Christensen,  S.  A.  Aukerman,  G.  R.  Darlington,  John  A.  Nash,  Adelbert 
L.  Weaver,  Henry  B.  Herbert,  John  H.  Kate,  John  H.  Rendleman. 

Past  chancellor  commanders :  Harlan  P.  Albert,  P.  W.  Ledyard,  Will- 
iam H.  O'Connell,  John  A.  Nash,  W.'  H.  McClure,  Adelbert  L.  Weaver,  W.  H. 


248  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Negley,  J.  A.  Wheatley,  Seth  Paine,  John  Weighton,  Frank  E.  Brainard, 
Simeon  L,  VanScoy,  Charles  Vail,  Frank  Fish,  Frank  P.  Rees,  Harry  D. 
Fish,  John  H.  Hosier,  Ed.  Dickinson,  Ed.  S.  VanGorder,  Robert  C.  Rice, 
David,  C.  Mott,  Orrin  B.  Train,  Fred  H.  Blume,  George  E.  Kellogg,  Charles 
E.  Breniman,  Arthur  Farquhar,  Peter  A.  Rasmussen,  Hans  Albertsen,  Will- 
iam J.  Hamilton,  Vern  L.  Culver. 

Present  membership,  forty-two. 

Audubon  Woman's  Relief  Corps  No.  38.  Auxiliary  to  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic.  Organized  May  26,  1885.  Charter  dated  September  15, 
1885.  Charter  members:  Lizzie  Kimball,  Emma  Mathias,  Esther  Bryan, 
Maria  Needles,  Almeda  Nichols,  Fannie  E.  Talbot,  Myrtle  Cole,  Lydia  E. 
Rosenburg,  Rachel  Cole,  Alice  M.  Consigney,  Anna  Edmondson,  Sarah  A. 
Gardner,  Delia  Ott,  Sarah  G.  Cason,  Martha  Peck,  Mary  Mathias. 

Past  Presidents :  Emma  Kimball,  Alice  M.  Consigney,  Lydia  E.  Rosen- 
burg, Fannie  E.  Talbot,  Ella  L.  Bell,  Delia  Ott,  Lydia  A.  Chandler,  Eliza 
I.  Moyer,  Minerva  Cole,  Mina  Bartch,  Charity  Aldrich,  Agnes  Cole,  Mary 
Kraus,  Levina  McGinnis. 

Present  membership,  sixty-five. 

Charles  Stuart  Camp  No.  50,  Sons  of  Veterans.  Organized  October 
13,  1885.  First  officers:  Daniel  L.  Freeman,  first  lieutenant;  Charles  H. 
Rollins,  second  lieutenant;  Edwin  Delahoyde,  first  sergeant;  Wilson  S.  Kim- 
ball, cjuartermaster.     Daniel  L.  Freeman,  major  of  Iowa  division,  June,  1888. 

It  had  a  membership  of  fifty.  Capt.  Charles  Stuart  presented  the  camp 
seventy-two  breach-loading  Springfield  rifles  and  equipment.  The  camp 
was  disbanded  years  ago. 

Audubon  Lodge  No.  158,  The  Danish  Brotherhood  in  America.  Organ- 
ized December  17,  1902.  First  officers:  Peter  A.  Rasmussen,  past  presi- 
dent; J.  P.  Kilgar,  president;  Chris  Hendricksen,  vice-president;  Nels  Han- 
sen, secretary;  Hans  Albertsen,  treasurer;  Ed  Ruiss,  Rasmus  Rasmussen, 
Jens  C.  Christensen,  trustees;  Henry  Jacobsen,  guide;  Jacob  W.  Andersen, 
inner  guard ;  Chris  H.  Berg,  outer  guard. 

Charter  members :  N.  G.  Nelsen,  Anders  Lastine,  Knud  Fredericksen, 
Chr.  J.  Roed,  Ludvig  Gamrath,  Jens  O.  Chritsensen,  Julius  Rasmussen,  L. 
C.  Larsen,  Lawitz  Madsen.  Walter  Jensen,  Rasmus  Sorensen,  A.  J.  Jensen, 
Chris  Olsen,  Steffen  Mathisen,  Niels  Top,  Lars  O.  Petersen,  Mathias  John- 
son, Nels  P.  Petersen. 

These  have  been  president:  Peter  A.  Rasmussen,  J.  P.  Kelgar,  Chris 
Hendricksen,  Jas  Lang,  Rasmus  Rasmussen,  Peter  Mathisen,  Jacob  M.  Ander- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  249 

sen,  Haas  Albertsen,  Lars  C.  Christoffersen,  Lars  O.  Petersen,  Lars  J. 
Larsen. 

Present  membership,  seventy-eight. 

Freja  Lodge  No.  97,  Danish  Sisters  Society  in  America.  Date  of 
charter,  February  22,  1907.  First  officers:  Anna  M.  Vosmos,  ex-presi- 
dent; Neorline  Kellogg,  president;  Christine  Berg,  vice-president;  Jakoline 
C.  Rasmussen,  secretary;  Kirstine  A.  Christensen,  treasurer;  Kirstine  M. 
Christensen,  Anna  AL  Olsen,  Celia  M.  Johnsen,  trustees;  Lina  Albertsen, 
marshal;  Kirstine  H.  Petersen,  imier  guard;  Kirstine  M.  Knudsen,  outer 
guard. 

Present  membership,  twenty-six. 

ORGANIZATIONS   AT    BRAYTON. 

Audubon  Lodge  No.  217,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  The 
oldest  lodge  in  Audubon  county.  Organized  at  Louisville,  Iowa,  October 
19,  1871.  Removed  to  Oakfield,  Iowa,  1874,  and  in  1882  to  Brayton,  Iowa. 
Charter  members:  Daniel  W.  Miller,  Orris  C.  Keith,  Francis  J.  Shrauger, 
Richard  Gault,  J.  F.  Low,  John  B.  Connrardy. 

These  have  held  the  office  of  noble  grand:  Daniel  W.  Miller,  Francis 
J.  Shranger,  Orris  C.  Keith,  Isaac  V.  D.  Lewis,  Giles  N.  Jones,  Samuel 
Minser,  John  B.  Conrardy,  John  T.  Jenkins,  Joseph  Doner,  Peter  F.  Howell, 
Isaac  H.  Jenkins,  C.  Adelbert  Heath,  Horace  M.  Bartlett,  Thomas  J.  Essing- 
ton,  Joseph  Reynolds,  Charles  L.  Bison,  James  L.  x\nderson,  Erwin  A.  Jones, 
Walter  Brown,  Evelyn  Wood,  Ward  B.  Smith,  William  R.  Koob,  Ed.  Cot- 
ton, Sidney  McGuire,  Jacob  P.  Bendixen,  Ludwig  F.  Miller,  Hans  Nymand, 
Jacob  Blom,  Silas  B.  Clark,  Lewis  P.  Rasmussen,  John  Lorah,  Samuel  B. 
Green,  Hans  Hansen,  Peter  Beck,  Warren  G.  Chase,  John  W.  Cannon, 
N.  M.  Nelson. 

Present  membership,  forty-eight. 

Brayton  Lodge  No.  567,  Daughters  of  Rebekah.  Chartered  February 
14,  1907.  Charter  members:  Horace  W.  Bartlet  and  wife  and  daughter, 
Mildred;  Charles  L.  Bisom  and  wife  and  daughter,  Imo;  Hans  Hansen  and 
wife  and  daughter,  Alma;  Erwin  A.  Jones  and  wife;  Samuel  B.  Green  and 
wife;  Lewis  P.  Rasmussen  and  wife;  Ward  P.  Smith  and  wife;  Clyde 
Bowen,  Evelyn  Wood,  H.  S.  Burton,  Peter  F.  Howell. 

These  ladies  have  held  the  office  of  noble  grand:  Jeanette  Bartlett, 
Mrs.  Charles  L.  Bisom,  Mrs.  Lewis  P.  Rasmussen,  Ray  Miller,  Vivian  Bart- 


250  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

lett,  Ardine  Bartlett,  Gladys  Chamberlain,  Ethel  Bisom,  ]\Irs.  B.  M.  Gross, 
Minnie  Aliller.  Airs.  Warren  G.  Chase,  Edna  Hansen. 

Present  membership,  forty-one. 

Brayton  Camp  No.  2900,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Charter 
dated  April  17,  1895.  Charter  members:  Jacob  P.  Bendixen,  Hans  Xymand, 
Peter  C.  Knudsen,  Jacob  Blom,  Jesse  Nymand,  William  R.  Koob,  David  A. 
Carpenter,.  P.  C.  Petersen,  Ludwig  F.  Miller,  Peter  J.  Hansen,  John  A. 
Stender. 

These  have  held  the  office  of  venerable  consul :  Jacob  P.  Bendixen, 
William  R.  Koob,  Thomas  J.  McGovern,  Daniel  W.  Chamberlin,  Ray  G. 
Chamberlin,  Raymond  Miller,  John  A.  Johnson,  Ludwig  F.  Miller,  Howard 
M.  Parrott,  and  others. 

Present  membership,  one  hundred  and  twenty. 

Danish  Brotherhood  Lodge  No.  297.  Organized  September  i.  1913. 
Officers:  Peter  Beck,  president;  Hans  Anderson,  secretary;  Martin  L. 
Beck,  cashier;  Peter  Christensen,  R.  Nielson  and  Chr.   Hansen,  trustees. 

Present  membership,  thirty-two. 

ORGANIZATIONS   AT   EXIRA. 

Exodus  Lodge  No.  342,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  Charter 
dated  June  3.  1875.  Thirteen  charter  members.  First  officers:  William 
J.  Harris,  worshipful  master;  Thomas  Walker,  senior  warden;  Edwin  C. 
Wadsworth.  junior  warden;  Alonzo  L.  Campbell,  secretary;  Appolonius 
B.  Houston,  treasurer;  H.  Ransford,  senior  deacon;  James  P.  Lair,  junior 
deacon  ;  George  Colph,  tyler. 

These  have  held  the  office  of  worshipful  master:  \\"illiam  J.  Harris, 
Thomas  ^^'alker,  Ethelbert  J.  Freeman.  George  Hardenbrook,  Francis  J. 
Shrauger.  W.  \\'.  Sickles,  Erwin  \\'atson.  John  Riley.  Thomas  H.  Allen. 
Thomas  J.  Coglan,  William  H.  Jones,  James  P.  Lair.  Hiram  H.  Dimick,  Al 
Voorhees,  Leroy  J.  Oldaker.  John  Schlater,  Ernest  D.  Powell,  B.  F.  Kreamer, 
J.  B.  J.  Lohnor. 

Present  membership,  seventy-two. 

Exodus  Chapter  No.  313,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  Charter  dated 
October  23,  1901.  Charter  members:  Jennie  M.  Andrews,  Alice  Conn- 
rardy,  Lucille  Connrardy,  Jane  V.  Dimick,  Iva  Erickson,  Sadie  Hamlin, 
Nola  Hamler,  Jessamine  Hunt,  Anna  ]McAninch,  Mar\'  J.  Riley,  Dena  Stat- 
zell,  Sadie  Shrauger,  Eva  Voorhees,  Ida  Wissler,  Claude  N.  Andrews,  John 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  25 1 

B.  Connrardy,  Hiram  H.  Dimick,  John  J.  Dimick,  Robert  E.  L.  Hamlin, 
John  Riley,  Alfred  Voorhees,  Henry  L.  Wissler. 

Present  membership,  about  eighty. 

Exira  Lodge  No.  i8i,  Knights  of  Pythias.  Organized  August  31, 
1887.  Charter  dated  October  6,  1887.  Charter  members:  Francis  J. 
Shrauger,  Henry  F.  Andrews,  Erwin  Watson,  F.  W.  Shaw,  Charles  H.  An- 
drews, William  E.  Coleman,  John  Hunter,  William  Carpenter,  Albert  C. 
Andrews,  William  H.  Alilliman,  George  C.  Jeffries,  Otto  Witthauer,  Fred 
L.  Andrews,  Theodore  Patty,  John  Crane,  Horace  M.  Bartlett,  Charles  N. 
Milliman,  Nels  P.   Christensen. 

These  have  held  the  office  of  chancellor  commander :  Henry  F.  An- 
drews, 1887,  1900;  Erwin  Watson,  1888;  William  E.  Coleman,  1889; 
Charles  H.  Andrews,  1890;  Otto  Witthauer,  1891  ;  J.  Mack  Thomas,  1892; 
George  Henshaw,  1893;  George  Conklin,  1894;  Samuel  Brown,  1895;  Alfred 
Voorhees,  1896;  J.  O.  Howard,  1897;  Norton  J.  Marietta,  1898;  John  C. 
Newlon,  1899;  Chris.  A.  Rasmussen,  1900;  Henry  L.  Wissler,  190J;  Perry 
Hansen,  1902;  Victor  E.  Gearheart,  1903;  Chester  W.  Marlin,  1904-5; 
Fred  A.  Nims,  1905;  Leroy  J.  Oldaker,  1906;  Theodore  Patty,  1907; 
Charles  Findley,  1908;  Ernest  D.  Powell,  1908-9;  John  M.  Dimick,  1910; 
Peter  M.  Christensen,  191 1;  Charles  O.  Hunt,  1912;  Albert  C.  Andrews, 
1913;  John  K.  Vander  Brake,  1914. 

Present  membership,   seventy-two. 

Exira  Temple  No.  245,  Pythian  Sisters.  Charter  dated  September  3, 
1912.  Charter  members:  Mrs.  May  Dimick,  Mrs.  Maud  Oldaker,  Mrs. 
Anna  \  ande  Brake,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Rethmier,  Miss  Lillian  Dyer,  Mrs. 
Viola  Christensen,  Mrs.  Katheryn  Cotton,  Mrs.  Genevieve  Harv^ey,  Mrs. 
Katheryn  Kroeger. 

These  ladies  have  held  the  office  of  most  excellent  chief :  ]\Irs.  Katheryn 
Kroeger,  Mrs.  May  Dimick.  Mrs.  Katheryn  Cotton,  Mrs.  Maude  Oldaker. 

Present  membership,  sixty- four. 

J.  C.  Newlon  Camp  No.  2820,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  organ- 
ized March  20,  1895.  Charter  members:  George  L.  Knapp,  Thomas  H. 
Allen,  Jacob  Bauer,  William  W.  Marietta,  Robert  L.  Houston,  John  L 
Hensley,  August  Heckman,  Bert  Hardenbrook,  Benjamin  F.  Davis,  W.  D. 
Stanley,  Charles  W.  Houston,  John  P.  Aupperlee,  John  C.  Newlon,  John 
Peters,  Otto  Witthauer,  S.  Frank  Wilcox,  Fred  Bartlet,  H.  A.  Peters, 
William  F.  Davis,  William  Woodward,  W.  C.  Aupperlee,  D.  D.  Hunt, 
George  W.  Conklin,  Frank  L.  Odell,  Frank  M.  Hensley. 

These  have  held  the  office  of  venerable  consul :     Otto  Witthuaer,  Frank 


252  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

L.  Odell,  Charles  M.  Oberholtz,  Charles  T.  Waits,  Abel  S.  Stone,  Thomas 
H.  Allen,  John  C.  Newlon,  Grant  Jones,  Ernest  B.  Voss,  John  Vander 
Brake. 

Present  membership,  fifty-nine. 

Exira  Lodge  No.  251,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  Insti- 
tuted June  28,  1884.  Charter  dated  July  15,  1884.  Charter  members  and 
first  officers :  W.  W.  Banner,  past  master  workman ;  George  Hardenbrook, 
master  workman;  Benjamin  F.  Thomas,  g t ;  George  C.  Jeff- 
ries, overseer;  Thomas  G.  Bryant,  recorder;  William  W.  Sickles,  financier; 
Charles  F.  Willcutt,  receiver;  Charles  F.  Howlett,  guide;  Thomas  H.  Allen, 
inner  watchman;  Charles  H.  Howe,  outer  watchman;  John  W.  Freeland, 
William  H.  Millerman,  Webster  Heath,  John  Riley. 

These  members  have  held  the  office  of  master  workman :  George  Har- 
denbrook, Benjamin  F.  Thomas,  George  C.  Jeffries,  Thomas  G.  Bryant, 
William  W.  Sickles,  Henshaw,  Charles  F.  Willcutt,  Thomas  H.  Allen,  Rob- 
ert C.  Watterson,  John  Riley,  Wesley  C.  Smith,  William  H.  Jones,  Andrew 
J.  Bruner,  William  Milliman,  John  C.  Newlon,  George  Leffingwell,  Henry 
L.  Wissler,  George  W.  Kreamer,  George  Milliman,  Fremont  Anders, 

Present  membership,  thirty-one. 

Oliver  P.  Morton  Post  No.  35,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Char- 
ter granted  by  P.  V.  Cary,  department  commander,  dated  September  21, 
1881.  Charter  members:  Richard  W.  Griggs,  Benjamin  Elcenhover,  H. 
S.  Cisney,  George  W.  Bailey,  John  B.  Connrardy,  John  T.  Hill,  W.  R. 
Dafford,  A.  J.  Brown,  Peter  Tharnish,  Frank  Dorr,  Joseph  H.  Bell,  H.  F. 
Andrews.  Reorganized  February  19,  1884;  December  2,  1889;  and  October 
16,    1903. 

These  have  been  past  commanders:  1881,  Richard  W.  Griggs;  1884, 
Benjamin  F.  Thomas;  1884,  James  P.  Lair;  1889,  William  H.  Seavey; 
1891,  Samuel  D.  Harn;  1892,  William  H.  Bowman;  1893-5,  John  B.  Conn- 
rardy; 1895,  Hiram  H.  Dimick ;  1906,  H.  F.  Andrews;  1907,  Joesph  H. 
Bell;  1909,  William  Bintner;  1910,  John  T.  Hill;  191 1,  William  C.  Stur- 
gen;  1912,  William  E.  Davis;  1913,  Thomas  J.  Adair;  1914,  Hugh  W. 
Copeland;  191 5,  Daniel  Artist. 

Exira  Tent  No.  41,  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  Organized  November 
30,  1894.  Charter  dated  March  19,  1895.  First  officers:  George  C.  Kerr, 
past  sir  knight  commander;  Bert  R.  Leaman,  sir  knight  commander;  B.  E. 
Breniman,  sir  knight  lieutenant  commander;  Frank  B.  Kerr,  sir  knight 
record  keeper;  Thomas  Lohner,  sir  knight  finance  keeper;  E.   A.  Tarnish, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  253 

sir  knight  chaplain;  John  Burmister,  sir  knight  sergeant;  N.  P.  Lauritzen, 
sir  knight  physician;  Wilham  Mogg,  sir  knight  master  at  arms;  Charles 
N.  Milliman,  sir  knight  first  master  guard;  Albert  C.  Andrews,  sir  knight 
second  master  guard;  Dim.  Rieff,  sir  knight  sentinel;  George  W.  Guernsey, 
sir  knight  picket. 

These  members  have  held  the  office  of  sir  knight  commander:  Bert 
R.  Leaman,  Charles  E.  Breniman,  Al  Voorhees,  O.  B.  Breniman,  J.  G. 
Wheelock,  Thomas  Dustin,  C.  E.  Drake,  Charles  Fulton,  S.  A.  Hicks,  W. 
F.  Williams,  John  Riley,  Jr.,  Henry  F.  Bush. 

Present  membership,  forty-four. 

Brayton  Lodge  No.  31,  The  Danish  Brotherhood  in  America.  Organ- 
ized at  Brayton.  Charter  dated  December  20,  1888.  Transferred  to  Exira. 
First  officers:  Hans  Hansen,  past  president;  Jacob  Bloom,  president;  Jacob 
P.  Bendixen,  vice-president;  Peter  Jacobsen,  secretary;  Chris  Christensen, 
treasurer;  Peter  Neilsen,  guide;  Hans  Symand,  inner  guard;  Nels  L.  Beck, 
outer  guard. 

Present  membership,  fifty-one. 

Denmarks  Lodge  No.  108,  The  Danish  Sisters  Society  in  America. 
Charter  dated  February  28,  1908.  First  officers:  Sine  Gude,  past  presi- 
dent; Marie  Lohner,  president;  Eline  M.  Hansen,  vice-president;  Marie 
Hansen,  secretary;  Kathrine  Hansen,  treasurer;  Karen  Andersen,  guide; 
Alma  Hansen,  inner  guard;  Christina  Nelsen,  outer  guard. 

Modern  National  Reserve.  Organized  at  Exira,  October,  1903.  Its 
officers  were:  William  E.  Brinkerhoff,  president;  Mary  Fulton,  vice-presi- 
dent; Hattie  Witthauer,  secretary  and  treasurer;  Amber  Kelsey,  chaplain; 
William  Milliman,  guide;  Adam  Seibert,  inner  guard;  Charles  Milliman, 
outer  guard. 

It  had  a  large  membership,  who  were  transferred  to  the  American 
Nobles.  They  were  again  transferred  to  the  Fraternal  Aid  Union,  of  Den- 
ver, Colorado,  in  1913.  Present  officers:  Adam  Seibert,  president;  Mary 
Fulton,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

Present  membership,  thirty-five. 

Exira  Homestead  No.  805,  Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen. 
Organized  October  18,  1901.  Officers:  Norton  J.  Marietta,  foreman;  John 
Martin,  master  of  ceremony;  Elizabeth  Martin,  correspondent;  George  Mar- 
tin, master  of  accounts;  Arthur  Hawk,  physician;  D.  R.  Simpkins,  watch- 
man ;  Fred  Bechtold,  sentinel ;  Charles  McCord,  guard. 

Present  membership,  thirteen. 


254  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

ORGANIZATIONS    AT    GRAY. 

Utopia  Lodge  No.  i6i,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Organ- 
ized April  20,  1888,  by  D.  W.  Powers.  Chartered  October  18,  1888.  Char- 
ter members :  O.  B.  Francisco,  James  S.  Fisher,  Samuel  F.  Donaldson, 
John  T.  Day,  Thomas  J.  Spilker,  H.  W.  Lebeck,  Joseph  E.  Freetly. 

These  members  have  held  the  office  of  noble  grand:  1888,  Joseph 
E.  Freetly;  1889,  James  S.  Fi.sher,  Thomas  J.  Spilker;  1890,  O.  B.  Fran- 
cisco, Cash  U.  Taylor;  1891,  Walter  J.  Audas,  Samuel  F.  Garmire;  1892, 
J.  A.  Campbell,  Frank  P.  Huffman;  1893,  Frank  R.  McLaughlin.  William 
T.  Emily;  1894,  Mills  E.  Greenlee,  George  Wever;  1895,  William  L.  Hamil- 
ton, Charles  Tucker;  1896.  Samuel  C.  Randalls,  Milton  D.  Crow;  1897, 
William  J.  Lancelot,  Samuel  Keat;  1898,  William  H.  Lancelot,  William  Z. 
Scott;  1899,  John  C.  French,  Lewis  E.  Edwards;  1900,  Lawrence  A.  Beers, 
Wallace  Bolton;  1901,  Theron  B.  Crevling,  Lawrence  A.  Beers;  1902,  L. 
B.  Graves,  Joseph  L.  Xedrow;  1903,  K.  G.  Lancelot,  Horace  B.  Shelley; 
1904,  Frank  R.  McLaughlin,  August  G.  Fosbeck;  1905,  William  Barger, 
Fred  Baumann;  1906,  Chris.  Jensen,  D.  O.  Corner;  1907,  D.  C.  Chirsten- 
sen,  Elmer  Dyer;  1908,  Charles  Garmire,  Louis  Hansen;  1909,  Ralzo  Rol> 
inson,  George  Wever;  1910,  George  Garber;  1911,  William  Brandherst, 
Charles  E.  McLaughlin;  1912,  Ira  Miller,  Ray  McLaughlin;  1913,  A.  G. 
McMullen,  D.  O.  Corner;  1914,  Robert  L.  Clark,  Ralzo  Robinson;  191 5, 
Frank  R.  IMcLaughlin. 

Present  membership,   forty-eight. 

Canterbury  Bell  Lodge,  No.  506,  Daughters  of  Rebekah.  Charter  dated 
December  9.  1900.  Charter  members:  Theron  B.  Creveling,  Mrs.  Lou 
Creveling,  William  J.  Lancelot,  Phoel^e  A.  Lancelot,  J.  A.  Nelson,  Horace  B. 
Shelley,  Mrs.  H.  B.  Shelley,  J.  L.  Nedrow,  Anna  Nedrow,  Mollie  E.  Barger, 
Bertha  Shelley,  Clara  Shelley,  Thomas  S.  Wilson.  ]\Iaggie  E.  Wilson,  Charles 
Tucker,  Walter  J.  Andas,  Jennie  Andas,  Henry  F.  Wolf,  Jr.,  William  Z. 
Scott,  L.  E.  Edwards,  J.  C.  Hensch,  Tillie  Hensch. 

These  ladies  have  held  the  office  of  noble  grand:  Phoebe  Lancelot, 
Lou  Creveling,  Marguerite  Wilson.  Jennie  Audas,  Eva  Beers,  Anna  Nedrow, 
Bertha  Shelley.  Lizzie  Heff,  Cora  McLaughlin,  Mable  Barger,  Ella  Denton. 
Sadie  Denton,  Myrtle  Corner,  Ella  Forsbeck.  Cora  Weaver,  Matilda  Jensen, 
Grace  Cameron,  Nettie  Wernig.  Lillian  Farrell,  Mary  Wever,  May  I. 
McLaughlin.  ]\Iay  Shingledecker.  Marie  Jensen.  Gayetta  Farrell,  Jessie  Bar- 
ber, Bessie  Bunker. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  255 

Present  membership,  thirty-nine. 

Gray  Camp  No.  2952,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Chartered  May 
9,  1895.  Charter  members :  Lawrence  A.  Beers,  R.  D.  Henderson,  Frank 
P.  Huffman,  LoveU  Estes,  A.  Kitson,  J.  F._  Benson,  J.  A.  Campbell,  Fred  C. 
Hepp.  Oliver  Bicknor,  Samuel  F.  Garmire.  Frank  R.  McLaughlin,  George 
Chamberlin,  W.  A.  Dewitt,  Charles  Rogers,  James  Barnack,  Frank  Ginthers, 
J.  J.  Stuart,  A.  B.  Comstock,  Harlan  Kennells,  D.  H.  Steere,  William  J. 
Lancelot. 

ORGANIZATIONS    AT    HAMLIN. 

Hamlin  Lodge  No.  256,  Danish  Brotherhood  in  America.  Chart- 
ered March  25,  1907.  Charter  members  and  first  officers :  Niels  A.  B.  Jen- 
sen, ex-president ;  Peter  J.  Juel,  president ;  Vilh  Olsen,  president ;  Jens  F. 
Petersen,  secretary;  Jorgen  R.  Petersen,  treasurer;  Olaf  N.  Olsen,  Fredrick 
C.  P.  Nissen,  John  E.  Tvenstrup,  trustees ;  Carl  C.  Tvenstrup,  conductor ; 
Rasmus  Nielsen,  inner  guard ;  Fred  Christensen,  outer  guard. 

These  members  have  held  the  office  of  president :  Peter  J.  Juel,  Peter 
N.  Olsen,  N.  J.  Jensen,  Fredrick  C.  P.  Nissen,  Jacob  Andersen,  Johan 
Petersen. 

Present  membership,  twenty-seven. 

ORGANIZATIONS  AT  KIMBALLTON. 

Fremad  Lodge  No.  21,  The  Danish  Brotherhood  in  America.  Chartered 
May  13.  1913.  Charter  members;  P.  J.  P.  Kelgor,  Anders  Hansen,  Rasmus 
Broker,  Laurids  Theodor  Jensen,  Oscar  E.  T.  Hartel,  Ole  Jansen,  Lars  Ras- 
mussen,  Lars  Peter  Nielsen,  Knud  Jorgensen  Petersen.  Conrad  Nielsen, 
Johannes  Vester. 

These  have  held  the  office  of  president ;  Jens  J.  P.  Kelgor,  Rasmus 
Broker,  Andrew  Hansen. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


TOWNS   AND   VILLAGES. 


EXIRA. 


Exira  is  the  oldest  town  that  has  survived  in  the  county.  It  was  laid 
out  on  lot  i6  and  the  south  one-fourth  of  lot  9,  in  section  4,  Exira  town- 
ship, comprising  fifty  acres  of  clean  prairie.  Its  location  was  all  that  could 
have  been  desired,  being  situated  on  a  beautiful  elevated  bench,  half  a  mile 
east  from  the  fork  of  David's  creek,  with  the  Nishua  Botna  river,  with 
groves  up  to  the  very  borders  of  the  town.  It  was  surveyed  and  platted  by 
Peoria  I.  Whitted,  under  direction  of  David  Edgerton  and  Judge  Daniel 
M.  Harris,  on  the  land  of  Mr.  Edgerton,  who  owned  a  large  tract  of  the 
adjoining  premises.  Judge  Harris  is  entitled  to  credit  for  founding  the 
town  and  was  owner  of  the  unrecorded,  undivided  half  of  the  enterprise. 
It  was  first  intended  that  its  name  should  be  Viola,  after  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
Edgerton,  but  Judge  John  Eckman,  from  Ohio,  a  kinsman  of  the  Cranes, 
being  here  at  the  time,  proposed  to  buy  a  lot  if  the  proprietors  would  name 
the  town  after  his  daughter.  Miss  Exira  Eckman,  which  was  accordingly 
done.  The  name  is  of  Spanish  origin.  One  cause  for  the  foundation  of  the 
town  was  that  the  Dodge  route  for  the  railroad  was  surveyed  through  the 
town  site.  It  proved  an  ignis  fatuits,  which  lured  many  people,  first  and 
last,  to  settle  in  the  vicinity,  and  the  influence  continued  down  to  the  time 
of  building  the  railroad,  1878. 

The  town  had  an  auspicious  opening  by  a  sale  of  its  lots  at  public  auc- 
tion. Mr.  Harris  cried  the  sale,  and  the  proceeds  for  the  first  day  aggre- 
gated one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  It  was  easily  the  lead- 
ing town  in  the  county  from  its  start,  and  held  its  prestige  against  all  com- 
ers until  the  town  of  Audubon  succeeded  to  the  honor  in  1879.  Mr.  Edger- 
ton reserved  all  of  block  4  for  his  homestead,  and  Judge  Harris  reserv^ed 
block  8  for  a  like  purpose  for  himself  and  erected  thereon  his  dwelling 
house,  the  first  in  town.  This  was  quickly  succeeded  by  the  erection  of 
dwellings  the  same  year  by  John  R.  Thacker,  Franklin  Hobbs,  A.  B.  Hous- 
ton and  David  Edgerton.     During  the  succeeding  year  a  commodious  school 


a 


NORTH   SJIDE   OF  WASHINGTON   STREET.   EXIRA. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  25/ 

house  was  erected  (see  sketch  of  Hon.  Daniel  M.  Harris).  A  hotel  was 
b^uilt  by  Palmer  Rodgers,  and  other  residences  were  erected  by  Charles 
Chapin,  Zel  Edgerton,  Asa  Haskins,  William  Nelson  and  Urbane  Herrick. 
A  workshop  was  also  built  by  Mr.  Harris,  but  was  soon  converted  into  an 
office. 

In  1859  other  residences  were  erected  by  Harriet  McGinnis,  William 
Pangburn,  \\^illiam  Bush,  Doctor  Ham,  and  perhaps  others.  Deacon 
Lyman  Bush  came  here  in  1857  ^^^  purchased  the  residence  built  by  his 
son-in-law,  Franklin  Hobbs.  He  was  the  shoemaker.  Daniel  Crane  and 
his  sons,  David  L.  Anderson,  Bryant  Milliman  and  Levi  B.  Montgomery 
lived  near  the  town.  Crane  and  Anderson  were  blacksmiths.  Palmer 
Rodgers  came  in  1856  and  built  the  hotel  the  following  year,  on  the  south 
side  of  block  2,  which  he  sold  to  Franklin  Burnham,  and  moved  away.  Burn- 
ham  sold  to  Stillman  H.  Perry  and  moved  away;  Perry  kept  the  hotel  until 
about  1872,  and  was  succeeded  by  Mrs.  Mattie  L  Luccock  until  1874. 
About  1875,  ^t  was  occupied  by  William  P.  Hamlin.  The  old  house  and 
barn  were  torn  down  as  early  as  1879. 

POSTMASTERS. 

David  L.  Anderson  was  the  first  postmaster  of  Exira,  before  the  town 
was  laid  out.  The  subsequent  postmasters  have  been:  Daniel  M.  Harris, 
Franklin  Burnham,  Carlos  E.  Frost,  John  D.  Bush,  Benjamin  F.  Thacker, 
Caleb  Bundy,  George  Hardenbrook,  W.  A.  Mills,  William  Millerman, 
David  Workman,  Hugh  W.  Copeland,  John  B.  Connrardy,  Ernest  D. 
Powell  and  B.  F.  Kreamer. 

EARLY   PROFESSIONAL  AND   BUSINESS   MEN. 

Judge  Harris  was  the  first  lawyer  in  the  county,  as  well  as  in  Exira, 
and  was  county  judge  from  1856  to  1861,  inclusive.  See  sketch  and  men- 
tion of  him  in  other  parts  of  this  work. 

Peoria  L  Whitted  settled  at  Exira  when  the  town  was  started,  and 
lived  there  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  county  surveyor  many  years; 
surveyed  several  of  the  towns  and  additions  thereto;  also,  many  of  the 
county  roads ;  retraced  the  lines  of  the  original  surveys  and  subdivided 
large  areas  of  the  lands  in  the  county  and  in  adjoining  counties.  No  sur- 
veyor of  Audubon  county  ever  did  more  of  such  kind  of  work. 

(17) 


258  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Darius  Barlow  kept  merchandise  for  sale  in  his  dwelling  house  (die 
old  Pangburn  house),  on  the  northwest  corner  of  block  11.  He  was  a 
boisterous  character,  but  a  stout  Union  man,  who  refused  to  sell  ammuni- 
tion to  Southern  sympathizers  in  war  times. 

Carlos  E.  Frost  was  county  treasurer  and  lived  in  Exira  in  1864-5. 
Wi'-liam  P.  Hamlin  came  to  Exira  in  i860  and  bought  the  residence  of 
Judge  Harris.  (See  personal  sketch  of  him  elsewhere  in  this  work). 

About  1864  A.  B.  Houston  brought  a  good  line  of  merchandise  and 
kept  store  in  a  shanty  on  the  site  of  the  Millie  Hash  residence  in  block  12, 
and  continued  the  business  with  some  changes  until  1870,  his  son,  Henry, 
and  John  R.  Thacker  being  associated  in  the  business  part  of  the  time. 
During  the  period  from  1866  to  1869,  inclusive,  Mr.  Houston  was  county 
treasurer;  county  judge  during  1862-3;  deputy  clerk  of  court,  1865.  From 
1856  to  about  1866  he  was  associated  with  Nathaniel  Hamlin  a  portion  of 
the  time  in  the  real  estate  agency.  He  did  the  largest  business  in  the  county 
from  1865  to  1870,  and  was  agent  for  a  large  amount  of  lands,  includmg 
the  Imsiness  of  the  American  Emigrant  Company,  who  had  many  sheep 
let  out  in  Audubon,  Cass  and  Shelby  counties.  He  had  l)y  far  the  best  busi- 
ness opportunities  of  any  man  in  Exira  up  to  liis  time,  but  was  not  equal  to 
the  demand,  and  let  it  slip  through  his  fingers.  He  lost  heavily  by  extend- 
ing credit  in  his  business.  In  1870  he  built  the  Houston  house,  on  the  site 
of  the  present  Park  hotel,  conducted  it  for  several  years,  and  sold  out.  It 
burned  down  and  on  the  same  spot  a  new  hotel  was  erected,  which  is  now 
standing.  Several  men  engaged  in  the  l)lacksmith  business  in  a  small  way 
for  a  dozen  years.  In  i86q,  Aljram  Campbell  came  here  frc^m  Wisconsin 
and  started  a  gocjd  blacksmith  shop ;  and  in  connection  with  it.  a  wagon 
and  repair  shop,  conducted  for  several  years  by  John  Cannon  and  Luke 
Knapp.  Campl)ell  was  succeeded,  aliout  1879,  by  John  Hicks.  Many  others 
have  since  engaged  in  the  business. 

In  1865  John  D.  BusTi,  who  was  a  Massachusetts  Yankee,  kept  goods 
for  sale  in  a  rented  house  used  as  a  residence.  In  1866  he  put  up  a  good- 
sized  store  building,  with  residence  attached,  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
block  6.  where  he  kept  the  l)est  and  largest  assorted  stock  of  merchandise  in 
the  county  up  to  that  time.  His  boots  and  shoes  and  codfish  were  unex- 
celled, and  he  was  postmaster.  He  hauled  his  goods  mostly  from  Des 
Moines  by  teams,  and  Charley  Van  Gorder  was  his  clerk  and  was  the  dravv- 
ing  card  in  the  concern.  He  sold  out  in  1873-4  to  Harris  Brothers,  and 
they  sold,  in  1875,  to  Stotts  &  Houston,  who  moved  t(j  West  Exira  in  1879. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  259 

The  old  store  burned  down  in  1899,  and  the  present  building  was  erected 
by  James  P.  McAninch. 

About  1858  a  one-story  building,  about  sixteen  feet  square,  was  built 
by  Judge  Harris  for  a  shop,  on  block  8,  and  used  by  him  for  an  office  a 
short  time.  It  was  sold  to  the  county  and  moved  to  the  east  side  of  the 
public  square,  where  it  was  used  for  the  county  offices,  and  where  the  county 
records  were  kept  until  1874.  The  county  then  owned  no  other  building, 
and  the  courts  were  held  in  the  school  house. 

On  September  i,  1873,  A.  B.  Hanston.  John  A.  Hallock,  A.  Campbell, 
Charley  Van  Gorder,  John  D.  Bush  and  P.  I.  Whitted  executed  a  bond 
to  Audubon  county  in  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  binding  themselves 
to  furnish  a  building  for  courts  and  county  offices  free,  so  long  as  the  county 
seat  should  remain  at  Exira.  Early  the  next  year  the  Exira  Hall  Company 
was  incorporated,  and  sold  its  stock  sufficient  to  erect  a  building  to  be  used 
for  court  house  and  county  offices,  which  was  l^uilt  on  the  southwest  corner 
of  block  I,  at  the  cost  of  over  two  thousand  two  hundred  dollars.  The 
same  building  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge. 
It  was  occupied  by  the  county  until  the  county  seat  was  removed  to  Audubon 
in  1879. 

PROPOSED  COURT   HOUSE. 

On  September  i,  1871,  the  board  of  supervision  appropriated  six  thou- 
sand nine  hundred  and  forty-eight  dollars  for  the  erection  of  a  court  house 
at  Exira,  and  a  tax  of  four  mills  was  levied  for  that  purpose.  Plans  were 
gotten  out  and  brick  were  bought  from  Van  Gorder  and  heaped  up  in  big 
piles  on  the  public  square  preparatory  for  erecting  the  building.  Then  a 
court  house  fight  began.  The  supervisors  were  enjoined  from  building 
the  house,  and  on  January  18,  1873,  the  case  was  settled,  the  injunction 
acquiesced  in.  and  the  court  house  tax  refunded,  all  of  which  involved  several 
law  suits,  and  which  ended  the  building  of  a  court  house  at  Exira. 

H.  F.  Andrews,  in  1873,  built  the  first  brick  building  erected  in  Audu- 
bon county.  It  was  built  for  an  office  and  was  eighteen  by  forty  feet  in 
size,  and  was  located  on  block  6. 

In  1876  the  trees  were  planted  in  the  "public  park,  being  donated  by 
Alfred  E.  Bartlett  and  Thomas  Walker.  The  plan  was  laid  out  by  H.  F. 
Andrews  and  Samuel  D.  Harn. 

John  A.  Hallock  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1863,  but  never  practiced. 
In  1868  John  W.  Scott,  a  lawyer,  came  here  from  Bloomfield,  Iowa,  and. 
in  connection  with  the  office  of  clerk  of  the  district  court,  to  which  he  was 


26o  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 

elected  in  1868,  practiced  his  profession.  In  iSyirZ  he  was  in  charge  ol 
the  Hamhn  Town  Company,  and  put  up  a  vigorous  fight  to  change  the 
county  seat  to  Hamhn,  but  met  with  signal  defeat.  In  1869  Daniel  W. 
Scribner  and  John  M.  Griggs  were  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Exira  and  formed 
a  partnership  with  H.  F.  Andrews  in  the  law  and  real  estate  business. 
Scribner  withdrew  from  the  firm  the  same  year.  In  1870  H.  F.  Andrews 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  a  law  partnership  formed  by  Andrews  & 
Griggs,  which  continued  until  October,  1873;  during  which  period  they 
established  a  lucrative  business  and  had  an  extensive  acquaintance. 

In  1872,  J.  M.  Rendleman,  M.  D.,  came  here  from  Atlanta,  Ga.,  and 
at  once  established  an  extensive  practice.  He  still  resides  here,  but  lived 
several  years  in  Audubon.  Charles  H.  Andrews,  M.  D.,  a  popular  physician, 
settled  here  in  1875.  He  died  in  1896,  regretted  by  a  wide  acquaintance. 
John  Riley,  M.  D.,  came  in  1880,  and  John  C.  Newlon,  M.  D.,  in  1893. 
Both  live  here  at  present,  in  regular  practice.  Charles  Van  Gorder,  Esq., 
is  deserving  of  more  than  passing  notice.  (See  sketch  of  him  elsewhere 
in  this  work  and  in  the  chapter  on  political  parties.)  He  came  here  by 
way  of  Missouri,  in  red  hot  abolition  times,  during  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
troubles.  He  was  an  utter  stranger  and  some  speculation  was  indulged  as 
to  his  business  in  coming  here.  "Uncle  Natty"  Hamlin  was  suspicious  and 
did  not  fancy  him,  and  volunteered  the  opinion:  "I  can  tell  what  he  is;  he 
is  a  ganned  nigger  stealer,  sir!"  But  Charley  was  clear  of  any  such  impu- 
tation. He  found  employment  with  "Billy"  Nelson  in  the  brick  yard  at 
Exira. 

AN    UNAPPRECIATED   JOKE. 

Perk  Smith  tells  of  a  good  incident  which  happened  at  that  time.  Nel- 
son was  burning  a  brick  kiln,  and  some  of  the  boys  met  there  one  evening, 
John  R.  Thacker  among  them.  It  was  suggested  that  the  fires  in  the  kiln 
offered  a  fine  opportunity  to  roast  chickens.  Thacker  was  in  for  it,  and 
suggested  that  Deacon  Bush  had  some  chickens  which  would  be  just  the 
thing.  He  proposed  that  some  of  the  bo5^s  should  procure  the  chickens  ana 
that  he  and  Van  Gorder  would  prepare  the  mud  for  roasting  them.  The 
process  consists  in  covering  the  chicken,  feathers  and  all,  w'ith  a  casing  of 
soft  clay,  and  placing  the  mass  in  a  hot  fire  until  cooked.  It  is  then  removed 
from  the  fire,  the  crust  of  clay,  feathers  and  skin  removed,  leaving  a 
tootlisome  morsel,  which  can  hardly  be  excelled  by  any  other  style  of  the 
culinary  art.  The  boys  returned  with  a  sackful  of  chickens,  which  were 
cooked  a  la  proper,  and  the  feast  was  enjoyed.     Thacker  was  merry  over 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  261 

it,  and  wondered  what  the  deacon  would  say  in  the  morning  upon  missing 
his  chickens.  But  the  event  never  happened.  When  Thacker  went  to  his 
own  chicken  house  it  was  empty!  He  considered  himself  the  victim  of  a 
dirty,  unpardonable  trick,  and  treated  his  late  companions  with  unmitigated 
scorn  and  contempt.     He  failed  to  see  the  beauty  of  the  joke. 

In  1862  Van  Gorder  enlisted  in  the  Thirty-ninth  Iowa  Infantry  as  a 
private,  and  served  in  the  Western  Army.  He  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Altoona  Pass,  under  the  gallant  General  Corse,  where  he  was  wounded. 
He  filled  all  offices  up  to  captain  in  his  company,  was  discharged  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  returned  to  Exira  in  1865.  In  1866  he  made  a  freight- 
ing trip  to  Denver  with  ox  teams  and  returned.  Afterwards  he  was  a 
brickmaker  in  Exira  on  his  own  account.  During  1867  to  1869,  inclusive, 
he  was  clerk  in  the  store  of  John  D.  Bush,  at  Exira. 

After  serving  four  years  as  county  treasurer,  1870-3,  he  organized  the 
Audubon  County  Bank  at  Exira,  the  first  banking  house  in  the  county,  and 
has  continued  in  the  business  to  the  present  time. 

MUNICIPAL   ITEMS. 

Exira  was  incorporated  on  December  13,  1880.  These  have  been  may- 
ors of  the  town:  John  R.  Ridge,  1881 ;  David  L.  Anderson,  1881 ;  Erwin 
Watson,  1 881;  Richard  W.  Griggs,  1882;  John  B.  Connrardy,  1883-4;  A. 
B.  Houston,  1885;  Joseph  E.  Toft,  1886-9;  Charles  T.  Wilcutt,  1890-1 ; 
James  P.  Lair,  1892;  Isaac  L.  vStatzell,  1893-4;  Van  B.  Hellyer,  1895; 
Charles  T.  Breniman,  1896-8;  C.  A.  Marlin,  1900-1  ;  George  F.  Kapp, 
1902-3;  Leroy  J.  Oldaker,  1903;  H.  F.  Andrews.  1904-5;  Charles  E.  Nichols, 
1905;  John  O.  Howard,  1906-7;  Nels  Hansen,  1908-9;  John  H.  Rendle- 
man,  1910-11;  T.  M.  Rassmussen,  1912-15. 

Houston's  addition  was  laid  out  by  A.  B.  Houston  on  September  2, 
1878,  on  lot  15,  section  4,  Exira  township. 

West  Exira  was  laid  out  by  H.  F.  Andrews,  William  F.  Stotts,  Henry 
B.  Houston,  John  M.  Griggs  and  L.  C.  Van  Hook,  on  March  29,  1879,  and 
is  situated  on  lots  5,  6,  11  and  12,  in  section  4,  Evira  township. 

Exira  Heights  was  laid  out  by  U.  S.  Herrick,  James  F.  McAnnich 
and  Edwin  Delahoyde,  on  March  13,  1894,  on  lot  12,  section  3,  and  lot  9, 
section  4,  Exira  township. 

Gates'  addition  was  laid  out  by  J.  E.  and  J.  G.  Gates  on  July  9,  1894, 
on  lot   13,  section  3,  Exira  township. 

On  May  11,  1887,  a  big  fire  destroyed  the  buildings  on  the  south  side 


262  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

of  block  3,  Exira,  the  main  business  street,  which  was  rebuilt  with  remark- 
able rapidity  and  replaced  by  brick  business  houses. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  schools  of  Exira,  from  the  beginning,  have  been  justly  celebrated 
for  excellence.  Their  early  equipments,  while  not  equal  to  present  condi- 
tions, were  up  to  the  standard  of  neighboring  pioneer  facilities.  The  first 
school  house,  twenty-four  by  thirty  feet  in  size,  was  built  in  1858.  The 
seats,  of  different  lengths,  were  clumsy  furniture,  made  of  stout,  dressed 
walnut  plank,  with  open  rail  backs  of  the  same  material.  The  desks,  of 
the  same  material,  were  huge,  four-posted  boxes,  with  hinged  tops,  and 
were  not  fastened  to  the  fioor.  The  manufacturers  were  supposed  to  have 
been  Judges  Harris  and  Houston,  and,  like  the  fellows  dancing,  if  not  pretty, 
they  were  strong.  The  house  was  remodeled  and  has  been  used  as  a  dwell- 
ing for  many  years,  on  its  original  site. 

In  1 87 1  four  thousand  dollars  had  been  appropriated  for  a  brick  school 
house  at  Exira.  But,  by  some  kind  of  shuffling  on  the  part  of  the  school 
officers,  the  first  warning  that  Exira  people  had,  a  contract  was  let  to  John 
Cannon  for  the  erection  of  a  frame  school  house  at  the  cost  of  two  thou- 
sand three  hundred  dollars.  It  was  clear  that  Exira  had  been  tricked  out  of 
their  brick  school  house.  A  two-story,  two-room  pine  box  was  erected  on 
the  present  school  house  premises.     It  was  not  a  thing  of  beauty,  nor  a  joy. 

In  1884  the  school  house  was  enlarged  l)y  the  erection  of  an  impos- 
ing two-story  edifice  of  six  rooms,  adjoining  and  in  front  of  the  for- 
mer building,  at  the  cost  of  three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  It  was 
fairly  suitable  for  the  town  schools  until  recent  years.  It  was  torn  down 
and  removed  in  191 5,  after  the  erection  of  the  present  new  school  house. 

During  the  year  1914-15,  additional  ground  was  procured,  and  a  new 
brick  school  house,  fifty-nine  by  ninety-nine  feet,  two  stories  and  basement, 
was  erected  and  equipped,  at  a  cost  of  thirty-eight  thousand  dollars.  It  is 
modern  in  every  detail ;  equipped  with  steam  heating  system,  thermostatic 
ventilation,  waterworks,  and  fire  hose,  fire  escapes,  fire  alarm  and  electric 
lights,  telephone,  sanitary  drinking  fountains,  bath  rooms,  closets  and  ward- 
robes. It  contains  boiler  room,  with  coal  and  ash  bins ;  engine  room;  a 
gymnasium  in  the  basement,  thirty-two  Ijy  sixty  feet,  eighteen  feet  high; 
domestic  science  room,  with  dining  room  and  pantry  attached ;  manual  train- 
ing room ;  assembly  room ;  seven  grade  class  rooms  and  three  recitation 
rooms ;   superintendent's   office,    library,    laboratory,    rest   rooms   and   lunch 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  263 

rooms.  The  school  grounds  are  ample,  with  agricultural  building  in  the 
rear.  Also  there  is  a  septic  tank  in  the  rear  for  receiving  the  sewer  drain- 
age from  the  building.  School  experts  pronounce  it  the  best-appointed  and 
equipped  school  house  of  its  size  in  the  state  at  this  time. 

The  corps  of  instructors  consist  of  a  superintendent  and  nine  subor- 
dinate teachers.  The  payroll  for  the  present  year  is  $6,500.  In  addition 
to  being  a  fully  accredited  high  school,  it  has  been  designated  a  teacher's 
training  school  by  the  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  and,  as 
such,  receives  state  aid  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  year.  Non- 
resident pupils  are  in  attendance  annually.  The  number  of  such  pupils  for 
1914-15  was  thirt)^-seven.  The  total  number  of  pupils  enrolled  for  the  cur- 
rent year  is  two  hundred  and  sixty-hve. 

The  independent  district  of  Exira  embraces  the  west  half  of  section 
2,  all  of  section  3,  all  of  section  4,  except  the  south  half  of  the  southwest 
quarter,  and  the  west  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  10,  all  in 
Exira  township. 

About  1879-80,  Professor  Wilcutt,  who  was  then  principal  of  the 
school,  prepared  a  plan  for  grading  the  school  and  a  course  of  study  appli- 
cable to  the  work.  The  school  board,  then  consisting  of  George  Harden- 
brook,  William  J.  Harris.  Dr.  James  M.  Rendleman,  Hon.  John  A.  Hallock 
and  H.  E.  Andrews,  made  the  proper  order  establishing  the  various  grades 
for  the  school,  also  the  course  of  study,  in  harmony  with  the  recommenda- 
tion of  Professor  Wilcutt. 

The  teachers  employed  from  the  first  have  been  usually  of  good  ability 
and  their  efficiency  advanced  in  harmony  with  the  public  demand.  Those 
who  have  been  in  charge  of  the  school  have  been :  Louis  Harvout,  Edwin 
S.  Hill.  Mary  Crane,  David  B.  Beers,  George  S.  Montgomery,  Benjamin 
E.  Thomas,  John  A.  Hallock,  Beulah  Sylvester.  Samuel  E.  Smith,  Daniel 
\\'.  Scribner,  John  M.  Griggs,  Charles  H.  Andrews,  Charles  D.  Gray,  George 

Lindsey,  A.  E.  Clarendon,  Harmon  G.  Smith,  George  I.  Miller,  Curtis, 

Charles  E.  Wilcutt,  Carl  Ross,  David  P.  Repass,  Elva  Thompson.  W.  H. 
Fort.  William  H.  Brinkerhoft',  John  ]\I.  Crocker,  Louie  Sorensen,  Charles 
W.  Johnson,  John  L.  Conger,  P.  M.  Hersom.  Ered  A.  Sims.  B.  J.  Gallag- 
her, Helen  Carson,  J.  L.  Harper,  William  H.  Hoyman. 

It  is  impossible  at  this  time  to  even  name  the  subordinate  teachers. 
Among  them  were  Mrs.  Beulah  Slyvester  and  Mrs.  Margaret  J.  Roseman, 
who  should  be  remembered  with  affection  and  gratitude  for  their  untiring 
efforts  to  assist  the  boys  and  girls  who  attended  under  their  instruction. 


264  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

THE    HIGH    SCHOOL    ALUMNI. 

For  most  years  beginning  with  1889,  the  high  school  has  graduated  a 
class,  to  wliom  regular  diplomas  have  been  issued.  The  following  is  a  list 
of  graduates  to  the  present  time: 

1889.     Jessie  M.  Shaw. 

1 89 1.  Thomas  Dustin,  Frank  Shranger,  Fred  Gates,  Verna  Croy, 
Rosa  Powell. 

1892.  Walter   Marietta,    Roxie   Huyck,    Charlie   Gates,   Louie   Welch. 

1893.  Ross  Hardenbrook,  Anna  Carpenter,  Gertie  Gates,  Trola  Born, 
Beth  Henry. 

1894.  Anna  Hanson,  Margaret  McNally,  B.  F.  Kreamer,  \\'ill  An- 
ders, Edna  McAffee,   Charles  Kommes. 

1895.  Nettie  Bruner,  Cecelia  Peterman,  Edith  Davis,  Stella  ]\Iaster- 
son,  Florence  Rathburn,  Florence  Hill,  Chalmer  Sturgeon. 

1896.  Hattie  Huyck,  Ola  Williams,  William  Deweese. 

1897.  Albert  Guidinger,  Samuel  Hicks,  Connaught  D.  Hunter,  Frank 
Guidinger,  Peace  Hayes,  Kittie  Jobes,  Charles  Fulton,  Randall  Hunter, 
(orrove  Rathburn. 

1898.  Harriet  Jenkins,  Jennie  Bennett,  Ella  McNallv,  Lee  McAninch, 
Will  Wissler. 

1899.  Ethel  Riley,  Ethel  Hicks,  Rose  Faust.  Lucille  Connrardy,  Myr- 
tle Hellyer. 

1900.  Maude  Campbell,  Amy  Conger,  Eva  Tulbert,  Berta  Gano,  Susie 
Huyck,  Lester  Peterman. 

1902.  Martha  Bruner,  Lillian  B.  Dyer,  Kathryn  Connrardy,  Florence 
E.  McAnnich,  Gretchen  Delahoyde,  Zilpha  M.  Gault,  Otto  Born. 

1903.  Elizabeth  Jones,  Grace  West. 

1904.  Kathleen  Delahoyde,   Charles  E.   Herrick,   Harold   Sturgeon. 

1905.  Mertie  Bruner,  Gertie  Bruner,  Bessie  Ide,  Grace  Hensley,  Ber- 
tha Young,  Lucile  Herrick. 

1907.  Grace  Huyck,  Elsie  Hunt. 

1908.  Delia  Hicks,  Mabel  Hall,  Ruth  Statzell. 

1909.  William  A.  Nelson,  Charles  L  Ide,  Pluma  Freeman. 

1 9 10.  Carrie  Gault,   Mary  Powell. 

191 1.  Dena  Hensley,  Muriel  Koob,  Ora  Hicks,  Ellowene  Dimick, 
Ethel  Bisom,  Winnie  Heath,  Florabelle  Houton,  Frank  Hall. 


OLD    SCHOOL   HOUSE,    EXIKA.   BUILT   IN    1858:    REMODELED    FOIl    DWELLING. 


NEW   SCHOOL   HOUSE,   EXIRA.  1915. 


DEACON    LY:MAX    BUSH    HOUSE.    EXIKA.    BUILT    IN    1857.      MAIN    BUILDING    IS 

THE   OKKilNAL   HOUSE. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  265 

1913.  Flora  Rendleman,  Geraldine  Rendleman,  Dena  Nelson,  Vivian 
Heath. 

1914.  Mary  Lamsen,  Kathleen  Hunt,  Alice  Hay,  Kathryn  Thielen, 
Harvey  Jensen,  Norman  Hensley. 

191 5.  Mabel  Ide,  Leila  Kline,  Goldie  Chase,  Agnes  Nelsen,  Madea- 
line  Essington,  Mrytle  Grinyer,  Genevieve  Wright,  Marie  Freeman,  Frank 
Dimick,  Henry  K.  Petersen,  Theodore  Nelsen. 

EXIRA    NOTABLES. 

Some  of  the  prominent  people  who  have  lived  in  Exira,  not  otherwise 
mentioned  in  this  work,  have  been :  Jacob  Andrews,  Nathan  W.  Andrews, 
Will  E.  Andrews,  Albert  C.  Andrews,  Free  Anders,  L.  E.  Born,  Henry  T. 
Bush,  W.  H.  Bow^man,  Jo.  Chase,  GeOrge  Chase,  A.  L.  Campbell,  William 
Carpenter,  Enoch  Croy,  John  Crane,  Samuel  Crane,  John  G.  Gates,  Stephen 
Gano,  Henry  B.  Houston,  John  Hicks,  Urbane  Herrick,  Julius  M.  Hubbard, 
Charles  O.  Hunt.  George  Hunt,,  Hans  P.  Hansen,  Nathaniel  D.  Hamlin. 
Charles  C.  Hawk,  Samuel  D.  Ham,  J.  D.  Herrick,  Perry  Hansen,  Nels 
Hansen,  Charles  Houston,  A.  W.  Harvey,  V.  B.  Hellyer,  W.  E.  Brinker- 
hoff,  N.  P.  Christensen,  George  W.  Guernsey,  Frank  Gault,  Richard  Gault, 
John  Gray,  Xerxes  Knox,  Peter  Kommes,  Charles  Kommes,  William 
Kommes,  Luke  Knapp,  Noel  Jobes,  W.  J.  Lancelot,  John  Mertes,  Daniel 
W.  Miller,  James  F.  McAnninch,  Bryant  ]Milliman,  Charles  Milliman,  John 
Noon,  George  Paige,  Ernest  D.  Powell,  Theodore  Patty,  John  Peterman, 
James  B.  Rendleman,  William  C.  Sturgeon,  Isaac  Statzell,  Samuel  Smith, 
Hendrick  R.  Smith,  Thomas  Walker,  William  Walker,  Otto  Witthauer, 
Fred  Wahlert,  George  Wahlert,  William  F.  Stotts,  Jo.  Gearheart,  Andrew^  J. 
Leffingwell,  Nick  Thielen.  Francis  J.  Shranger,  John  S.  Toft,  James  Holli- 
day,  James  Willox,  John  Nelsen,  Erwin  Watson,  Lester  Gransberry,  Perry 
Bateman,  George  W.  Bailey,  W.  R.  Bruner,  Joseph  H.  Bell,  W.  R.  Cope- 
land,  Hiram  H.  Dimick,  William  H.  Seavey,  Peter  Tharnish. 

Some  of  the  best  residences  in  Exira  are  those  of  Eugene  C.  Wilson, 
Ed.  Cotton,  James  Channon,  Mrs.  Alice  Connrardy,  William  H.  Voss, 
Ernest  B.  Voss,  Fred  H.  Cotton,  Dr.  Leroy  J.  Oldaker,  John  L  Hensley, 
John  M.  Dimmick,  Edwin  Delahoyde,  William.  Bintner,  Henry  and  Lena 
Bush,  John  H.  Randleman,  Otto  Witthauer,  Hans  P.  Petersen,  Dr.  John 
Riley,  Lars  P.  Christensen,  William  E.  Varney,  Chris.  Jacobsen,  Dr.  J.  C. 
Newlon,  Perry  Hansen,  P.  M.  Christensen,  Mrs.  Lissa  Gault,  Mrs.  Charles 
Klever,  Mrs.  Jens  Jepson,  Nels  Hansen,  George  Milliman,  Frances  L.  Voss. 


266  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

OFFICIAL    AND    BUSINESS    DIRECTORY,     IQIS- 

Population,  eight  hundred  and  thirty-seven. 

Mayor,  T.  M.  Rasmussen ;  to^vn  clerk,  George  C.  Corl ;  marshal,  Roy 
McLain;  assessor,  Robert  C.  Watterson;  justice  of  the  peace,  James  P. 
Lair;  constable,  John  C.  Coe;  postmaster,  Frank  A.  Kreamer;  mail  car- 
riers, Frank  Basham,  Ad  Seibert,  James  Hicks,  Harry  Hockenberry,  An- 
drew C.  Jensen;  principal  of  school,  \\'illiam  H.  Hoyman. 

Attorneys — H.  F.  Andrews,  T.   yi.  Rasmussen. 

Clergymen — Catholic,  Rev.  Father  John  Alayer;  Congregational,  Rev. 
Jessie  Getty;  Alethodist,  Rev.  Henry  P.  Grinyer;  Christian.  Rev.  Charles  S. 
Linkletter;  Lutheran,  Rev.  Peter  Rasmussen. 

Physicians — J.  AL  Rendleman,  John  Riley,  John  C.  Newlon,  Robert  A. 
Jacobsen;  dentist — Leroy  J.  Oldaker;  railroad  agent — W.  O.  Griffith;  Iowa 
Telephone — Ola  Willis;  electrician — Louie  Petersen;  veterinarv  surgeon — 
Roy  A.  Lantz.  Banks — Exchange  Bank.  Edwin  Delahoyde,  cashier;  First 
National  Bank,  James  AL  Carlson,  cashier;  land  agents — John  H.  Rendle- 
man, J.  B.  J.  Lohner,  Lawrence  Hansen,  Lee  McAnninch;  insurance  agents 
— Theodore  Patty,  A.  W.  Harvey;  life  insurance — Albert  C.  Andrews; 
druggists — Nels  Hansen,  Exira  Drug  Co. ;  general  stores — Ed  Cotton.  Hans 
P.  Petersen,  Erke  Brothers,  A.  L.  Hamon ;  grocer — Fred  H.  Cotton ;  hard- 
ware— John  Nelson,  William  E.  Varney;  variety  store — Peter  R.  Jorgen- 
sen;  meat  market — Peter  Hassenfeldt;  grain  elevator — Herman  Barnholdt; 
creamery — Exira  Creamery  Company,  Chris  Petersen ;  produce — Exira 
Produce  Company,  George  W.  McNary;  agricultural  implements — Kommes 
Brothers;  harness  makers — Jack  \Y.  Alsup.  Hans  Miller;  livestock  dealers 
- — Hensley  &  Dimick;  Livestock  and  grain — Exira  Co-Operative  Co.,  W. 
F.  Williams ;  oil — Standard  Oil  Company,  Mike  Harned ;  hotel — Park 
Hotel,  Mrs.  D.  V.  Wright;  boarding  houses — ^Irs.  Stella  Gearhart,  Noel 
Jobes;  restaurant — 3>lrs.  Susan  Spoo ;  cafe — Wagner  Brothers;  jeweller — 
Peter  ]\f .  Christensen ;  lumber — Green  Bay  Lumber  Company,  Merle  R. 
Terhune.  manager;  Fullerton  Lumber  Compan}-,  H.  P.  Hansen,  manager; 
liveryman — Daniel  Branstater;  garage — Hans  P.  Hansen,  \\'esley  Donald- 
son, Johnson  &  Westphalen ;  auto  repair  shop — Nelson  &  Phillips;  machin- 
ists— Exira  Auto  and  Alachine  Works,  P.  K.  Jensen;  blacksmiths — Andrew 
A.  Andersen,  Nels  L.  Beck ;  lightning  rods — John  Miller ;  contractor  and 
builder,  and  planing  mill — George  C.  \"oss;  Palace  Theater.  Joe  Meurer; 
undertaker — George  L.  Gore;  billiard  hall — Hunt  Brothers;  dressmakers — 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  26/ 

Amber  Kelsey,  Mrs.  Cannon;  pantitoriam — Earl  Thomas;  shoemakers — 
David  Workman,  Gerald  Hensley,  Hans  Miller;  coal  dealers — George  B. 
Gill,  ]Mrs.  Keziah  Pesing,  Peter  Goode;  masons — Joseph  Gearheart,  Jack 
Hinckle,  George  Leffingwell,  Frank  Leffingwell ;  carpenters — Robert  C. 
A\'atterson,  Ad  Watterson,  Grant  Jones,  William  H.  Voss,  Charles  C. 
Johnson,  ^^'illiam  Fulton,  Thomas  Murphy,  Willis  Hinkle,  J.  W.  Kline; 
painters  and  paper  hangers — Kirk  Knox,  William  O.  Scott,  Frank  Schmidt, 
A.  M.  Larsen,  Walter  Larsen,  AI.  W.  Xelsen,  Robert  L.  Houston;  barbers 
— Hugh  Smith.  Bishop  &  Statzell ;  popcorn — Roy  Bolton ;  bus  drivers — 
George  Milliman,  Joseph  Shaw;  draymen — Frank  B.  Heath,  George  Chase, 
F.  H.  Watson;  house  movers — Joe  Chase,  George  Chase;  Commercial  Club, 
F.  J.  Oldaker,  secretary;  Exira  Fady  Boosters,  Maude  Oldaker,  secretary; 
Thursday  Club,  Mrs.  Dolly  Newlon,  president;  Treble  Clef,  Airs.  Hattie 
Witthauer,  president;  Dressmaking  College,  Mrs.  Alice  Connrardy;  tailor. 
A.  W^olcott. 

AUDUBON. 

The  town  was  laid  out  by  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  21,  Feroy  township,  Septem- 
ber 2T„  1878.  This  land  was  claimed  and  squatted  on  as  a  homestead  by 
one  Edward  Robinson.  The  growth  of  the  town  was  phenomenal.  It  was 
promoted  not  only  by  the  prestige  of  the  railroad  company,  but  also,  among 
others,  by  the  influence  of  Ethelbert  J.  Freeman  and  Capt.  Charles  Stuart, 
public-spirited  gentlemen,  who  devoted  their  energies  to  building  a  town  in 
the  then  wilderness.  It  started  with  an  auction  sale  of  its  town  lots  on 
October  15,  1878;  and  the  first  day's  sales  aggregated  six  thousand  one  hun- 
dred and  ninety  dollars.  Before  night  work  was  begun  building  business 
houses,  which  continued  vigorously  through  the  winter;  and  for  several 
years  afterward,  and  even  to  the  present  time,  periodically. 

Alex  H.  Roberts,  who  has  since  continuously  lived  at  Audubon,  and 
who  attended  that  lot  sale  and  then  bought  the  lot  upon  which  his  store  is 
now  situated,  on  December  16,  1878,  wrote  to  his  home  paper  at  Mt.  Pleasant, 
Iowa,  an  account  of  the  new  town  of  Audubon,  describing  its  progress,  con- 
ditions, prospects,  etc.  It  is  the  best  account  of  Audubon  at  that  period  yet 
found.    Mr.  Roberts  wrote  : 

"When  I  first  visited  this  place,  October  15,  the  day  the  lots  were  first 
offered  for  sale,  there  was  not  a  completed  house  in  the  place,  and  but  three 
or  four  in  course  of  erection.  Today  we  have  over  fifty  houses  and  the 
dififerent  businesses  are  represented  about  as  follow :     One  bank,  five  general 


268  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

stores,  one  jewelry  store,  two  hotels,  one  restaurant,  three  meat  markets, 
three  blacksmith  shops,  one  harness  shop,  one  livery  stable,  two  coal  yards, 
two  lumber  yards,  one  elevator,  three  grain  dealers,  etc.  A  school  house, 
twenty-two  by  thirty  feet,  was  completed  ten  days  ago,  and  school  opened 
last  Monday,  with  fourteen  scholars  and  Bob  Hunter,  teacher.  *  *  * 
The  county  seat  is  located  at  Exira,  a  village  thirteen  miles  from  here,  near 
the  south  end  of  the  county,  and  will,  I  think,  without  doubt,  be  removed  to 
this  place  next  fall.  (Which  proved  to  be  prophetic.)  Although  it  is  now 
mid-winter  and  the  mercury  lingers  near  zero,  yet  the  sound  of  the  saw  and 
hammer  is  to  be  heard  on  all  sides,  and  only  last  week  three  large  business 
houses  were  commenced,  and  I  understand  another  banking  house  and  hard- 
ware store,  two-stories  high,  besides  many  smaller  ones,  are  to  be  built  this 
winter.  *  *  *  -pj^^  railroad  was  completed  December  6,  and  since  that 
time  not  less  than  ten  thousand  bushels  of  corn  have  been  hauled  in  here,  and 
four  carloads  of  wheat  shipped.  A  depot  twenty-four  by  one  hundred  feet 
is  now  being  built." 

A  month  later  a  local  newspaper  contained  a  flaming  description  of  the 
new  city : 

"then  and  now. 

"Don't  it  beat  the  royal  star  spangled  American!  But  a  few  short 
months  ago,  in  the  place  where  we  now  sit,  encircled  by  all  that  exalts  and 
embellishes  civilized  life  (perhaps),  the  rank  thistle  nodded  in  the  wind,  and 
the  wild  polecat  flipped  his  caudal  appendage  in  the  prairie  grass,  or  words 
to  that  effect.  Pshaw !  We  thought  we  were  running  a  Sunday  school  paper 
in  Exira!  It  is  not  often  that  we  get  sentimental!  But  what  we  started  out 
to  say  is  this :  Less  than  four  months  ago  we  roamed  around  over  this  town 
plat,  trying  to  trace  out  the  streets  and  alleys  by  the  short  stakes  planted  a 
short  time  before  in  the  high  prairie  grass.  Not  a  building  had  been  erected, 
and  in  fact  there  were  no  signs  that  any  would  be  erected  for  some  time  to 
come.  The  grass  had  already  been  killed  by  the  autumn  frosts,  and  the  cold 
wind  betokened  winter  at  hand.  .  Nearly  every  one  predicted  that  nothing 
would  be  attempted  in  the  way  of  building  until  springtime.  Today  (Janu- 
ary 22,  1879,)  we  are  sitting  in  a  handsome  two-story  building.  In  the  rear 
room  two  presses  are  running,  and  their  incessant  click !  click !  click !  an- 
nounces that  the  'art  preservative'  has  found  its  way  to  the  'new  town,'  as 
it  was  then  called.  Around  us  are  papers  and  books,  in  profusion,  and  sev- 
eral persons — strangers  to  us  then — some  reading,  some  talking;  but  all  here 
to  make  a  home.    In  front  is  a  fine  street,  and  scores  of  teams  and  busy  people 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  269 

hurrying  to  and  fro ;  the  iron  horse  is  snorting  and  puffing  beside  a  magni- 
ficent depot,  and  passengers  are  leaving  the  train  and  hurrying  to  hotels  and 
other  places.  Half  a  dozen  dray  teams  are  hauling  goods  up  the  streets;  the 
hotel  bells  are  ringing  to  call  the  many  new-comer  guests  to  dinner ;  the  sound 
of  the  tools  used  in  nearly  all  trades  can  be  heard;  upward  of  a  hundred  build- 
ings, many  of  them  magnificent  ones,  adorn  the  town  plat,  and  we  see  Audu- 
bon, then  a  naked  tract  of  prairie,  now  a  veritable  and  flourishing  young  city, 
the  liveliest  of  its  age  in  Iowa — as  hundreds  who  see  it  every  day  freely  admit. 
We  venture  the  prediction  that  in  one  year  from  today  the  population  of  the 
place  will  reach  nearly  one  thousand.  And  why  not?  It  is  tributary  to,  and 
will  command,  the  entire  trade  of  as  beautiful  country  as  the  sun  ever  shone 
on,  for  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles,  east,  north  and  west,  and  about  half  that 
distance  south." 

FIRST    BUSINESS   DIRECTORY. 

During  the  winter  of  1878-9  the  following  professional  firms  and  busi- 
ness houses  were  established:  Land  agent — Ethelbert  J.  Freeman.  Law- 
yers— Henry  W.  Hanna,  Joseph  L.  Stotts,  Melvin  Nichols,  Nash  &  Phelps, 
J.  Mack  Love,  Frank  M.  Van  Pelt,  Matt  Matthews,  Benjamin  F.  Thacker, 
John  H.  Carroll,  all  from  Exira;  H.  U.  Funk,  John  W.  McCord.  J.  O. 
Andrews,  T.  J.  Reigart.  Physicians — John  D.  Holmes,  from  Hamlin; 
Hugh  Bell,  John  F.  Cloughly,  Joseph  T.  Breniman,  Peter  M.  Sheafor,  R.  H. 
Brown.  Jeweller — Elias  W.  Beghtol.  Railroad  agent — Ebenezer  C.  Brown. 
Hotels — D.  H.  Walker,  from  Exira;  Reynolds  House;  Matthias  &  Gaylord, 
from  Arcadia.  Boarding  house — John  Steiner,  from  Carroll.  Bank — 
Van  Gorder  &  Whitney,  from  Exira.  Drug  stroes — Alex.  H.  Roberts,  from 
Mt.  Pleasant;  William  Claughly,  from  Mitchellville.  General  stores — Ben- 
jamin F.  Howald,  from  Atlantic;  E.  H.  Ryan,  from  Council  Bluff;  E.  M. 
Funk;  Wilson  Burnside,  from  Carroll.  Grocers — Gleason  &  Liindy,  from 
Red  Oak;  J.  F.  Wells,  from  Anita;  A.  S.  Hatch.  Hardware — Martin  & 
Keller,  from  Atlantic;  Stephen  H.  Shryver,  from  Bloomington,  Illinois. 
Furniture  and  undertaking — Horace  Prentice,  from  Mechanicsville.  Meat 
markets — Chester  W.  Wheeler,  from  Viola;  Samuel  Hunter,  from  Exira. 
Livery  stable — Gardner  &  Baxter,  from  Arcadia.  Harness  maker — David 
E.  Soar,  from  Exira.  Shoemaker — John  Both.  Graindealer — Wilson  Burn- 
side,  from  Carroll.  Grain,  lumber,  lime  and  coal — Charley  Stuart  &  Son, 
from  Neponset,  Illinois.  Lumber — A.  A.  Hubbard,  from  Atlantic.  Coal 
and  grain — Frank  H.  Burr,  from  Atlantic.  Contractors  and  builders — 
J.  H.  Carruthers,  H.  C.  Paul,  P.  McKinley.     Drayman— James  A.  Pollett. 


2/0  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

Saloons — Sanford  Boatman,  from  Atlantic;  John  Frahm,  from  Davenport; 
J.  E.  Tucker,  from  Boone.     Public  buildings — Railroad  depot,  school  house. 

During  the  year  1879  the  present  court  house  was  erected  by  the  rail- 
road company  and  its  use  was  tendered  to  the  county  for  five  years  free  of 
cost,  in  case  the  county  seat  should  be  brought  to  Audubon.  Charles  Stuart 
&  Son  erected  the  finest  brick  office,  for  their  extensive  business,  of  the  kind 
to  l)e  found  in  Iowa.  At  the  general  election  the  same  year  it  was  voted 
that  the  county  seat  be  changed  from  Exira  to  Audubon,  which  was  accord- 
ingly done. 

The  following  new  business  interests  were  also  established  in  1879: 
Lawyers — John  M.  Griggs,  from  Exira;  A.  E.  Bell.  Dentist — Doctor 
Hoover.  Hotels — E.  Weston,  J.  H.  Grant.  Restaurant  and  bakery — Emil 
Bilharz,  from  Seneca,  Illinois.  Drug  store — Joseph  T.  Breniman.  Mer- 
chants— Lundy  Brothers,  C.  Egbert,  Elkanah  S.  Foster,  John  F.  Consig- 
ney,  Frank  Gleason,  Evan  Davis,  John  H.  Kate,  Mallory  &  Jay,  Noah  Kel- 
ler, Shryver  &  Mundy.  Furniture — O.  C.  Jewett,  \\\  H.  Miller,  Scott 
Brothers.  Agent  for  implements — A\'illiams  &  Morrow.  Meat  market — 
A.  A.  Zaner.  Liverymen — I.  N.  Simpson,  W.  P.  Gardner,  Goodwin  Thomp- 
son. Harness  maker — Louis  Tramp.  Shoemaker — John  Ott.  Barl^er — 
Wilson  D.  Blackwood.  Blacksmiths — Neil  Ross.  Keen  &  Jump,  R.  G. 
Sands,  H.  B.  Wilson.  Milliners — Mrs.  Frank  Gleason,  Mrs.  Newmire,  Miss 
Donaldson.  Photographers — T.  B.  Mendenhall,  I.  E.  Hilsabeck.  Grain 
dealer — George  Gray,  from  Gray.  Lumber  dealer — H.  Umphrey.  Dray- 
men— James  Bennefield,  Joseph  Allee,  A.  H.  Herring,  Joseph  Heath. 
Saloon — Henry  Rohrbeck. 

ROSTER   OF   VOTES. 

List  of  men  entitled  to  vote  in  1879:  George  Atkinson,  J.  W.  Bacon, 
F.  A.  Hacker,  H.  C.  McMillan,  Henry  Welch.  I.  N.  Simpson,  Charles  H. 
Tefft,  J.   T.   :^Iinor,  J.   H.   Keese,  J.   H.   Thompson,   W^illiam   Noel,   J.    H. 

Whitman,  L.  M.  Anderson,  N.  R.  Simpson,  I.  W.  Baker, Van  Horn, 

John  Ewing,  Ed.  Robinson,  Henry  McGuire,  John  Steiner,  A.  F.  Loomis, 
George  Frederick,  John  Hoffman,  William  Mallony.  W.  R.  Collins.  \\'ilson 
D.  Blackwood.  John  Frahm.  William  Speas.  Sylvestor  Ary.  J.  H.  Gardner, 
M.  T.  Adams.  John  W.  Griffin.  Nick  Roth,  James  Holland,  Wilson  Burn- 
side,  S.  W.  Smith,  Daniel  \\\  Matthias,  John  Gorner,  Ed.  McMahon.  W. 
D.  Bates.  J.  Bartlett.  W.  C.  Lleckendorn.  A.  M.  Smith.  J.  C.  Shutes.  Arthur 
L.  Sanborn,  J.  Schryver,  J.  H.  Thorpe,  J.  H.  Brayton,  William  J.  Myers, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  .  27 1 

J.  F.  Wells,  E.  F.  Fales,  Frank  Hobart,  N.  T.  Fraker,  Harry  Collins, 
Charles  Newmire,  R.  A.  Chaplin,  John  Cartwright,  A.  A.  Zaner,  F.  M. 
Ellis.  Ed.  B.  Cousins,  Frank  H.  Burr,  J.  D.  Sleeper,  J.  F.  Ford,  E.  M.  Funk, 
William  Hastings,  H.  A.  Arnold,  John  Martin,  Henry  Atkeson,  J.  W.  Pol- 
lett,  Joseph  L.  Stotts,  Henry  Hester,  Gideon  Williams,  H.  G.  Walters,  M. 
W.  Decker.  M.  D.  Baily,  Henry  E.  Cole,  I.  L.  Dermond,  C.  C.  Ellett,  E.  C. 
Honewell,  James  A.  Scott,  J.  W.  Lewis,  I.  P.  Baker.  W.  Tulbert.  J.  O.  And- 
rews. E.  C.  Meacham,  H.  H.  Willis,  J.  F.  Esty,  Harry  Loomis,  Charles 
Buck,  Michael  Boust,  J.  T.  Pryor.  Samuel  Hunter,  James  McVay,  Hans 
Frahm,  I.  E.  Hilsabeck,  John  Coquillett,  Elisha  Baxter,  Neil  Ross,  John 
Schreck,  John  Holland,  Mixe  Loy,  Ebenezer  C.  Brown,  George  Cox,  A.  C. 

Gaylord,  H.  C.  Paul,  Sylvester  K.  Landis,  — Rutherford,  P.  Kearney, 

John  C.  Wilson,  C.  M.  Maddox,  O.  W.  Andrews,  Stephen  H.  Schryver, 
Benjamin  F.  Thacker,  Eaton,  Emerson  H.  Kimball.  D.  A.  Rails- 
back,  Charles  Knox,  George  S.  Knox,  J.  C.  Williams,  J.  E.  Tucker,  Henry 
Newmire,  John  Dunn,  M.  N.  Marble,  Charles  Mesorve,  George  W.  Ellis, 
Alex.  Fowler,  W.  P.  Clark,  Chester  W.  Wheeler.  H.  U.  Funk,  George  N. 
Funk,  Lee  Funk,  Sammie  P.  Rhoads,  Joseph  Gaylord,  Henry  Engleking, 
J.  H.  Grant.  J.  W.  Louder.  P.  McKinley,  D.  H.  Walker,  Robert  M.  Hub- 
bard. Byron  S.  Phelps,  A.  F.  Rogers,  H.  W.  Van  Gorder,  Emiel  Bilharz, 
T.  V.  Donovan,  Louis  Meyer,  Benjamin  F.  Howald,  Conrad  Reinhart,  D. 
F.  Shocklin,  William  Cloughly,  Frank  Ewens,  James  Chandler,  James  Mc- 

Canna,    Evan   Davis.   Thomas   C.   Lundy,   Johnson,    Daniel   Lynch, 

C.  G.  Moore,  Hiram  M.  Talbot,  John  Both,  J.  M.  I.  Bryan,  Alex.  H. 
Roberts,  John  D.  Holmes,  G.  W.  Newcomer,  George  Keene,  James  B.  Elrod, 
Lewis  Watson,  Robert  Cobean,  Noah  Keller,  Del  Graves,  T.  T.  Reigrart, 
David  Newport,  James  Warke,  Hugh  Bell,  J.  A.  Miller,  Ethelbert  J.  Free- 
man. John  F.  Cloughly,  E.  Krollman,  L  A.  McKinney,  S.  W.  McManegal, 
George  W.  Myers,  Frank  Gleason,  William  H.  Scott,  A.  C.  Lewis,  Bruce 
Moore,  Elias  W.  Beghtol,  John  Burnes,  M.  Dubois,  James  T.  Bell,  S.  B. 
Johnson,  L.  Smith. 

FATHER   OF   AUDUBON.' 

While  the  town  was  laid  out  and  owned,  primarily,  by  the  railroad 
company,  the  genius  who  presided  over  it,  directed  and  promoted  its  rise  and 
progress  was  Ethelbert  J.  Freeman.  He  was  born  at  Flatwood,  Pennsyl- 
vania, September  22,  1840,  and  was  reared  a  farmer  until  sixteen  years  of 
age.  In  1857  he  went  to  McDonough  county,  Illinois,  where  he  worked 
two  years  as  a  carpenter.     He  returned  and  remained  in  Pennsylvania  one 


272  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

year,  and  then  went  back  to  Illinois.  On  May  24,  1861,  he  enlisted  from 
Vermont,  ihinois,  as  a  private  in  Company  A,  Sixteenth  Regiment,  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  in  the  Second  Brigade,  Second  Division, 
Fourteenth  Army  Corps,  under  Gen.  John  M.  Palmer,  and  Generals  Pope 
and  Rosecrans.  Mr.  Freeman  participated  in  the  battles  of  Blue  Mills, 
Island  No.  10,  Tiptonville,  Farmington  and  Stone's  River.  He  was  dis- 
charged for  disability,  February  5,  1863,  returned  to  McDonough  county, 
and  engaged  in  farming. 

Ethelbert  J.  Freeman  was  married  in  McDonough  county  on  Septem- 
ber 2^),  1862,  to  Nancy  L.,  daughter  of  Daniel  L.  and  Mary  (Hamilton) 
Leighty.  In  1867  he  moved  to  Exira,  and  the  following  year  settled  on  and 
improved  a  one  hundred  and  sixty-acre  farm  in  section  24,  Leroy  township. 
In  1878  he  established  his  home  in  Audubon.  He  was  justly  styled  "father 
of  the  town,"  if  any  one  was  ever  entitled  to  such  an  appellation;  and  has 
been  so  regarded  to  the  present  time.  He  was  first  and  foremost  in  most 
public,  social  and  political  affairs;  at  least  one  of  the  most  popular  men  who 
ever  lived  in  the  county.  His  influence  was  extensive  and  controlling  in 
many  ways.  He  was  prominent  in  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  and  was  . 
its  first  mayor,  without  a  dissenting  vote;  and  was  very  efficient  in  estab- 
lishing the  schools  at  Audulx)n.  He  was  agent  for  the  sale  of  the  railroad 
lands  and  the  town  lots;  assisted  in  the  establishment  of  lodges;  the  Grand 
Army  post,  the  band  and  drum  corps,  the  fire  department,  county  fair;  and 
in  installing  the  water  works  and  the  electric  light  plant. 

Mr.  Freeman  was  county  treasurer  in  1882-5.  Andrew  F.  Armstrong 
and  Mr.  Freeman  were  owners  of  the  Citizens  Bank  from  1885  to  1893. 
For  many  years  Mr.  Freeman  was  manager  of  the  waterworks  and  electric 
light  plant;  chief  of  the  fire  department;  member  of  the  band  and  drum 
corps.  He  was  a  member  of  V'eritas  Lodge  No.  392,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons;  xA.mity  Chapter  No.  92,  Royal  Arch  Masons;  Godfrey 
Commandery  No.  44,  Knights  Templar;  Allison  Post  No.  34,  Grand  iVrmy 
of  the  Republic. 

At  the  National  Encampment  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at 
Minneapolis  in  1906,  ]\Ir.  Freeman  was  elected  president  of  the  National 
Association  of  Civil  War  ^Musicians,  and  was  afterward  annually  re-elected 
until  the  encampment  at  Rochester,  New  York,  191 1,  when  he  was  elected 
to  the  same  office  for  life.  This  is  an  unique  society,  composed  of  veteran 
drummers,  fifers,  buglers  and  bandmen,  of  the  Civil  War,  from  all  over 
the  United  States ;  who  play  the  same  old  tunes  after  which  the  Union 
soldiers  marched  from  1861  to  1865.     Mr.  Freeman  has  marched  with  his 


^ 

^ 


>*iaS,^ 


BKICK   AND   TILE   WOKKS.   ArDIT.ON 


^ 


CANNING  FACTORY.  AUDUBON 


L 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  273 

musicians  at  the  head  of  the  parade  at  every  National  Encampment  from 
Denver,  in  1905,  until  the  present  time. 

THE    STUART    FAMILY, 

Another  prominent  patron  of  the  town  was  Capt.  Charles  Stuart.  He 
was  born  in  West  Barnet,  Vermont,  June  7,  1826.  On  December  23,  1852, 
he  was  married  to  Lois  Gray,  of  Ryegate,  Vermont.  He  was  reared  a 
farmer.  In  1848  he  established  a  general  store  at  South  Ryegate.  In 
1855  he  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  was  employed  by  Fairbanks  &  Company, 
the  famous  scale  manufacturers.  During  the  same  period  he  opened  a  farm 
in  Elmira  township.  Stark  county.  Illinois,  near  Neponset,  which  he  owned 
until  after  coming  to  Audubon  county.  He  was  founder  of  the  town  of 
Stuart,  Iowa,  where  he  was  a  large  landowner,  and  conducted  an  extensive 
business.  Before  the  town  of  Audubon  started  he  and  his  son,  William  G. 
Stuart,  were  owners  of  several  thousand  acres  of  the  best  farm  lands  in 
Audubon  county,  which  they  put  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation ;  stocked 
it  with  horses,  cattle,  hogs,  etc.,  and  conducted  farming  on  an  extensive 
scale.  Charles  Stuart  was  captain  of  Company  B,  Nineteenth  Regiment, 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  enlisted  on  July  30,  1861  ;  resigned  July 
15,  1862.  He  was  full  of  activity,  progressive,  public  spirited,  and  gen- 
erous.    His  name  stood  foremost  as  a  business  man  in  Audubon  county. 

To  Ethelbert  J.  Freeman,  Capt.  Charles  Stuart,  the  railroad  company 
and  the  Audubon  newspapers  was  largely  due  the  credit  for  the  removal  of 
the  county  seat  from  Exira  to  Audubon. 

Charles  Stuart  &  Son  were  among  the  first  and  ablest  promoters  of  the 
town.  They  were  the  leading  dealers  in  grain,  lumber,  lime  and  coal,  and 
erected  the  largest  grain  elevator  in  the  county,  and  built  one  of  the  finest 
brick  offices  for  that  kind  of  business  in  the  state  of  Iowa.  They  extended 
branches  of  the  same  kind  of  business  to  Exira,  Gray,  and  other  places  in 
Iowa,  outside  of  the  county.  Mrs.  Lois  Stuart  was  the  most  wealthy  person 
who  has  lived  in  the  county,  and  was  the  most  generous  patron  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  at  Audubon.  Captain  Stuart  and  his  wife  and  their  son, 
William  G.  Stuart,  are  all  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Audubon. 

EARLY    OFFICERS. 

The  town  was  incorporated  in   1886. 

The  following  named  men  have  served  as  mayor  of  Audubon:     Ethel- 
(18) 


2/4  AUDUBON    COUNTY.    IOWA. 

bert  J.  Freeman,  J.  Mack  Love,  John  D.  Holmes,  Charles  Bagley,  Andrew 
F.  Armstrong,  Henry  W.  Hanna,  Ransom  L.  Harris,  John  A.  Nash,  Robert 
C.  Spencer,  Halleck  J.  Mantz. 

The  first  postmaster  was  Arthur  L.  Sanborn,  appointed  February  15, 
1879,  succeeded  by  Emerson  H.  Kimball,  Elkanah  S.  Foster,  Robert  M. 
Carpenter,  Ed.  B.  Cousins,  William  H.  O'Connell,  George  B.  Russell, 
Harper  \Y.  ^^"ilson,  Robert  C.  Spencer. 

The  Northwestern  railroad  came  from  Carroll,  by  way  of  Manning  and 
Troy,  to  Audubon,  in  1882. 

The  waterworks  was  established  in  1882.  Ethelbert  J.  Freeman  was 
the  superintendent  for  many  years,  and  was  succeeded  by  Benton  L.  Dar- 
nold,  the  present  manager.  The  town  is  now  supplied  with  water  from  an 
artesian  well  made  in  19 13-14,  two  thousand  five  hundred  feet  deep,  at  the 
cost  of  elevent  thousand  dollars. 

The  electric  light  plant  was  installed  in  1891,  by  Ethelbert  J.  Freeman, 
and  was  transferred  to  Nancy  L.  Freeman  in  1897.  It  was  superintended 
many  years  by  \It.  Freeman ;  and  was  transferred  to  A\\  G.  \\'ieland,  the 
present  owner.  It  furnishes  electric  lights  for  the  towns  of  Hamlin  and 
Exira. 

The  business  interests  in  1888,  were  as  follow :  Attorneys — H.  F. 
Andrews.  John  'M.  Griggs,  H.  W.  Hanna.  Nash,  Phelps  &  Green,  Henry  U. 
Funk,  A.  F.  Armstrong.  Charles  Bagley,  E.  H.  Hurd,  Frank  E.  Brainard, 
Theodore  F.  Myres.  E.  E.  Byrum.  Physicians — John  D.  Halmer,  John  F. 
Cloughly,  Charles  W.  DeMotte,  James  ]\I.  Rendleman.  Alfred  L.  Brooks. 
Jewellers — ^^'illiam  H.  O'Connell.  \\'illiam  H.  Cowles.  Hotels — Walker 
House,  Stuart  House,  Grant  House,  Weston  House,  Northwestern.  Res- 
taurant— ^^'illiam  Rosenberg.  Banks — Audubon  County  Bank.  Commer- 
cial Bank.  Citizen's  Bank.  Drug  stores — Alex.  H.  Roberts,  O.  J.  Houston, 
A\'illiam  Cloughly,  John  F.  Cloughly.  General  stores — Russell  &  Son,  Ben- 
jamin F.  Howald.  John  Van  Scoy,  R.  Lenox.  Grocers — John  F.  Consig- 
ney,  Frank  Gleason,  Emiel  Bilharz,  Fisher  Brothers,  Will  D.  Forl^es,  T.  S. 
Francis.  \\\  Talbot.  Clothing — John  H.  Kate,  Evan  Davis,  D.  C.  Abrams. 
Hardware — Jones  &:  McKarahan.  John  Rinemund.  Furniture — Scott 
Brothers.  ^^^  H.  ]\Iiller.  Boots  and  shoes — J.  Forbes  &  Son.  Millinery — 
Miss  Dix,  Miss  Walker.  Photographers — C.  C.  Harper,  T.  B.  Mendenhall. 
Opera  house — George  B.  Russell.  Harness  makers — David  E.  Soar.  Harper 
W.  Wilson.  Shoemakers — John  Ott.  John  Both.  Blacksmiths — ^^James 
Pound.  George  Keen.  H.  B.  Wilson,  H.  A.  Jump.  Liverymen — Joseph  P. 
Tharnish.     Isham     Brothers,     Charles     Benton.     Meat     Markets — Prather 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  2/5 

Brothers,  Doak  &  Company.  ^Marble  works — H.  W.  Van  Gordon.  Flour- 
mill — Kuhn,  Culver  &  Company.  Machinery  and  implements — McFarland, 
Dickey  and  Company,  Clark  H.  Cross.  Grain  dealers — Charles  Stuart  & 
Son,  George  Gray,  Wilson  Burnside,  Henry  Gravesmuhl,  Herbert  &  John- 
son. Lumber  dealers — Charles  Stuart  &  vSon,  Green  Bay  Lumber  Company. 
Brick  yard — Charles  Tramp. 

HOMES    IN    AUDUBON. 

Some  of  the  best  residences  in  Audubon  are  those  of :  Belle  Arnold, 
Alex.  H.  Roberts,  Charles  Van  Gorder,  Charly  S.  White,  Robert  C.  Spencer, 
William  J.  Laubender,  Daniel  L.  Freeman,  Charles  Bagley,  Joseph  H.  Ross, 
Alfred  L.  Brooks,  George  A.  Alay,  George  W.  Weighton,  Ed.  B.  Cousins, 
x\rthur  Farquhar,  Ed.  S.  Van  Gorder,  George  W.  Hoover,  A.  C.  Harman, 
John  Weighton,  Frank  O.  Niklason,  Mary  Plaehn,  John  Ebert,  Joseph  Kopp, 
Lois  Asby,  Ed.  F.  Bilharz,  A.  S.  Culver,  T.  H.  Turner,  R.  G.  Wieland, 
George  W.  Preston,  Mr.  Hermansen,  Samuel  A.  Graham,  J.  J.  Ruhs,  Levi 
Kopp,  John  Wagner,  Frank  M.  Rice,  Ed.  F.  Johnson,  C.  L.  Christinsen, 
I^ewis  C.  Bagley,  Charles  Ping,  Anna  Fancher,  George  Scott,  L  P.  Hansen, 
Mike  T.  Foley,  Ed.  A.  Bates,  W.  S.  Hansen,  M.  O.  Kingsbury,  William 
Layland,  Frank  C.  ]\Iiller,  William  G.  Wilson,  W^  H.  Cowles,  William 
Berg,  Elmer  E.  Bailey,  Fred  A.  Buthweg,  James  E.  Griffith,  Charles  Rey- 
nolds, F.  S.  Stone,  C.  H.  Wilde,  R.  F.  Childs,  Fideler  Schmidt,  George 
Wever,  P.  A.  Rasmussen,  Ed.  A.  Beason,  Sarah  Munson,  J.  J.  Haals,  Owen 
Davis,  Anthony  N.  Detwiler,  Thomas  J.  Stafford,  Samuel  Weaver. 

During  the  current  year,  191 5,  the  city  is  installing  a  substantial,  up-to- 
date  sewer  system,  at  the  cost  of  about  thirty-five  thousand  dollars. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  school  system  of  Audubon  is  very  satisfactory  and  up-to-date.  The 
first  school  house  was  a  one-story,  wooden  building,  built  in  1878,  and  now 
owned  by  John  Graham,  on  Tracy  street.  Robert  Hunter  was  the  first 
teacher,  1878-9.     He  was  succeeded  by  Kate  Cameron. 

At  a  special  election  held  at  Audubon,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
of  May  31,  1879,  with  Elisha  Baxter,  Elias  W.  Beghton  and  M.  H.  Marble, 
judges,  and  Emerson  H.  Kimball,  clerk;  it  was  voted  to  organize  the  inde- 
pendent school  district  of  Audubon,  embracing  sections  20,  21,  28,  29,  south 
half  of  section  16,  south  half  of  section  17,  south  west  quarter  of  section  15, 


276  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

west  half  of  section  22,  and  west  half  of  section  z'j;  all  in  township  80,  range 
35  west;  by  a  vote  of  one  hundred  and  seventeen  to  one. 

At  an  election  held  at  Audubon  on  July  5,  1879,  the  first  board  of 
directors  of  the  independent  district  was  elected,  viz. :  E.  M.  Funk,  Thomas 
C.  Lundy,  Alex.  H.  Roberts,  Noah  Keller,  Wilson  Burnside  and  Frank 
H.  Burr.  The  board  met  and  organized  on  July  11,  1879,  and  selected  Ethel- 
bert  J.  Freeman,  secretary,  and  Elias  W.  Beghtol,  treasurer. 

Late  in  1879  or  early  the  next  year,  the  district  completed  a  new  wooden, 
two-story,  four-room  building,  on  the  site  of  the  present  school  house. 
George  N.  Funk  was  the  next  teacher,  assisted  by  Sarah  Dustin.  George 
I.  Miller  was  superintendent  from  1882  to  1884,  inclusive,  probably.  It  is 
supposed  that  the  school  was  graded  under  his  superintendency.  J.  A.  Horn- 
berger  was  superintendent  from  about  1885  to  1887,  inclusive.  During  his 
term  a  brick  addition  was  erected  in  the  rear  of  the  former  wooden  struc- 
ture, and  the  wooden  front  of  the  house  veneered  with  brick.  The  first 
high  school  class  was  graduated  under  him  in  1886. 

In  the  fall  of  1887,  Z.  T.  Hawk  became  superintendent,  and  served  four 
years.  There  were  then  eight  school  rooms  and  four  hundred  and  sixteen 
pupils  enrolled.  The  subordinate  teachers  were :  Ella  M.  Stearns,  Lura 
Beason,  DeEtta  Foster,  Oma  S.  Yaggy,  Emma  Hawk,  Ada  Funk,  E.  H. 
Hurd,  Miss  S.  E.  Turner  and  Cora  Ott. 

Frank  P.  Hocker  succeeded  Mr.  Hawk,  in  the  fall  of  1891,  and  served 
fourteen  years.  His  assistants  were :  Miss  S.  E.  Turner,  Ella  M.  Stearns, 
Lura  Beason,  DeEtta  Smith,  Mrs.  E.  J.  Brown.  Vesta  Baxter.  Cora  Ott, 
Ada  Funk.  Effie  Rogers,  Harriet  Bilharz,  Jennie  F.  Riggs.  C.  K.  Lancelot, 
Miss  Green,  Miss  Norris,  Miss  Culver,  Miss  Musson,  Mrs.  Rosemond,  Miss 
Shellenberger,  Miss  Detwiler,  Mrs.  Buthweg,  Mrs.  Fish,  Miss  Lundy.  Alta 
Crow,  Miss  Morrissey,  Miss  Wilson,  Belle  Lancelot.  Eva  Luce,  Beulah  Soar, 
Helen  Dickinson,  Mary  Davis,  Miss  Doak,  Orpha  Baxter,  Ella  Hurd,  Bertha 
Ferguson,  Lillian  Ott,  Dora  Larson,  Elizabeth  Carmichel.  Frances  Burns, 
Ada  Kuhn,  ]\Iildred  Smith.  Vera  Miles,  Mae  Mcllvain. 

In  1893,  a  new  brick  building  of  two  rooms  for  a  primary  department 
was  erected.  During  Mr.  Hocker's  superintendence  the  school  became  an 
accredited  high  school  in  the  state. 

In  1903  a  new  brick  building  was  erected  in  place  of  the  old  veneered 
part  of  the  former  structure.  The  school  house  as  then  constructed  gave 
very  general  satisfaction. 

Frank  J.  Mantz  succeeded  Mr.  Hocker  in  the  fall  of  1905  and  served 
four  vears.     His  assistants  were :     Ella   M.   Stearns,   x\vis   Gordon,    Nellie 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  277 

Wicker,  Mable  Keith,  Anna  Weaver,  Ruby  Fatten,  Elizabeth  Harris,  Fan 
Lilly,  Nellie  Tomkins,  Miss  Low,  Miss  Brown,  Marie  Wolff,  Miss  Yokum, 
Patience  Ellett. 

Harry  P.  Smith  succeeded  Mr.  Mantz  in  the  fall  of  1909,  and  served 
until  1915.  His  corps  of  assistants  have  been:  F.  W.  Johansen,  Caroline 
Schictl,  Isa  Lighthall,  Theo  Vedder,  Mable  Keith,  Mary  Davis,  Ella  Hurd, 
Patience  Ellett,  Ethel  Glass,  Goldie  Cozine,  Marie  Wolff,  Sarah  Edes,  Maud 
McAllister,  Jennie  Cook,  Mae  McClure,  Georgia  Lloyd,  Grace  Hollway, 
Coleen  Pa;tterson,  Helen  Turner,  C.  E.  Latterback,  Bertha  Ross,  Carrie 
Berger,  Lillian  Stetzler,  Lenore  Buckner,  Ella  McGuire,  Lura  Preston,  June 
Gray. 

The  kindergarten  was  added  to  the  school  system  in  1909. 

The  high  school  was  admitted  to  the  North  Central  Association  of 
Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools,  in  191 1.  Fred  W.  Johansen  is  the  present 
superintendent  (1915)  and  the  school  now  employs  a  corps  of  subordinate 
teachers.  Beginning  with  the  year  1886,  the  high  school  has  subsequently, 
each  year,  graduated  a  class  of  students.  The  citizens  of  Audubon  are  now 
agitating  the  question  of  erecting  a  new  high  school  building. 

GRADUATES   OF   THE   AUDUBON    HIGH    SCHOOL. 

Class  of  1886— Eva  Freeman,  Nellie  Cole,  James  M.  Graham. 

Class  of  1887 — Bonnie   Stotts,   Mertie   Gleason,   Lena   Rosenberg. 

Class  of  1888 — Edwin  Van  Gorder,  Edward  Bilharz,  Lillian  Ott, 
Maggie  Gleason. 

Class  of  1890 — Vesta  Baxter,  William  Oliver. 

Class  of  1 89 1 — Mary  Davis,  Mary  DeMotte.  Fred  Gleason,  Oscar 
Overholtzer,   Pearl  Roberts,   Clara  Blakeslee,   Laura  Musson. 

Class  of  1892 — Samuel  Yaggy,  Agnes  Wolf,  Myrtle  Wilson,  Har- 
riet Bilgarz,  Frank  Cross,  Maggie  DeMott,  Mollie  Delahoyde,  Harry  Dickin- 
son, Laura  Forbes,  Roy  Funk,  Katie  Overholtzer,  India  Poulson,  Ralph  Rob- 
erts, Myrtle  Sharp,  Lizzie  Schreiber,  Beulah  Soar,  Flettie  Van  Scoy. 

Class  of  1893 — Mamie  Baxter,  May  Bonwell,  Gertrude  Bonwell,  Car- 
rie Cooley,  Irene  Crocker,  Will  Cunningham,  Sarah  Holmes,  Mabel  Keith, 
Albert  Mathias,  Rosie  Mendenhall,  Jennie  Oliver,  Kittie  Schrieber,  Eva 
James. 

Class  of  1894 — Jessie  Andrews,  Fred  Blume,  Orpha  Baxter,  Rena  Car- 
roll, Emma  Culver,  Patience  Ellett,  Ellis  Harper,  Earl  Jump,  Frank  Mantz, 
Ethel  Reese,  Charles  Bradley,  Rose  Sharp,  Julia  Wilson. 


278  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Class  of  1895 — Lena  Drury,  Ollie  Fergusen,  Charles  Huntsburger,  Gus 
Keith,  Eva  Luse,  Bertha  Mussen,  Woods  Soar. 

Class  of  1896 — Will  Baylor,  Grace  Creveling,  ]\Iae  Schreiber,  Myrtle 
Stotts,  Charles  Tramp,  Nellie  Wicker. 

Class  of  1897 — Nelson  Cowles,  Dora  Detwiler,  Maude  Doak,  Bertha 
Fergusen,  Frank  Green,  Edith  Harris,  Lillian  Hays,  Louis  Roberts;  Clara 
Luse,  Loween  Van  Gorder,  Anna  Wever,  George  Wever. 

Class  of  1898 — Myrtle    Brown,    Maurice    Carpenter,    Walter    Haynes, 
Auda  Kelly,  Nora  Oelke,  Bodo  Oelke,  Harry  Sampson,  Irma  Tharnish. 

Class  of  1899 — Disy  Anderson,  Charles  Burnside,  Hugh  Delahoyde, 
Orren  Eddy,  Frank  Drake,  Ada  Kuhn,  Alice  Aloon,  William  McFarlane, 
Roy  Smith. 

Class  of  1900 — Harvey  Delahoyde,  Don  Drake,  Wren  Graham,  Mabel 
Hays,  Nora  Hunt,  John  Lohner,  Jessie  Luse,  Capitola  Mathias,  Grace  Miller, 
Susie  Musson,  Alma  Oelke,  Lovise  Overholtzer,  Clarence  Shingledecker, 
Mary  Smith,  Teressa  Stanton,  Edna  Webster. 

Class  of  1 90 1 — Ruth  Anderson,  ]\Iay  Hoover,  May  Hunt,  Charles 
Johnson,  Wiliner  Kester,  Ethel  Kuhn,  Earl  ]\laharg,  Russell  Mott,  George 
Oelke,  Eleanor  Ohm,  Mildred  Smith,  Gay  Thomas. 

No  1902  class  because  the  course  was  lengthened  to  four  years. 

Class  of  1903 — Ray  Dryden,  John  Horning,  Isalielle  ^IcFarlane, 
Elmer  McKarahan,  Mamie  ]\lichaels.  Frank  Mott,  Nettie  Pearson,  Matt 
Rippey,  Frank  Sampson,  Edith  Tovvnsend,  Harry  Watts,  Marie  Wolff. 

Class  of  1904 — Grace  Cameron,  John  Cameron,  Ruby  Currier,  Jason 
Imes,  John  Krick,  Murtle  Ross,  Cora  Sampson,  Louis  Watson. 

Class  of  i905^Franc  Anderson,  Anna  Artist,  Annetta  Earhart,  Curtis 
Earhart,  Oliver  Gardner,  William  Kile,  Veda  Masterson,  Clara  Oelke,  Drusa 
Ross,  Helen  Walburn. 

Class  of  1906 — Lucile  Brooks,  Clifford  Brooks,  John  Donaldson,  Alice 
Eddy.  Ray  Green,  Martha  Hubbold,  IMarion  Jones,  Mae  Layland,  Mabel 
McKarahan,  Lena  Pound,  Bessie  Rippey,  Ruth  Watson. 

Class  of  1907 — Mae  Johnson.  Charles  Watts,  Belle  Donaldson,  ]\Iiles 
Gardner,  Charles  Nelson,  Earl  Kile,  Frank  McFadden,  Louis  Bagley,  Jessie 
Hoover,  Ethel  Eckles,  Lula  Doak,  Minta  Eddy,  Bonna  Sherman,  Thressa 
Gaston,  ]\Iarie  Adams. 

Class  of  1908 — Inez  Gates,  Frank  Hays,  Augista  Hecker,  Julius  Hecker, 
Fred  Jones,  Grace  Kibby,  Bonna  Jones,  Wren  Lane,  Harr}^  Laubender, 
Hazel  Law.  Agnes  Lutwitze,  Theo.  Mantz.  Fern  Parnham,  Garcia  Swartz. 


■  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  2/9 

Augusta    Tennigkeit,    Faye    Titterington,    Bessie    Watson,    Anna    Wilson, 
Bessie  Harris. 

Class  of  1909 — Fannie  Ditzenberger,  Anna  Henriksen,  Glen  Hunter, 
Glen  Johnson,  Hazel  Kellogg,  Clyde  Keith,  Warren  Leonard,  Edith  Leighty, 
Clara  Lutwitze,  Florence  Marriott,  Elloween  Phelps. 

Class  of  19 10 — Clark  Arnold,  Simon  Foley,  Hazel  Gates,  Alarch  Jones, 
James  Law,  George  Laubender,  Edith  Phelps,  Julia  Preston,  Lela  Zaner. 

Class  of  191 1 — Harley  Boyer,  Eugene  Christensen,  Ahce  Gardner, 
Daniel  Hecker,  Edward  Heuerman,  lola  Johnson,  Olive  Kopp,  Gibson  Law, 
Oliver  Lovelace,  Ruth  Preston,  Lula  Sheets,  Hazel  Steere,  Hazel  Weldy, 
Leona  Wilson. 

Class  of  191 2 — Frank  Bagley,  Alma  Christensen,  Elvin  Cole,  Lucile 
Culver,  Lillian  Foley,  Lorraine  Graham,  Alice  Kraus,  Lorena  Marriott,  Ila 
McFadden,  Edwin  Preston,  Blair  Rice,  Genevieve  Roth,  Effie  Skinner,  Eva 
Smith,  Helen  Ward. 

Class  of  19 1 3 — Emma  Boust,  Thomas  Blake,  Tressa  Brady,  Lorenzo 
Brooks,  Mildred  Buck,  Ava  Buthweg,  Helen  Conway,  Veire  Cozine,  Am- 
brose Foley,  Marguerite  Foley,  Mabel  Hood,  Leonard  Keese,  John  Kerwin, 
Alice  Kester,  Clarence  Niklason,  Freda  Schwab. 

Class  of  19 14 — Escol  Baker,  Olga  Christensen,  Edith  Culver,  Ellen  Gra- 
ham, Carrie  Herndon,  Florence  Hood,  Leon  Johnson,  Cecil  Keith,  Esther 
Keith.  Alichael  Kerwin,  Laura  Kraul,  Marie  Kraus,  Florence  McLeran, 
Louis  McLeran,  Reuben  Musson,  Eldo  Potter,  Esther  Rasmussen,  Pearl 
Reinemund,  Myrtle  Roth,  Freda  Ruhs,  William  Spilker,  Helen  Stearns, 
Earnest  Steere,  Glenn  Turner,  Lucile  Wright. 

Class  of  19 1 5 — Marion  Bagley,  Eloise  Buck,  Arthur  Cole,  Genevieve 
Foley,  Jennie  Hollenbeck,  Esther  Jacobsen,  Roy  Jensen,  Holger  Jensen, 
Walter  Kester.  Bessie  Miller,  Harry  Nailor,  Ella  Petersen,  John  Rutherford, 
Vera  Rutherford,  Bessie  Turner,  Rose  Weighton,  ]\Iabel  Weldy. 

DIRECTORY   FOR    I915. 

At  the  present  time  Audubon  has  a  population  of  two  thousand  and 
eighty.  The  following  is  a  business  directory  of  the  city:  Mayor — Halleck 
J.  Mantz.  Marshal — Benton  L.  Darnold.  Clerk — William  J.  Laubender. 
Assessor — A.  L.  Weaver.  Treasurer — Charles  L.  Johnson.  Justice  of  the 
peace — Charles  S.  White,  Daniel  L.  Thomas.  Constables — L.  AL  Anderson, 
Wesley  H.  Jay.  Township  clerk — Daniel  L.  Freeman.  Postmaster — 
Robert  C.  Spencer.     Lawyers — John  'M.  Griggs,  Charles  Bagley,  James  M. 


28o  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Graham,  John  A.  Graham,  Joseph  H.  Ross,  Charles  S.  White,  Halleck  J. 
Mantz,  Lewis  C.  Bagley,  Sidney  C.  Kerberg.  Physicians — Alfred  L. 
Brooks,  Ratford  F.  Childs,  John  M.  P'ulton,  George  A.  May,  Daniel  Frank- 
lin, William  H.  Halloran.  Chiropractor — M.  O.  Kingsbury.  Dentists — 
Carrie  Wood,  Charles  S.  McLeran,  John  K.  Donaldson.  Veterinary  surg- 
eons— George  W.  Weighton,  Will  Ellery,  James  Hollenbeck. 

Clergymen — Rev.  Ed.  B.  Cousins,  Rev.  Thomas  B.  Greenlee,  Rev. 
Jackson  Giddens,  Rev.  Clinton  F.  Smith,  Rev.  Father  James  McDonald, 
Rev.  D.  ^V.  Bryant,  Rev.  J.  P.  Christensen.  Railroad  agents — W.  W. 
Smith,  Jesse  A.  Hunniston.  Photagraphers — Thomas  Mason,  Sorensen  Stu- 
dio. Music  store — J.  W.  Landrum,  manager.  Cornet  band — D.  F.  Gifford. 
Music  teachers — D.  F.  Gifford,  Bessie  Wilde,  Martha  Dunn,  Mrs.  George 
Green.  Public  library — Laura  V.  Delahoyde,  librarian.  Milliners — Long 
&  Burr,  Mrs.  L.  E.  Kline,  Mrs.  Ben  Carr.  Dressmakers — Mary  McGuire, 
Mrs.  Hecker,  Mary  McCarthy,  Mrs.  E.  E.  Weeks,  Clara  Anderson,  Mrs. 
J.  H.  Thorp.  Dressmaker  colleges — Belle  B.  Smith.  Frances  Morrissey. 
Jewelers — William  H.  Cowles,  J.  S.  Johnson.  Tailors — J.  R.  Best,  C.  J. 
Thomsen.  Abstracters — Charles  Bagley,  Arnold,  Ross  &  Rasmussen.  Insur- 
ance agents — Ralph  D.  Hawks,  S.  B.  Morrissey.  Life  insurance — Arthur 
Farquhar,  V.  M.  Jones.  Real  estate  agents — Frank  M.  Herndon,  E.  H. 
Jacobsen.  Popcorn — Alex.  Ferguson.  Barbers — Bert  A.  Keith,  William  Bai- 
ley, Jens  J.  Haals,  E.  E.  Weeks. 

First  National  Bank — F.  S.  Watts,  cashier.  Farmers  State  Bank — 
H.  M.  Bilharz,  cashier.  Blacksmiths — E.  M.  Johnson,  Rasmus  Rasmussen, 
B.  F.  Wilson,  P.  Fredericksen.  Carpenters — Hermansen  &  Stone.  Jens 
Loss,  Walter  Fredericksen,  Jacob  Mogg,  A.  H.  Dollahide,  James  Petersen, 
John  Hepp,  George  Green.  Painters  and  paper-hangers — E.  E.  Bailey,  J.  K. 
Jensen,  Ping  Brothers  Mumfgaard  &  Kjer,  Clem  McCuen,  D.  J.  Conklin  & 
Son,  Harry  Gleason,  Nels  Paag.  Colonel  Fenney.  Plumbers — Test  Plumb- 
ing Company,  A.  T.  Smith.  Masons — Robert  G.  Ping,  Kelley  &  Gaston, 
Koch  &  Lund.  Harnessmakers — David  E.  Soar,  A.  M.  Currier,  Martin 
Larsen.  Electric  lights — R.  G.  Weiland.  Hotels — Park  Hotel,  Arlington 
Hotel,  Farmers'  Home,  Boston  House,  L.  O.  Petersen. 

Boarding  house — Charles  Reynolds.  Restaurant  and  bakery — Turner 
Brothers.  Cafe — "The  Booster,"  Ralph  Garnett.  Drug  stores — Alex.  H. 
Roberts,  Frick  Drug  Company.  F.  W.  Smith,  Griffith  &  Company.  Gen- 
eral stores — Evan  Marcjusen,  Chris  Olsen.  Wilson  &  Freeman,  Renftle  & 
Reed,  James  H.  Baker.  Grocers — Hans  Albertsen.  George  W.  Preston. 
Hardware — Audubon  Hardware  Company,  Rinemund  Hardware  Company, 


HIGH  SCHOOL.  AUDUBON 


PUBLIC  LIBRARY,  AUDUBON 


u 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  281 

Oelke  &  Company,  Ruhs  &  Carter.  Clothing — Jensen  &  Weaver,  Fred  A. 
Buthweg.  Furniture — George  W.  Hoo\er,  A.  C.  Harmon.  Variety — L.  E. 
Wray,  W.  H.  Simcox.  Meat  market — J.  F.  McCort.  Boots  and  shoes — 
Matthias  &  Hansen,  Rasmussen  &  Jensen.  Tobacco — Dennis  &  Company. 
Flour  mill — Culver  &  Son.  Laundry — Charles  H.  Stocking.  Machinery 
and  implements — Johnson  &  Buck.  Billiard  parlors — Barentsen  &  Dye,  Jen- 
sen &  Madsen,  Vern  Snellbaker,  Ray  Booton. 

Garages — Pete  Jensen,  John  Markinsen.  Machine  shop — Shrader  & 
Marsh.  Bridge  contractor — Ward  &  Weighton.  Liveryman — Park  Liv- 
ery. Feed  stables — George  Brady,  Nels  Sorensen,  Andrew  Christensen. 
Sale  stable — F.  O.  Miklasen.  Cream  station  and  produce — Charles  Wilde, 
Audubon  Produce  Company.  Standard  Oil  Company — Olaf  Jensen,  mana- 
ger. Cedar  Rapids  Oil  Company — Ren  Phelps,  manager.  Audubon  Can- 
ning Company — R.  J.  Loveland,  manager.  Stock  food — Martin  Mogg,  Jr. 
Live  stock  dealers — Northup  Brothers,  O.  L.  Lane.  Green  Bay  Lumber 
Company — F.  H.  Adams,  manager.  Dixon  Lumber  Company,  W.  J.  Lau- 
bender,  manager.  Grain  dealer — A.  J.  Leak.  Walter  Roth,  manager.  Opdyke 
Grain  Company — D.  C.  Hart,  manager.  Johnson  Grain  Company — Charles 
L.  arid  Alva  Johnson.  Brick  and  tile  works — L.  E.  Tramp  &  Tramp.  Dray- 
men— J.  S.  Dennis,  W.  S.  Roberts  &  Son,  L.  C.  Johnson,  Ralph  Garnett, 
Mike  Ceronek,  Roy  Prather. 

BRAYTON. 

The  town  of  Brayton  was  laid  out  by  John  S.  Jenkins  and  John  T. 
Jenkins  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  19,  Exira  township,  December 
16,  1878.  It  was  incorporated  in  1899.  These  have  held  the  office  of 
mayor :  Dr.  William  R.  Kool),  .Frank  G.  Jenkins,  Nis  Larsen,  Lewis  C. 
Heath. 

The  first  school  in  Brayton  was  in  1896.  The  teachers  have  been: 
Francina  Heath,  Anna  Stender,  Lucille  Connrardy,  Maye  Jenkins,  Miss 
Noalty,  Nellie  Boockout.  Ida  Cannon  and  Vivian  Bartlett. 

OFFICIAL   AND    BUSINESS   DIRECTORY. 

Population,  two  hundred  and  thirty-five. 

Mayor,  Lewis  C.  Heath ;  marshal,  L.  M.  Parrott ;  clerk,  Lewis  P.  Ras- 
mussen;  justice  of  the  peace,  Thomas  J.  McGovern;  constable,  Calvin  I. 
Dimick. 


282  AUDUBON    COUNTY.    IOWA. 

Postmistress — Vivian  Bartlett ;  railroad  agent — Lloyd  Drew  ;  physi- 
cian— William  R.  Koob;  hotel — David  B.  Beers;  restaurant — C.  P.  Peter- 
sen ;  barbers — William  Clemensen,  Clyde  Freeman,  Jensen ;  garage — 

Anton  Juhl ;  blacksmiths — Ben  Gros,  Nick  Skanning ;  live-stock  dealer — 
Thomas  J.  JNIcGovern;  Princess  Theatre — Chris  Hoegh;  drug  store — Harry 
Miller  &  Co. ;  grain  dealer — Hans  Hansen,  manager ;  public  hall — Jens  P. 
Juhl;  billiard  parlors — Frank  P.  Freeman,  George  Hardwick;  pumps  and 
repairs — ]\Iolgaard  &  Nelson ;  electric  lights — George  ^^^  Hoegh ;  bank — 
Brayton  Savings  Bank.  L.  F.  Miller,  cashier;  produce — Brayton  Produce 
Company,  Ed.  Brown,  manager;  lumber — Brayton  Lumber  Company, 
Lewis  P.  Rasmussen,  manager;  cement — Brayton  Cement  Works — A.  T. 
Rasmussen.  manager;  general  stores — Jacob  Andersen.  Henry  Hansen  & 
Company,  Nis  Larsen  &  Son ;  hardware  and  implements — Nelsen  Brothers ; 
telephones — Nora  Larsen,  Amelia  Andersen ;  drayman — Garner  A.  Bart- 
lett. 

OAKFIELD. 

It  was  situated  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  20,  Exira  town- 
ship, on  the  claim  first  taken  up  by  John  S.  Jenkins  in  185 1.  who  sold  it  to 
Samuel  B.  Hopkins,  and  he  to  Isaac  P.  Hallock.  Sr..  in  1855.  About  the 
same  time  Hallock  sold  it  to  Erasmus  D.  Bradley,  his  son-in-law%  who  came 
from  Illinois,  and  was  the  first  merchant  in  the  county.  He  built  the  first 
store  house  here  in  1855,  which  stood  on  or  near  block  9,  Oakfield.  The 
town  was  laid  out  and  platted  Ijy  Erasmus  D.  Bradley  and  Alva  B.  Brown. 
The  name  was  suggested  by  Flam  W.  Pearl,  who  settled  there,  in  honor  of 
his  former  home,  a  town  in  New  York  named  Oakfield.  Bradley  and  Brown 
soon  moved  away  and  the  Bradley  store  was  succeeded  by  Flam  ^^^  and 
Joshua  A.  Pearl  and  with  them  was  associated  Julius  M.  Hubbard.  They 
w^ere  succeeded  by  Almond  Goodale,  about  1863-4.  His  store  stood  on  the 
corner  next  north  of  the  present  store  of  Ward  Smith.  In  1866,  Goodale 
was  succeeded  by  Norton  &  Jones,  who  built  a  new  store  building  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street.  They  sold  to  Keith  &  Ransford  about  1867-8, 
and  moved  to  Avoca,  Iowa.  Their  successors  did  a  thriving  business,  which 
they  transferred  to  Hallock,  Jenkins  &  Powers  about  1875.  They  later 
closed  out  to  Earl  Cotton,  who  moved  the  stock  to  Exira. 

About  1874,  William  Essington  and  Thomas  Walker  started  a  hard- 
ware store  at  Oakfield.  They  were  succeeded  by  Rudol])h  Kremmling,  who 
continued  the  business  but  a  short  time.  About  1889.  Dan  Zentmeir  started 
a  small  store  in  the  Hallock  store  building.     He  was  succeeded  about  1892, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  283 

by  Frank  Greer,  who  was  succeeded  by  Thomas  McGuire  about  1893,  he 
by  Sykes  &  Greer  about  1895,  and  they  by  Frank  Greer  in  1896.  The  con- 
cern was  closed  out  by  Isaac  P.  Hallock,  Jr.,  and  the  stock  sold  to  Ward 
Smith  in  1904. 

In  1 89 1  a  firm  was  started  by  a  man  and  wife  and  their  son,  styled 
Three  Smiths,  which  was  succeeded,  in  1908,  by  William  Pardee,  and  he 
by  Ward  Smith  in  19 10. 

In  the  early  days  of  Oakfield,  a  water-power  saw-mill  was  built,  in 
which  Alva  B.  Brown,  Julius  M.  Hubbard,  Elam  W.  Pearl  and  Joshua  A. 
Pearl  were  owners  at  different  periods.  About  1870  Henry  Kincaid  was 
the  proprietor  and  conducted  it  several  years,  when  it  was  torn  down.  Then, 
on  the  same  site,  a  company  erected  a  fine  flouring-mill,  which  was  sold  to 
Isaac  P.  Hallock,  Jr.  George  E.  Cotton  succeeded  him  in  1878  and  con- 
tinued the  business  several  years,  when  it  was  converted  into  a  sorghum 
manufactory.      The  entire  business  has  been  obsolete   many   years. 

Until  the  railroad  came  to  Brayton,  Oakfield  was  the  second  best  town 
in  the  county.  It  was  a  busy  place.  Among  its  citizens  were  some  of  the 
most  progressive,  enterprising  men  of  the  county.  Some  of  the  old  settlers 
were :  John  S.  Jenkins,  Benjamin  F.  Jenkins,  John  T.  Jenkins,  Isaac  H. 
Jenkins,  Samuel  B.  Hopkins,  Alva  B.  Brown,  Isaac  P.  Hallock,  Sr.,  Richard 
S.  Hallock,  Isaac  P.  Hallock,  Jr.,  Erasmus  D.  Bradley,  William  C.  Norton, 
John  C.  Norton,  Charles  H.  Norton,  Julius  M.  Hubbard,  Giles  N.  Jones, 
James  M.  Jones,  Mark  Heath,  Norman  Archer,  Richard  M.  Lewis,  Elam 
W.  Pearl,  Joshua  A.  Pearl,  A.  M.  Graves,  Thomas  Roland,  Alonzo  N. 
Arnold,  Robert  N.  Day,  Thomas  T.  Rogers,  James  Howlett,  Samuel  How- 
lett.  Airs.  Maria  D.  Butler,  Joseph  Porter.  Mrs.  Julia  Delahoyde,"  Peter 
Delahoyde,  Almond  Goodale,  Henry  Kincade,  Orris  C.  Keith,  H.  Ransford, 
Dr.  Tingle,  Harmon  G.  Smith,  George  E.  Cotton,  James  W.  Brown,  Will- 
iam S.  Ordway. 

Oakfield's  first  school  house  must  have  been  built  as  late  as  1858,  prob- 
ably by  Alonzo  N.  Arnold,  on  the  east  side  of  town,  on  the  hill  in  the  edge 
of  the  timber,  about  block  13  or  14.  In  1871-2  a  new  two-story  school 
house  was  built,  which  is  still  doing  duty. 

It  is  impossible  to  ol^tain  an  accurate  list  of  the  teachers  who  have 
taught  school  there,  or  the  order  in  which  they  were  employed.  Some  of 
the  teachers  were :  Miss  Disbrow,  Jane  Beers,  Mar}^  Crane,  Hattie  Beers, 
Mary  Beck,  John  A.  Hallock,  Darthula  Rogers,  Arabella  Macomber  (she 
was  the  famous  Major  Belle  Reynolds  of  Shiloh  fame),  Robert  N.  Day, 
Harmon  G.   Smith,  Julius  AI.   Hill,   E.   S.   Fales,   Mr.   Farrell,   William  H. 


284  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Brinkerhoff,  Claude  N.  Andrews,  Clara  Ordway,  Miss  Derby.  J.  O.  Cotton, 
Ernest  Smith,  Moses  Brinkerhoff,  Air.  Enenbeck,  V.  Roberson,  Mr.  Stiles, 
Mr.  Koob,  Air.  Eversol,  Lettie  Smith,  Air.  Vanderlin,  B.  O.  Spillman,  Miss 
Alaulsby,  Aliss  Anderson,  Francina  Pottle,  Nettie  Bnmer.  Pearl  Jenkins, 
Gladys  Chamberlain,  Edith  Brown,  Alaye  Jenkins,  Nellie  Boockout,  Pluma 
Freeman,  Alary  Curry  and  Vivian  Bartlett. 

About  1874  a  public  hall  was  erected,  which  was  occupied  by  the  Odd 
Fellows  lodge.  It  waf,  moved  to  Brayton  in  1882.  The  coming  of  the  rail- 
road in  1868  carried  most  of  the  business  to  Brayton.  The  only  remaining 
business  house  is  the  store  of  Ward  B.  Smith.  Dr.  Richard  S.  Hallock  was 
the  resident  physician  many  years,  except  when  he  was  in  the  army.  He 
went  to  Salida,  Colorado,  in  1882. 

GRAY. 

Gray  was  laid  out  by  George  Gray  in  section  12,  Lincoln  township, 
on  August  10,  1 88 1.  The  Northwestern  railroad  came  into  the  town  from 
Carroll,  by  way  of  Manning,  early  in  1882.  George  Gray  was  for  many 
years  the  most  prominent  business  man  here.  He  built  a  grain  elevator, 
office,  hotel  and  residence.  He  was  not  only  proprietor.  Init  o\\  ned  thous- 
ands of  acres  of  the  1)est  farms  in  the  A'icinity  and  was  the  first  grain  and 
stock  dealer  in  town. 

Among  the  early  business  men  in  1881  were:  Air.  Alotter,  general 
store,  who  sold  to  William  R.  Johnson  the  same  year;  Air.  Reeves,  hard- 
ware, who  sold  to  Stotts  &  Myers  the  same  year;  George  Eby.  liveryman; 
George  Farmer,  meat  market ;  Air.  Smith,  boarding  house ;  Doctor  Warner, 
physician.  Other  settlers  the  same  year  were :  A.  G.  Forsbeck,  Charles 
AIcLaughlin  and  George  McLaughlin. 

In  1882  Stotts  &  Gifford  started  a  general  store;  David  DeGood. 
blacksmith;  L  C.  Whipple,  hotel;  Dr.  Frank  Hinsdale,  physician;  Green 
Bav  Lumljer  Co.,  with  O.  B.  Francisco,  manager,  succeeded  1)y  Air.  Wake- 
field, he  bv  P.  C.  Aloeller  and  he  by  Henry  Alohr;  Charles  Stuart  &  Son, 
grain  and  lum1)er  dealers,  with  W.  H.  Kellogg,  manager,  succeeded  by  W. 
H.  Stowell  in  1883;  Audas  Brothers  and  Railey  Brothers,  merchants  in 
1885;  B.  and  H.  W.  Lel^eck,  general  store;  Lancelot  &  Rees  started  a  gen- 
eral store  in  1886.  Fred  C.  Hepp  started  the  blacksmith  and  hardware 
business  in  1886;  Welty  &  Crow,  hardware,  in  1888. 

Other  old  settlers  were  A.   F.  Aikman,  Frank  P.  Rees,   Seth  Gifford, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  285 

Thomas  J.  Spilker,  Dr.  A.  L.  Brooks,  Samuel  T.  Thompson,  Horace 
Shelley,  Dr.  Lawrence  A.  Beers. 

The  first  postmaster  was  Willis  P.  Stotts,  1882.  Other  postmasters 
have  been :  Mr.  Jones,  Walter  J.  Audas,  William  J.  Lancelot,  Fred  C.  Hepp, 
A.  F.  Greenwalt,  C.  Eugene  Mertz,  Elmer  Audas,  B.  A.  Swart  and  Clar- 
ence Shingledecker. 

In  1888  one  of  the  country  school  houses  was  moved  into  town.  The 
present  independent  district  of  Gray  embraces  the  west  one-half  of  sec- 
tions 6  and  7;  the  northwest  one-quarter  of  section  18,  Cameron  township; 
all  of  section  i  ;  east  one-half  of  sections  2  and  11  ;  all  of  section  12;  north 
one-half  of  section  13,  and  northeast  one-quarter  of  section  14  in  Lincoln 
township.  A  new  school  house  was  erected  in  190 1  at  the  cost  of  two 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  The  school  is  graded  and  employs  three 
teachers;  sixty-eight  pupils  are  enrolled  in  191 5.  These  have  been  teach- 
ers: Etta  Barrich.  principal;  Anna  Bovaird,  primary;  Aeta  Crow,  principal; 
Lillian  Ott,  primary;  Nora  O'Leary,  principal;  Miss  DeMotte  and  Alta 
Crow,  primary;  Will  H.  Lancelot,  principal;  Mrs.  J.  A.  Crow  and  ^label 
Swaney,  primary ;  William  Meek,  principal ;  Mabel  Swaney,  primary ;  Will- 
iam Cunningham,  principal ;  Mabel  Swaney,  primary ;  Charles  Ford,  princi- 
pal ;  Emerson  Shelley,  intermediate ;  Mollie  Barger,  primary ;  K.  G.  Lance- 
lot, principal ;  Emerson  Shelley,  Arden  Shelley,  Howard  Kittell,  interme- 
diates ;  Mollie  Barger  and  Ella  Denton,  primaries ;  Belle  Lancelot,  princi- 
pal ;  Grace  Swaney,  intermediate ;  Ella  Denton,  primary. 

These  have  also  been  teachers :  Ella  Forsbeck,  Bessie  Bunker.  Maude 
Carpenter,  Blanche  Shaffer,  May  Delaney,  Anna  O'Leary,  Matilda  Jensen, 
Frank  White,  Will  Hammond,  Lucille  Snyder,  Raba  McVey,  A.  J.  Albin, 
Lillian  Hal  ford,  C.  R.  Wiseman,  Mildred  Bowen,  Bessie  Ross,  Emma 
Wickwire  and  perhaps  others. 

The  town  was  incorporated  in  1897  and  embraced  all  of  section  12, 
Lincoln  township.  The  following  named  gentlemen  have  held  the  office 
of  mayor  of  the  town:  Walter  J.  Audas,  William  J.  Lancelot,  C.  Eugene 
Mertz,  Frank  J.  Rogers,  Fred  C.  Hepp,  Harry  A.  Bates,  A.  G.  McMullen, 
A.  G.  Forsbeck. 

OFFICIAL   AND   BUSINESS   DIRERTORY. 

Mayor,  A.  G.  Forsbeck ;  clerk,  Charles  C.  Linn ;  marshall  and  con- 
stable, Frank  J.  Rogers ;  assessor,  Lloward  Rogers ;  postmaster,  Clarence 
Shingledecker;  mail  carrier,  George  Garber;  principal  of  school,  Leo  Bruce. 

Clergyman — J.  A.   Mitchell ;  railroad  agent — Thomas  J.    Spilker ;  bank 


286  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 

— Farmers  Savings  Bank,  Ed.  C.  Rice,  cashier;  hotel — Mrs.  Garber;  drug 
store — Elmer  Audas;  restaurant — Frank  J.  Rogers;  general  store — James 
A.  Rutherford;  hardware — L.  Groteluschen  Company;  harnessmaker — D. 
C.  Ross;  garage — John  Shaw;  blacksmiths — Fred  C.  Hepp,  Link  O'Con- 
nell ;  liveryman — L.  L.  Farrell;  barber — Guy  E.  Farrell ;  stock-buyer — D.  O. 
Corner;  grain — Opdyke  Grain  Company,  Austin  L.  Linn,  manager;  Trans- 
Miss.  Grain  Company,  D.  J.  Sweeney,  manager;  Green  Bay  Lumber  Co., 
Frank  Murphy  manager ;  carpenter — John  Markley ;  painter  and  paper- 
hanger — B.  A.  Swart;  drayman — Chris.  Jensen. 

HAMLIN    STATION. 

The  town  of  Hamlin  Station  was  laid  out  on  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  lo,  Hamlin  township,  by  J.  Lewis  Drew,  on  November  lo,  1890. 
The  following  named  persons  have  been  among  the  residents  of  the 
town :  Mordicai  Hutton,  Henry  Young,  Samuel  Atkinson,  John  E.  McGuire, 
Charles  Higgins,  Nels  Rattenborg,  J.  P.  M.  Jensen,  Simon  Christensen, 
Peter  Reisgaard,  Hans  P.  Mortensen,  Mrs.  Petersen,  Chris.  Johnson,  Fred 
Heilman,  Philip  Young,  S.  D.  Coonrod,  Hans  J.  Hansen,  Hans  Aagaard, 
Wilhelm  Olesen,  Victor  Nelson,  Jacob  Sandbeck,  Mrs.  ]\Iary  C.  Haahr, 
Soren  Sandbeck,  Hans  Carstensen.  John  McNutt. 

These  have  been  postmasters :  James  Elrod.  William  AIcGuire,  Chris. 
Justensen,   Thomas  Brahn,   Robert   H.   Garnett,   Knut  J.   Petersen. 

Population,  eighty-five. 

BUSINESS  DIRECTORY. 

Postmaster,  Knut  J.  Petersen;  railroad  agent — T.  O.  McCarthy;  school 
teacher — Grace  Lee;  hotel — Karen  ]\Iortensen;  Farmers  Savings  Bank — 
L.  C.  Christoffersen,  cashier;  garage — Cal  Belcher;  blacksmith,  Rasmus 
Johansen;  general  stores — Hans  J.  Johnson,  C.  P.  Christensen;  hardware — 
Nels  Mortensen;  barber  and  billard  parlor — A\'ill  Krohn;  lumlier  dealer  and 
cement  works — Fred  O.  Anderson,  manager;  creamery — Marinus  Nielsen, 
manager;  grain  and  stock  dealer — Peter  Nelson;  drayman — Gill   Petty. 

KIMBALLTON. 

The  town  of  Kimballton  was  founded  and  laid  out  by  Hans  J.  Jorgen- 
sen  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  30,  Sharon  township,  in  1883.     The 


AUDUBOK    COUNTY,    IOWA.  287 

first  merchant  was  Louis  Hansen,  in  1883.  The  business  interests  in  1889 
were  represented  by  Marquesen  &  Mehard  and  A.  Bergreen,  general  stores; 
Eveck  &  Gray,  hardware  and  farm  implements;  Carl  Johnson,  blacksmith, 
and  L.  C.  Johnson,  carpenter. 

Hans  J.  Jorgensen  was  the  first  postmaster,  in  1883,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Hans  Marquesen,  in  1888.  The  Atlantic  Northern  railroad  w-as 
built  from  Atlantic  to  Kimballton  in  1907. 

Kimballton  was  incorporated  on  June  i,  1908.  The  mayors  of  the 
tow^n  have  been  P.  E.  James  and  Thomas  Thompson.  It  is  an  independent 
school  district,  and  its  teachers  are  the  Dallinger  sisters.  Flora,  Bertha  and 
Margaret.  Its  waterworks  system  was  established  in  1912,  and  its  elec- 
tric light  plant  in  19 13. 

OFFICIAL   AND   BUSINESS   DIRECTORY. 

Population,  three  hundred  and  fifty. 

Mayor,  Thomas  Thompson;  clerk,  Hans  Madsen;  marshal,  Conrad 
Nelsen;  justice  of  the  peace,  Chris  T.  Christensen;  constable,  Jens  Smith; 
postmaster,  Frank  Thompson. 

Clergyman — Rev.  J.  Jorgensen;  physician — Peter  Soe;  photographer 
— Mads  Knudsen;  bankers — Hans  Madson  and  Math.  Nessager;  news- 
paper— Fred  N.  Harmon;  hotel — Alarie  Rasmussen;  restaurant — Peter' 
Kirk;  drug  store — Jorgensen  &  Thompson;  jeweller — S.  H.  Sovensen; 
musical  instruments — H.  M.  Nordley;  picture  show — A.  J.  Mautz;  real 
estate  agents — George  Nelsen,  Martin  Frederickson,  Hjalmar  Rasmussen; 
tailor — Walter  Madsen  ;  barber — J.  E.  Tvenstrup ;  blacksmith — Jens  West ; 
harness  sho^D — Evald  Trukken  ;  public  library  ;  mason — Nels  B.  Bennedsen  ; 
carpenter — -Hans  P.  Hansen ;  liveryman — Lars  Rasmussen ;  auto  livery — A. 

J.    Winther;   painters   and   paper-hangers — Chris    Hansen,    Randolph, 

Andersen;    general    stores — Faaborg    &    Co.,    Larsen    &    Jorgensen; 

grocer — G.  G.  Muller  &  Co.;  hardware — H.  P.  Bonnesen;  hardware  and 
implements — Hansen  &  Sorensen;  grain  elevator — Andrew  Rattenborg, 
manager;  live  stock  dealer — Chris  O.  Jensen;  Farmers  Shipper's  Union — - 
Paul  Bjorn,  manager;  furniture — Nelsen  &  Andersen;  electric  lights — John 
Nelsen ;  garage — Martin  N.  Esbeck ;  motor  and  auto  supplies — Henbusker 
&  Larsen ;  creamery — Peter  Thuesen,  manager ;  construction  company — 
Thorwald  Jensen;  lumber  dealers- — Olaf  Hansen,  manager;  Hans  Boldt, 
manager ;  Standard  Oil  Co. — Peter  J.  Bertelsen,  manager ;  meat  markets — 
Magnus  Nelsen,  Jens  Nelsen ;  railroad  agents ;  brick  and  tile  works — Ole 
Jacobson. 


288  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

ROSS. 

The  town  of  Ross  was  laid  out  in  section  4,  Leroy  township,  and  was 
platted  on  July  28.  1882.  A  postoffice  was  established  there  in  1883.  The 
former  postmasters  were  L.  D.  Thomas  and  John  W'agner.  The  railroad 
depot  was  built  in  1885,  and  the  first  merchants  were  Fox  &  Johnson.  J.  F. 
Luse  had  a  store  there  in  1889.  Charles  Stuart  &  Son  and  George  Gray 
were  formerly  engaged  there  in  the  grain  and  coal  trade.  Other  residents 
have  been  Mr.  Zebol,  Jesse  Neitzel.  Mr.  Keonick,  John  Petersen,  John  Wag- 
ner. John  ^IcKee.  John  Ehlit,  Xels  Olsen  and  George  I^IcEwing. 

The  business  directory  of  the  town  in  1915  is  as  follows:  Postmistress. 
Lena  Mack;  railroad  agent.  Inman  Sherman;  store.  Max  Ehlert ;  black- 
smith, William  Smith;  lumber  dealer.  Fred  Jones;  grain  elevators,  Jesse 
Ferguson  and  Bert  McNutt;  implements,  machinery  and  harness,  William 
Bauers;  drayman,  John  Bonnett.  There  are  Methodist  and  Lutheran 
churches. 

OBSOLETE    TOWNS. 

Dayton  was  platted  on  July  9,  1855.  It  was  the  first  county  seat,  but 
contained  only  two  buildings,  and  the  county  seat  was  changed  to  Exira  in 
1861.  It  was  \acated  man}-,  many  years  ago  and  is  now  embraced  in  a 
farm. 

Audu1:)on  City  was  platted  and  laid  out  by  Thomas  S.  Lewis  and 
Nathaniel  Hamlin  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  25.  Exira  township, 
on  September  3.  1856.  It  was  a  failure  from  the  start.  It  contained  a 
residence  or  two  and  a  store.  The  first  school  house  was  there,  all  before 
1861.     It  was  all  vacated  many  years  ago  and  is  now  embraced  in  a  farm. 

Louisville  was  laid  out  and  platted  by  Nathaniel  Hamlin  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  17,  Exira  township,  on 
October  23,  1866.  It  was  the  site  of  the  Green  &  Burnham  steam-mill  in 
1856.  Howard  J.  Green,  Franklin  Burnham  and  Charles  L.  Chapin  lived 
there  in  1856,  and  others  lived  there  subsequently,  before  1865.  In 
1866  it  was  the  busiest  place  in  the  county,  with  saw  and  flouring-mill,  store, 
blacksmith  shop  and  quite  a  number  of  residences.  It  continued  to  be  a 
busy  place  as  late  as  1874.  During  its  business  career  its  residents,  besides 
those  mentioned,  v.ere :  Levi  Zaner.  Nathaniel  Hamlin.  John  B.  Connrardy, 
Adonijah   J.    Harris.   James    Harris,     Horatio    P.     Smith.     Leman     Carley. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  289 

Francis  J.  Shrauger,  Robert  T.  Smart.  Daniel  W.  Miller,  John  S.  Wright, 
Charles  E.  Hartman,  Kizer,  Robinson  and  others. 

It  is  now  embraced  in  the  farm  of  Julius  E.  Herrick,  Esq.  Audubon 
Lodge  No.  217,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  oldest  lodge  in  the 
county,  was  organized  at  Louisville,  October  19,  1871,  and  built  an  Odd 
Fellows  hall.  The  lodge  was  moved  to  Oakfield  in  1874  and  the  hall  was 
torn  down. 

Hamlin  was  laid  out  by  the  Hamlin  Town  Company,  consisting  of 
Nathaniel  Hamlin,  I.  N.  Donnel,  P.  Gad  Bryan,  George  W.  Seevers,  Hugh 
W.  Maxwell  and  H.  Devere  Thompson,  in  sections  i  and  2,  in  Hamlin 
township,  in  1872.  The  plat  was  filed  on  April  29,  1873.  It  was  the  fairest 
townsite  ever  founded  in  Audubon  county.  It  contained  a  hotel,  several 
stores,  a  school  house  and  several  dwellings.  It  was  defeated  for  county 
seat  in  1873,  a  lamentable  event  and  to  the  lasting  injury  of  the  county  that 
it  was  not  selected  for  the  permanent  county  seat.  It  was  vacated  many 
years  ago  and  is  now^  embraced  in  a  farm. 


(19) 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


THE  DANES. 


Between  Exira  and  Harlan  in  the  west  part  of  Audubon  county  and  the 
east  part  of  Shelby  county  is  a  large  settlement  of  Danish  people.  Their 
rise  and  progress  have  been  something  remarkable  and  interesting.  The  first 
of  these  people  settled  in  Shelby  county,  and  came  later  to  Audubon  county. 
As  early  as  1863,  Chris  Johnson,  better  known  to  old  setlers  as  "Big  Chris," 
lived  on  a  homestead  in  Shelby  county,  near  the  northwest  corner  of  Oakfield 
township,  about  two  miles  south  of  the  present  town  of  Elkhorn.  In  the 
early  days  he  was  instrumental  in  settling  several  Danish  people  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  Audubon  county.  These  people  came  direct  from  Denmark  to 
his  place  and  lived  with  him  to  learn  the  language  of  the  country  and  the 
methods  of  agriculture.  He  assisted  them  in  buying  and  improving  their 
lands,  and  in  making  their  initial  start  at  home  making  and  farming,  in 
many  ways. 

The  first  Dane  who  settled  in  the  county  was  Jens  U.  Hansen,  who  came 
in  1869  from  Shelby  county  and  lived  temporarily  in  a  shanty  in  the  north 
part  of  section  5,  Exira  township,  near  John  W.  Dodge.  He  was  a  carpenter 
and  a  very  industrious  man;  worked  with  Mr.  Dodge  and  helped  build  the 
old  big  barn  on  the  Pray  place,  now  owned  by  Martin  P.  Mardensen,  on 
section  27,  Hamlin  township.  He  also  helped  build  the  Congregational 
church  in  Exira,  in  1870;  built  a  house  for  Charles  Van  Gorder,  in  Exira, 
in  1 87 1,  and  built  the  John  D.  Bush  house  in  Exira.  He  improved  a  farm 
in  section  36,  Sharon  township,  in  1870,  upon  which  he  settled  in  1871,  and 
lived  there  many  years.  He  now  resides  in  the  same  vicinity.  During  suc- 
ceeding years  many  Danish  people  setled  in  Audubon  county. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  early  Danish  settlers  in  Audubon  county,  with 
places  and  dates  of  settlement : 

OAKFIELD  TOWNSHIP. 

In  Section  2.    Lorenz  P.  Nelsen,  1883. 
In  Section  3.     M.  Ballmus,  1880;  C.  Christensen,  1880. 
In  Section  4.     A.  P.  Hansen,    1878;  Rasmus  Axelsen,   1875;  Andrew 
P.  Hansen,  1878;  Jens  Hansen,  1878;  Chris  Hansen,  1878;  Lars  N.  Esbeck, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.,  29I 

1882;  Christian  N.  Esbeck,  1881 ;  John  Sorensen,  1882;  John  N.  Esbeck, 
1883. 

In  Section  5.  Nels  J.  Boose,  1881;  Nels  B.  Christensen,  1887;  Andrew 
Sorensen,  1882;  Drace  Sorensen,  1882;  Chris  Jensen,  1881;  Chris  Hansen, 
1878;  Andrew  N.  Esbeck,  1879;  John  Petersen,  1885;  Jacob  Beck,  1885; 
L.  P.  Miller,  1883. 

In  Section  6.  A.  C.  Nelsen,  1880;  Lars  Hansen,  1875;  Nels  J.  Nelson, 
1883;  Tore  Toresen,  1871 ;  Lars  Hansen,  1875;  Paul  Boyeson,  1880;  Aug. 
L.  Boyeson,  1880;  Chris  Petersen,  1878;  Nels  C.  Christensen,  1885;  Charles 
J.  Shack,  1875;  H.  F.  Shack,  1875;  J.  P.  Nielsen,  1886. 

In  Section  7.  Simon  Everson,  1875;  Chris  Qlsen,  1885;  Nels  Bollesen, 
1878;  A.  P.  Poulsen,  1880;  Elias  Jacobsen,  date  unknown. 

In  Section  8.     Peter  Nelson,  1882. 

In  Section  10.  Niels  Hansen,  1883;  Lars  Christensen,  1875;  Nels  J. 
Petersen,  1883. 

In  Section  14.  Jens  U.  Petersen,  1872;  Peter  Hansen,  1873;  John 
Johnsen,  1872. 

In  Section  15.  Hans  Nymand,  1881;  Jesse  Nymand,  1880;  Jacob  P. 
Bendixen,  1881 ;  Carl  F.  Nelsen,  1872. 

In  Section  16.     Knud  Knudsen,  1875. 

In  Section  17.  Jens  P.  Christoffersen,  1872;  B.  H.  Christensen,  1876; 
John  P.  Hoegh,  1881;  S.  P.  Daugard,  1882. 

In  Section  20.     Hans  C.  Hansen,  1882.; 

In  Section  21.  Nels  P.  Hoegh,  1875;  George  Hansen,  1875;  H.  C. 
Nielsen,  1872. 

In  Section  22.  Chris  Christensen,  1883;  Hans  P.  Hansen,  1880;  Ebbe 
J.  Hansen,,  1880;  Peter  Jacobsen,  1877. 

In  Section  2^.     Peter  Albertsen,  1881 ;  H.  P.  Larsen,  1875. 

In  Section  28.     H.  C.  Nielsen,  1873;  William  Erickson,   1880. 

In  Section  33.  N.  P.  Petersen,  1871 ;  Peter  Nielsen,  1871 ;  Niels  Ander- 
sen, 1871. 

In  Section  34.     N.  C.  Nielsen,  1871;  Martin  Nielsen.  1871. 

HAMLIN  TOWNSHIP. 

In  Section  29.    J.  H.  Johnson,  1880. 

In  Section  30.  Chris  Petersen,  1886;  Peter  Wilson,  1885;  Peter  Mad- 
sen,  1880. 

In  Section  31.     Jens  P.  Wilson,  1885;  Nels  Petersen,  1881. 


292  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

SHARON   TOWNSHIP. 

In  Section  7.'  Peter  F.  Pedersen,  1880;  Andreas  C.  Sorensen,  1881; 
Jens  Rosenbeck,  1886. 

In  Section  14.     Christian  M.  Hansen,  1882;  Charles  Petersen,  1878. 

In  Section  15.  Jasper  Jensen,  1880;  Martin  N.  Esbeck,  1879;  Chris  L. 
Hansen,  1880. 

In  Section  16.  Alartin  Larsen,  1882;  Jens  Marcussen,  1882;  Anders 
Christoffersen,  1882;  Hans  Marcussen,  1882. 

In  Section  17.  Hans  Petersen,  1876;  Xels  Petersen,  1880;  George  L. 
Jorgensen,  1879;  Chris  J.  Christensen,  1881 ;  Henrick  J.  Ipsen,  1880;  Albert 
H.  Jorgensen,  1880;  Peter  Rasmussen,  1880. 

In  Section  18.  Chris  T.  Christensen,  1880;  Chris  L.  Petersen,  1881 ; 
Peter  Nissen,  1885;  Lars  Jensen,  date  unknown;  Xiels  H.  Nielsen,  1878; 
Niels  J.  Meng,  1880;  Chris  Larsen,  1880. 

In  Section  19.  Andreas  Petersen,  1881 ;  Albert  C.  Christensen,  1880; 
Ole  Ericksen,  1877;  Peter  Olsen,  1877. 

In  Section  20.  Peter  N.  Jorgensen,  1874;  Thomas  Smith,  1880;  Hans 
Larsen,  1880;  Nels  Petersen,  1880. 

In  Section  21.  Jens  Larsen,  1880;  Hans  Petersen,  1883;  Peter  H. 
Andersen,  1883. 

In  Section  23.     Willads  Rattenborg,  1883. 

In  Section  27.  Rasmus  Petersen,  1885;  Soren  S.  Faaborg,  1882; 
Simon  Christensen,  1879. 

In  Section  28.  John  Faaborg,  1881  ;  Chris  Montensen,  1879;  Peter  N. 
Esbeck,  1878;  Chris  Mascussen,  1882;  Peter  Johnsen,  date  unknown. 

In  Section  29.  Jens  T.  Larsen,  1874;  Erik  P.  Simonsen,  1878. 

In  Section  30.  Hans  J.  Jorgensen,  1874;  Chris  P.  Madsen,  1874;  Jens 
Christensen,  1878;  Hans  Madsen,  1874:  Mads  Madsen,  1874;  Ole  H.  Jacob- 
sen,  1875;  Ole  H.  Jacobsen,  Jr.,  1875;  Clarence  Jacobsen,  1875;  Chris  Jacob- 
sen,  1875;  Ole  Olson,  1873. 

In  Section  31.  John  Andersen,  1878;  Hans  P.  Christensen,  1877;  Lars 
Mortensen,  1878;  Hans  Rasmussen,  188 1. 

In  Section  32.  Jens  C.  Hansen,  1880;  Niels  Hansen,  1880;  Soren 
Sorensen,  1880;  Svend  Larsen.  1883;  Chris  Christensen,  1881 ;  Lars  Nelsen, 
1881 ;  Jens  Carlsen,  1882;  Jens  C.  Kjar,  1880. 

In  Section  33.  Lars  C.  Jensen,  1883;  Jens  M.  Rasmussen,  1880;  Carl 
Iversen.   1882;  Chris  Iversen,   1882;  Anton  Christensen,   1877. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  293 

In  Section  34.  Chris  Thomson,  1880;  Nels  P.  Jensen,  1882;  WilHam 
Christensen,  1881 ;  Lars  Sorensen,  1883;  Chris  Henclriksen,  1883;  Soren 
Sorensen,  1880. 

In  Section  35.     Peter  Axelsen,  1875. 

In  Section  36.     Jens  Sorensen,  1881 ;  Jens  U.  Hansen,   1871. 

DOUGLAS  TOWNSHIP. 

In  Section  35.     Chris  Justesen,  1880. 

DESIRABLE    IMMIGRANTS. 

These  people  have  greatly  multiplied  and  now  number  many  thou- 
sans.  But  few  of  them  possessed  more  than  the  common  necessities  of  life. 
The  lands  where  they  settled  were  mostly  hilly,  rough,  and  brushy,  and  not 
of  the  best  quality;  but  they  were  well  adapted  as  colonists  in  a  new  country, 
a  strong,  hardy,  healthy  race;  intelligent,  honest,  industrious,  patient  and 
progressive — just  what  were  required  to  subdue  the  wilderness,  and  build 
up  a  prosperous  community. 

The  writer  well  recalls  their  first  coming,  and  sold  land  to  some  of 
them.  Many  at  first  purchased  but  forty  acres — usually  paying  down  about 
$70 — upon  which  they  built  a  board  shanty,  ten  feet  square,  barely  suffi- 
cient to  hold  a  bed,  table  and  a  few  necessary  household  articles.  The  cook- 
ing stove  was  set  up  outside  under  a  board  shed,  next  to  the  living  room. 
Then  they  obtained  a  cheap  team,  wagon  and  plow,  a  cow,  an  old  sow  and 
some  chickens  and  proceeded  to  break  out  th^-  farm.  Sometimes  they  planted 
sod  corn  the  first  year  and  prepared  for  a  crop  the  next  year.  After  about 
this  fashion  they  began  life  in  this  new  country.  Times  were  hard  and  ready 
money  not  to  be  had.  No  banks,  and  farm  loans  not  to  be  obtained  here  at 
that  period.  Farm  products  were  low  in  price,  and  the  markets  many  miles 
distant.  But  they  had  come  to  stay.  By  industry  and  patient  perseverance 
they  worked  and  paid  for  their  homes  and  increased  their  possessions.  Their 
financial  integrity  as  compared  with  that  of  the  average  western  man  was 
remarkable  from  the  start.  There  were  very  few  rogues  among  them.  The 
writer  found  that  when  a  Dane  was  given  credit  for  any  kind  of  purchase 
that  he  usually  met  his  obligations  promptly  to  the  day,  which  was  not  true 
of  many  other  people  in  the  community. 

In  1894  the  writer  had  occasion  to  mention  them  in  the  senate  of  Iowa, 
citing  the  founding  and  progress  of  their  community,  and  contending  that  it 


294  AUDUBOX    COUXTY/ IOWA. 

compared  favorably  with  anything  of  the  kind  of  its  age  in  the  world;  which 
was  true,  and  it  has  since  continually  been  progressing; 

BUILDING  ELKHORN    COLLEGE. 

In  1878  Rev.  Olav  Kirkeberg,  pastor  of  the  Lutheran  church  at  Elkhorn, 
founded  Elkhorn  College,  built  by  subscription;  the  Danish  people  in  the 
vicinity  contributing  liberally  for  the  purpose.  It  was  out  in  the  wilderness, 
but  the  Danish  farmers  turned  out  with  their  teams  and  hauled  the  material 
for  the  erection  of  the  building  from  the  railroad,  and  the  coal  with  which 
to  heat  it  when  completed.  There  was  a  college  mess-hall  for  the  students, 
the  food  for  which,  meat,  flour,  milk,  vegetables,  etc.,  was  supplied  by  the 
neighboring  people.  They  sent  their  boys  and  girls  to  this  school.  The 
students  printed  and  published  a  college  journal — Danncvirkc — proclaiming 
that  Elkhorn  College  was  the  only  Danish  college  in  America.  Students 
attended  from  all  over  Iowa,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  ^linnesota,  Dakota, 
Nebraska  and  other  states,  and  some  even  from  Denmark. 

It  was  a  common  occurrence  at  that  time  to  observe  the  old,  heavy, 
wooden  chests  and  trunks  of  the  Scandinavian  emigrants  marked:  "Elk- 
horn. Iowa.  U.  S.  A."'  The  college  was  burned  down  twice,  but  a  better 
building  was  erected  on  the  original  site  in  19 10. 

TOWNS   IX    THE    DANISH    NEIGHBORHOOD. 

In  1888  the  town  of  Kimballton — named  for  an  official  of  the  railroad 
company — was  founded  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  30,  Sharon  town- 
ship, and  another  town,  Elkhofn.  is  situated  two  and  one-half  miles  south, 
in  Shelby  county.  These  towns,  situated  well  back  in  the  hills,  are  strictly 
up-to-date,  with  commodious  dwellings,  business  houses  and  modern  im- 
provements, new  and  tidy.  A  spirit  of  rivalry  exists  between  the  two  little 
cities,  while  the  people  are  mostly  Danish. 

After  living  in  the  country  for  more  than  thirty  years  without  a  rail- 
road the  citizens  rallied  and  built  one  themselves,  from  Kimballton  to  Atlan- 
tic. Sharon  township  voted  a  railroad  tax  of  five  mills  on  the  dollar,  and 
another  township  in  Shelby  county  voted  a  like  tax.  for  building  the  road,  and 
private  citizens  along  the  line  subscribed  for  the  railroad  stock  for  the  same 
purpose.     In  such  way  the  railroad  was  accomplished. 

These  Danish  people  have  become  an  important  factor  in  the  affairs  of 
Audubon   county.      They  are   largely  devoted   to   agricultural   pursuits,    for 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  295 

which  they  are  pecuharly  well  qualified.  As  farmers  they  are  not  excelled. 
Starting  as  poor  men,  they  now  own  hundreds  of  magnificent  farms,  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  with  handsome  dwelling  and  home  lots,  fine  barns 
and  farm  buildings  for  sheltering  stock  and  housing  grain  and  hay;  fields 
and  pastures  thoroughly  fenced  and  stocked  with  the  best  breeds  of  horses, 
cattle,  hogs,  poultry,  etc.  The  tidy,  thrifty  appearance  of  their  farms  attest 
the  industry  and  prosperity  of  the  owners. 

As  business  men  they  rank  favorably  with  the  same  classes  of  people 
elsewhere.  In  the  learned  professions  we  find  among  them  lawyers,  doctors, 
clergymen,  and  school  teachers.  They  have  represented  the  county  in  the 
Legislature,  and  in  the  county  and  local  offices.  Others  are  bankers,  mer- 
chants, agents  and  representatives  of  nearly  all  lines  of  trades  and  special 
callings. 

WORTHY    CITIZENS. 

The  Danish  people  in  this  county  aspire  to  become  thoroughly  American- 
ized, to  assume  the  best  types  of  American  manhood  and  womanhood,  and  to 
conform  themselves  to  American  laws  and  customs.  Nearly  all  of  the  male 
portion  of  them  as  early  as  convenient  become  naturalized  citizens  and  readily 
assume  their  duties  as  such.  They  are  patrons  of  schools  and  education.  It 
is  a  rare  thing  to  discover  one  of  these  people  who  cannot  read  and  write. 
In  politics  they  are  remarkably  independent  about  local  affairs,  generally 
favoring  their  own  race  of  people.  In  this  particular  they  are  inclined 
to  be  clannish.  Religously  many  are  Lutheran,  the  church  of  their  nativity. 
Quite  a  number  are  Adventists,  and  some  are  members  of  other  denominations. 

Honest  "Pete"  Christiansen  once  in  discussing  the  Danish  social  proposi- 
tion said  that  the  Danish  boys  should  marry  American  girls,  and  vice  versa. 
He  put  the  theory  into  actual  practice,  with  success  as  it  appeared. 

To  sum  up  in  a  nutshell — there  are  no  better  or  more  worthy  people  in 
the  county  than  the  Danes;  and  there  are  many  other  people  here  who  are 
equally  worthy. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY    STATISTICS. 


PRESENT    POSTOFFICES. 

Names.  Established. 

Audubon May  12,   1871 

Brayton    February    27,    1880 

Exira    June   27,    1856 

Gray   January   30,    1882 

Hamlin June   24,    1873 

Kimballton January    16,    1882 

Ross August   23,    1883 

OBSOLETE    POSTOFFICES. 

Names.  Established.  Discontinued. 

Audubon  Center December  13,   1877       September  30,  1867 

Audubon  Heights June  13,  1877 

(name  changed  to 

Conkling)    February  28.  1881 

Civil  Point January  8.  1879  July  26,  1880 

Conkling    ^ June  14,  1894 

Exline    (site  changed  to 

Appanoose   county)    January  14,  1878 

Fiscus   (site  changed  to 

Shelby  county)    September  8,   1898        March  15,  1908 

Grove  (late  Hamlin  Grove) August  30,  1888 

Hamlin  Grove  (name 

changed  to  Grove) October  i,  1853  June  24,  1873 

Horace March  19.  1878  September  26,  1894 

Irwin    June  6,  1871  March  26,  1879 

Jobes  (site  changed  to 

Guthrie  county)    January  2.  1877  January  17,  1903 

Louisville I^^bruary  6,  1872  January  21,  1880 

Larland \]:iril  30.   1890  May  15.  1902 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  297 

Leroyville    May  i6,  1871  November  8,  1878 

Melville    February  19,  1878  October  24,  1891 

Oakfield October  22,  1858  November  29,  1881 

Orleans  (site  changed  to 

Appanoose   county)    ^lay  4,  i860 

Poplar    March  30.   1892  March  15,  1908 

Price February  9,  1886  August  17,  1889 

Thompson    October  7,  1872  February  24.  1880 

Viola  Center March  6,  1878  March  21,  1903 

CENSUS   STATISTICS    1 856. 

Dwelling    houses    49 

Families     . 50 

Males   150 

Females   133 

Married 93 

Widowed 5 

Voters    69 

Aliens    2 

Militia    60 

Land  owners 51 

Acres.  Bushels. 

Improved  land 701  

Spring  wheat 115  i)97i 

Oats    28  1,405 

Corn    334  10,720 

Potatoes    12  1,927 

Number.  V^alue. 

Hogs    sold    223  1,916 

Cattle  sold 132  4,3/6 

Manufacturers    1-335 

Butter,   pounds   3,656  

Wool,  pounds 375  

1875       18^0  1885  1890  1895  1900  1905 

acres  acres  acres  acres  acres  acres  acres 

Improved  land  --21,046  94.723  165,672  248.276  244,169  272,197  264,749 

Unimproved  land  257,368  36,587  44,406  19,530  18,698  10,259  19,842 


298  AUDUBON    COUNTY/  IOWA. 

OCCUPATIONS. 

Farmers 32 

Laborers    12 

Blacksmith . i 

■Carpenters . . 5 

Machinists ^^_ . 3 

POPULATION  OF  AUDUBON  COUNTY  BY  YEARS. 

1856,  283;  1859,  365;  i860,  453;  1863,  388;  1865,  510;  1867,  790; 

1869,  1.032;  1870,  1,212;  1873,  1,873;  1875,  2.370;  1880,  7,448;  1885, 

10,825;  1890,  I2;4i2;  1895,  12,836;  1900,  13,625;  1905,  12,937;  1910, 

12,671. 

POPULATION  BY  TOWNS. 

i860   1870   1880   1885   1890   1895   1900  1905  I9IO 

Audubon 792   1.152   1,310  1,585   1,866  1,764  1,928 

Brayton 38    124    141  196  137 

Exira 83       160      604      552      575      748      851  828  787 

Gray 172       180  191  148 

Oakfield 88    

Kimballton :  271 

POPULATION   BY  TOWNSHIPS. 

1890        1900        1905  I9IO 

Audubon    953        953  917  825 

Cameron    756        708  619  550 

Douglas   783        848  870  848 

Exira,  except  Brayton  and  Exira  town 1,040     1,034  909  836 

Greeley 779        766  714  651 

Hamlin     . 806        962  961  918 

Leroy,  except  Audubon  town 858        795  753  820 

Lincoln,  except  Gray  town 907  827  713 

Melville    729        618  565  590 

Oakfield 1,004     1,065  95i  99^ 

Sharon 972     1,233     1,223  1,210 

Viola    . 709        699  648  6^7 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 


299 


MALE  POPULATION,  BY  YEARS. 
1856,  150;  1859,  198;  1869,  239;  1863,  194;  1865,  240. 

VOTERS,  BY  YEARS. 

1856,  69;  1859,  93;  1863,  88;  1865,  no;  1867,  "^71;   1869,  248;  1873, 
430;  1875.  527;  1885,  2,514;  1895,  3.091;  1900,  \   1905,  3,415. 

NATIVITY    OF    POPULATION. 


1856  1895 

Austria    

Bohemia    

Belgium 2 

Canada    i  74 

Denmark 1.252 

England 10  134 

France 7 

Germany i  953 

Holland 3 

Ireland .111 

Norway 18 

Russia    

Scotland i  27 

Sweden 44 

Switzerland 

United  States  __    10,104 

Wales    7 

Other  European 

countries    39 

Asia I 

Unknown     30  60 

Alabama    2 

Arkansas 2 

California 4 

Colorado    5 

Connecticut 4  10 

Delaware i 


1905 
10 

14 

31 
1,469 

71 
8 

786 

69 

15 
2 

21 

42 

4 


2 
6 
8 


1856  1895  1905 

Georgia    5  ___ 

Illinois 12  937  688 

Indiana    10  279  177 

Indian  Ter. 2  ___ 

Iowa    48  6,989  8,103 

Kansas 2  59  62 

Kentucky     17  58  34 

Maine    i  21  12 

Maryland 2  16  5 

Massachusetts 16  20  12 

Michigan 8  28  49 

Minnesota 18 

Mississippi 2       

Missouri    76  80 

Montana    12      

Nebraska 84  132 

New   Hampshire  5  15  11 

New  Jersey 2'j  24 

New  York 34  244  149 

North  Carolina  _    21  6 

North  Dakota  __    14  — 

Ohio 47  506  309 

Oregon i       

Pennsylvania 7  309  219 

Rhode   Island 4      

South  Carolina  _    i       

South  Dakota  __    11  22 


300 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 


Tennessee 

Texas 

Vermont 
Virginia  _ 


1856  1895  1905 

2  II  II 

2      

4  37  26 

17  46  25 


Washington 

West  Virginia 
Wisconsin 


1856    1895  1905 

10      

18  '     12 

4      129  124 


NATIVES  OF  IOWA,   BY   COUNTIES. 


Adair 18 

Adams 12 

Alamakee 3 

Appanoose    8 

Audubon    4,245 

Benton 40 

Black  Hawk    9 

Boone    15 

Bremer    2 

Buchanan    3 

Beuna  Vista 2 

Butler    3 

Carroll 126 

Cass 256 

Cedar 52 

Cherokee i 

Chickasaw i 

Clarke    9 

Clay '. I 

Clayton    34 

Clinton     59 

Crawford    49 

Dallas    37 

Davis 5 

Decatur    13 

Delaware 3 

Des  Moines 31 

Dickinson    i 

Dubuque    36 

Emmet i 

Fayette    19 


Floyd 

Franklin 
Fremont 

Green 

Grundy 
Guthrie 
Hardin 
Harrison 
Henry    _ 

Ida 

Iowa 


5 

II 

5 

113 

2 

9 

40 

9 

140 

Jackson    46 

Jasper    89 

Jefferson    16 

Johnson 217 

Jones    25 

Keokuk    35 

Lee     9 

Linn     17 

Louisa    8 

Lucas 2 

Lyon    I 

Madison    38 

Mahasha    47 

Marion     56 

Marshall    43 

Mills II 

Mitchell I 

Monona 3 

Monroe    5 

Montgomery 19 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 


301 


Muscatine    53 

O'Brien    3 

Osceola    i 

Page 5 

Palo  Alto    4 

Plymouth     3 

Pocahontas    i 

Polk 87 

Pottawattomie    78 

Poweshiek    ill 

Ringgold   5 

Sac 5 

Scott    102 

Shelby    205 


Sioux     7 

Story    23 

Tama 21 

Taylor 18 

Union 2 

Van  Buren 4 

Wapello 21 

Warren 28 

Washington     27 

Webster i 

Winneshiek    4 

Woodbury 4 

Others   54 


OCCUPATIONS — 1895. 


Agents 8 

Insurance     5 

Land    4 

Railroad    6 

Auctioneers i 

Bakers   i 

Bankers 6 

Barbers    13 

Beekeepers     •    i 

Bihiard  men 9 

Blacksmiths 28 

Bookkeepers    7 

Brickmakers    4 

Brokers    2 

Butchers    15 

Carpenters     1 60 

Civil  officers 5 

Clergymen 19 

Clerks    : 46 

Contractors i 

Cooks I 

Creamery     i 


Dairymen    6 

Dentists 4 

Doctors    13 

Domestics    41 

Draymen   12 

Dressmakers    24 

Druggists    8 

Editors    i 

Engineers,  stationary 4 

Farmers 2,072 

Farmers,  retired . 13 

Gardeners    9 

Graindealers    7 

Harnessmakers 20 

Hotel   and   rest,   keepers 9 

Housekeepers    26 

Jewelers 5 

Laborers    4-5 

Laborers,  farm 74 

Lawyers    15 

Liverymen 7 

Machinists 3 


302 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,.  JOWA. 


Mail  carriers  _ 
Marble  cutters 
Manufacturers 
Mechanics 


4 
19 


4 


Merchants   73 

Millers 

Milliners    

Miners 

Musicians    

Nurses 

Opticians 

Painters 

Photographers     

Plasterers    

Printers 

Railway  employes 

Seamstresses 


12 

9 
I 


10 
8 

4 
I 

5 


Shoemakers 

Spinners    

Stock  dealers    

Stonemasons 

Students    

Surveyors    

Tailors 

Tanners 3 

Teachers    126 

Teamsters    

Telegraph  operators 

Tinners    

Traveling  salesmen 

\"eterinarians    

Wagon  makers 

Weavers    


10 
6 

4 
I 

3 
I 

I 


\\'ell  diggers 


FARM    PRODUCTIONS.    I905. 


Acres. 

Corn    91,969 

Wheat 1 1. 714 

Oats 31.575 

Barley     7.256 

Rye   125 

Buckwheat    2 


Clover 4.421 

Timothy 25.554 

Millet   and   Hungarian 363 

Alfalfa I 

Wild  hay   4.287 


Clover   seed    826 

Timothy  seed    I.79I 

Potatoes    


Bushels. 

Value. 

3.797.856 

$1,203,141 

94,260 

67.037 

857.125 

180,583 

194,806 

57.349 

2,006 

1,181 

Z7 

26 

Tons. 

6.539 

27.589 

42.545 

172,638 

812 

2.690 

2 

8 

8,091 

Z^Ay:> 

Bushels. 

971 

5.865 

10.347 

9.515 

105,265 

26,752 

AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 


303 


Sweet   potatoes 

Sweet  corn 

Apples     

Peaches     

Plums    

Cherries    

Berries    

Grapes    


936 

5>22I 


875 
1,897 

13.590 
136 
2,687 
2,871 
7oo8 
2,074 


CENSUS  1905. 


Cattle   47,850 

Horses  and  mules 11,485 

Swine 63,439 

Sheep   1,538 

Wool,  pounds 4,118 

Chickens     184,439 

Other    fowls    7,748 

Eggs,  dozens 623,758 

Dairy  products 

Vegetables 


Value $946,829 

Value 686,798 

Value 392,782 

Value .  9.304 

Value 822 

Value 53,587 

Value 5.540 

Value 79'377 

Value 276,971 

Value 11,652 


County  revenue  for  year  ending  December  31,  1904 $162,598.01 

County  expenses,  same  period 155,710.48 

Militia,    1905,  2,540. 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


CHARLES  VAN  GORDER. 

We  of  a  later  generation  who  are  enjoying  the  comforts  and  even  the 
luxuries  of  this  modern-day  civilization  owe  much  to  the  earlier  pioneers; 
in  fact,  it  is  difficult  to  place  a  proper  estimate  upon  their  services  for  the 
benefit  of  the  generations  who  follow  after  them.  They  blazed  the  trails 
and  bore  the  brunt  of  the  first  hard  and  difficult  battle  in  the  redemption  of 
a  wilderness.  Their  foresight  and  optimism  enabled  them  to  see  into  the 
distant  future  and  vision  the  productive  and  fertile  farms,  the  beautiful 
towns  and  cities,  the  grid-ironing  the  country  with  the  steam  railroads ; 
all  of  which  were  to  transform  the  wide  stretches  of  prairie  lands  and  the 
rolling  hills  into  a  veritable  storehouse  of  wealth  which  would  afford  sus- 
tenance for  innumerable  thousands.  It  was  the  pioneer  who  transported 
his  family  and  meager  possessions  by  horse-wagon  or  slow-moving  ox-team 
from  the  haunts  of  civilization  across  the  lonely  stretches  to  the  far-distant 
uninhabited  country  and  there  erected  his  cabin  on  the  spot  of  his  choice. 
He  came,  he  saw,  he  conquered,  despite  the  vicissitudes  and  hardships  which 
of  necessity  were  the  lot  of  him  and  his  family.  He  likewise  reaped  his 
reward  in  the  inevitable  prosperity  which  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  settle- 
ment of  the  new  country.  This  was  no  more  than  his  just  desert.  A  high 
type  of  the  pioneer  is  found  in  the  person  of  the  man  whose  name  heads 
this  review,  Capt.  Charles  Van  Gorder,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  and 
bankers  of  Audubon  county,  who  has  resided  in  this  county  for  fifty- 
four  years. 

During  his  long  residence  in  Audubon  county  Captain  Van  Gorder  has 
seen  the  land  transformed  from  grass  and  flower-covered  prairie  and  hill 
lands  into  a  smiling  landscape  of  fertile  farms  and  thriving  towns.  He  has 
seen  the  trail  succeeded  by  the  old  stagecoach;  in  turn  he  has  seen  the 
stagecoach  supplanted  by  the  steam  railway  and  the  automobile  coming  as 
a  more  modern  means  of  conveyance,  and  very  properly  is  one  of  the  most 
highly  honored  and  respected  citizens  in  the  county. 

(20) 


306  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

Charles  Van  Gorder,  vice-president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Audubon,  this  county,  was  born  in  Delaware  county,  New  York,  on  Jan- 
uary 23,  1837,  the  direct  descendant  of  an  old  Holland  family  which  figured 
in  the  colonial  life  of  the  Empire  state.  He  is  the  son  of  Simon  Van 
Gorder,  whose  grandgather,  John  Van  Gorder,  was  born  in  the  Dutch  settle- 
ment of  Delaware  county.  New  York,  in  the  ancestral  home  of  the  family. 
John  Van  Gorder  was  the  father  of  William,  John,  Abram,  Isaac,  Law- 
rence, Albert  and  Manuel  Van  Gorder.  Lawrence  Van  Gorder,  the  father 
of  Simon  Van  Gorder,  resided  in  Orange  and  Ulster  counties  of  New  York. 
His  other  sons  were  Hiram,  Charles,  John,  Lawrence  and  Calvin,  all  of 
whom  lived  to  be  over  ninety  years  of  age.  Four  of  the  sons  of  John  Van 
Gorder  settled  in  the  Lake  county  of  New  York  state. 

Simon  Van  Gorder,  upon  attaining  his  majority,  moved  to  Delaware 
county.  New  York,  and  thence,  in  1843,  to  Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  died  in  October,  1890.  His  wife  was  Jane  Fish,  a  native  of  New 
York,  daughter  of  Isaac  Fish,  a  native  of  Connecticut,  who  settled  in  Dela- 
ware county.  New  York,  early  in  the  nineteenth  century.  To  Simon  and 
Jane  (Fish)  Van  Gorder  were  born  the  following  children:  Maria 
Antoinette,  deceased;  Mrs.  Lorane  Hodge,  deceased;  Billings,  of  Chemung 
county.  New  York;  Charles,  of  whom  this  chronicle  treats;  John,  deceased; 
R.  B.,  a  resident  of  Chemung  county.  New  York;  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Kirkpat- 
rick,  residing  in  Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  H.  Wallace,  a  citizen 
of  Chemung  county.  New  York. 

Charles  Van  Gorder  was  reared  on  a  wilderness  farm,  he  having  been 
but  six  years  of  age  when  his  father  removed  to  the  wilds  of  Bradford 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  entered  on  the  task  of  carving  a  farm  from  the 
dense  forests.  There  were  no  school  facilities  in  this  primitive  country  and 
Charles  did  not  attend  school  until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  seventeen 
years.  This  schooling  was  very  limited,  however,  and  he  did  not  succeed 
in  securing  the  education  which  his  ambition  craved.  It  is  a  fact  that  he 
did  not  finish  his  education  until  after  he  came  to  the  West,  and  he  attended 
school  for  two  years  after  he  had  attained  the  age  of  thirty  years.  When 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  Charles  Van  Gorder  left  home  with  the  par- 
ental blessing  and  little  else  to  fortify  himself  with,  and  migrated  to  Henry 
county,  Illinois.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  made  the  long  overland  journey 
to  Kansas.  Kansas,  at  this  period  of  her  history,  was  earning  the  sobriquet 
of  "bleeding  Kansas"  and  was  the  fighting  ground  of  Abolitionist  and  slave- 
holding  advocate.  The  young  adventurer  saw  troublous  times  during  his 
stay  in  that  territory,  and  after  traveling  over  the  western  country  for  some 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  307 

time  he  settled  in  Bates  county,  Missouri.  He  resided  in  Missouri  for  three 
years,  or  until  i860,  in  which  year  he  came  to  Iowa,  choosing  Audubon 
county  as  his  place  of  residence,  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Exira.  During 
his  long  residence  in  Audubon  county,  Mr.  Van  Gorder  has  made  three 
trips  across  the  plains  to  Pike's  Peak  and  return. 

In  1 86 1  Charles  Van  Gorder  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  bricks 
in  Exira  and  was  doing  a  thriving  business  in  the  sale  and  manufacture 
of  his  product  to  the  incoming  settlers  and  homesteaders,  when  the  Presi- 
dent called  for  troops  with  which  to  quell  the  rebellion  in  the  Southern 
states.  Mr.  Van  Gorder,  in  whose  veins  flowed  the  blood  of  a  long  line 
of  sturdy  American  ancestors  and  lovers  of  the  Union,  was  one  of  the 
brave  sons  of  Iowa  to  respond  in  1862.  He  enlisted  on  August  22,  1862, 
in  Company  B,  Thirty-ninth  Regiment,  Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
for  two  years  and  ten  months.  His  field  service  was  with  his  regiment  in 
Tennessee,  Mississippi,  Alabama  and  Georgia.  The  principal  engagements 
in  which  he  fought  were  at  Parker's  Cross  Roads,  Tennessee;  Cherokee 
Station,  Alabama;  Resaca,  Georgia,  and  Altona  Pass.  During  the  latter 
engagement  he  was  wounded  in  the  left  foot  and  invalided  for  six  months. 
Entering  the  service  as  a  private,  he  presently  was  promoted  to  the  posi- 
tion of  a  corporal  and  rapidly  rose  to  be  a  sergeant,  then  a  lieutenant 
and  finally  a  captain,  which  was  his  rank  when  he  was  mustered  out  with 
Sherman's  army  at  Washington,  D.  C,  following  the  grand  review.  Cap- 
tain Van  Gorder  was  paid  off  and  received  his  final  discharge  at  Clinton, 
Iowa. 

After  the  war  Captain  Van  Gorder  resumed  the  manufacture  of  bricks 
in  Exira,  varying  the  time  with  a  trip  across  the  plains  to  Pike's  Peak  in 
1867.  He  also  for  a  time  clerked  in  a  general  store  in  Exira.  In  the  year 
1869  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  treasurer  and  served  for  two 
terms  of  two  years  each.  From  1874  to  1876  he  was  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business.  In  the  year  1876  his  banking  career  began  and  he  started 
the  Audubon  County  Bank  at  Exira.  In  1878,  when  Audubon  was  laid 
out  and  building  had  commenced  in  the  new  county-seat  town,  he  decided 
that  it  would  prove  to  be  a  better  location  for  his  banking  business.  Con- 
sequently the  business  was  moved  to  the  new  city.  Captain  Van  Gorder 
erected  a  building  in  Audubon  and  conducted  a  private  bank  until  1893, 
when  the  First  National  Bank  succeeded  the  Audubon  County  Bank.  Cap- 
tain Van  Gorder  also  is  interested  in  the  Exchange  Bank  at  Exira,  and  for 
some  time  he  has  occupied  the  post  of  vice-president  of  the  institution  of 
which  he  is  the  founder.  He  has  large  land  holdings  in  Iowa,  the  Dakotas, 
Canada  and  Texas. 


308  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

On  November  28,  1869,  Charles  Van  Gorder  was  married  to  Laura 
J.  Delahoyde,  daughter  of  an  early  settler  in  Audubon  county,  and  to  this 
union  have  been  born  four  children,  three  of  whom  are  yet  living,  namely: 
Edwin  S.,  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Audubon,  this  county; 
Sydney  S.,  also  of  Audubon,  and  Lowene  J.  Kirk,  the  wife  of  Willing  D. 
Kirk,  of  the  great  soap  manufacturing  company  of  the  same  name,  and  a 
resident  of  Glencoe,  near  Chicago.  Robert  Bruce  Van  Gorder,  the  deceased 
son,  died  in  Audubon  in  1907. 

Politically,  Capt,  Charles  Van  Gorder,  estimable  gentleman  and  pioneer 
settler,  has  always  been  allied  with  the  Republican  party,  and  takes  a  keen 
interest  in  political  affairs,  though  never  having  been  a  seeker  after  public 
office,  except  on  the  occasion  of  his  election  to  the  office  of  county  treasurer. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  in  which 
order  he  has  attained  to  the  chapter  and  the  commandery,  and  takes  a  just 
pride  in  his  membership  in  Allison  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of 
Audubon. 

All  honor  is  due  this  citizen  who  assisted  in  settling  up  the  county  in 
the  pioneer  days  and  was  one  of  the  few  men  to  enlist  in  the  service  of 
the  Union  during  the  days  of  the  civil  conflict.  This  volume  would  cer- 
tainly be  incomplete  were  not  the  foregoing  tribute  and  review  inserted  in 
its  pages.  The  biographies  of  such  men  as  Charles  Van  Gorder,  pioneer 
settler  and  banker,  Union  veteran  and  public-spirited  citizen,  but  enhance 
the  value  of  a  work  of  this  character  and  serve  and  as  inspiration  to  encour- 
age the  young  men  of  the  present  and  coming  generations. 


HALLECK  J.  MANTZ. 


The  record  of  the  gentleman  whose  name  introduces  this  article  is 
replete  with  well-defined  purposes  which,  carried  to  successful  issue,  in  con- 
nection with  the  development  of  inherited  talents,  have  won  for  him  an 
influential  place  in  the  ranks  of  his  profession  and  high  personal  standing 
among  his  fellow  citizens.  His  life  work  has  been  one  of  unceasing  industry 
and  perseverance,  and  the  systematic  and  honorable  methods  which  he  has 
ever  followed  have  resulted,  not  only  in  gaining  the  confidence  of  those  with 
whom  he  has  had  dealings,  but  also  in  the  building  up  of  a  remunerative 
legal  practice.  Well  grounded  in  the  principles  of  jurisprudence,  and,  by 
instinct  and  habit,  a  constant  reader  and  student,  Mr.  Mantz  commands  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  309 

respect  of  his  professional  colleagues,  while  his  career  as  an  attorney  and 
public  official  has  reflected  honor  upon  himself  and  dignity  upon  the  vocation 
to  which  he  has  devoted  his  efforts. 

Halleck  J.  Mantz,  attorney  and  mayor  of  Audubon,  this  county,  was 
born  on  September  23,  1877,  in  Iowa  county,  Iowa,  the  son  of  Samuel  L.  and 
Harriett  (Eddy)  Mantz,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio,  respectively.  Sam- 
uel L.  Mantz  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1848,  the  son  of  Jonas  Mantz,  who 
is  still  living  at  the  great  age  of  ninety-four  years,  he  having  been  born  in 
1821.  The  Mantz  family  is  of  colonial  descent,  a  very  old  American  family, 
the  grandfather  of  Jonas  Mantz  having  fought  in  the  American  War  of  Inde- 
pendence, a  soldier  under  General  Washington.  His  great-grandfather  was 
a  soldier  in  the  French  and  Indian  War. 

Jonas  Mantz  and  family  migrated  from  the  ancestral  home  in  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Iowa  in  the  early  fifties  of  the  last  century.  Jonas  and  a  partner 
tramped  afoot  across  the  state,  from  Rock  Island  to  Kanesville,  or  Council 
Bluffs.  After  viewing  the  country  around  about  he  decided  to  settle  in 
Keokuk  county  and  removed  his  family  to  Iowa  in  1859.  For  a  great  many 
years  Jonas  Mantz  has  been  engaged  in  the  live-stock  business  and  his 
activities  have  ranged  over  the  entire  country.  He  specializes  in  fine-bred 
stallions  and  has  been  thus  engaged  since  the  late  fifties. 

Samuel  Mantz  made  his  home  in  Iowa  county  until  1881,  in  which  year 
he  came  to  Audubon  county  and  bought  a  farm  in  Leroy  township,  on  which 
he  lived  until  1902.  He  was  the  owner  of  a  half  section  of  land,  which  he 
sold  upon  his  retirement  in  1902  and  moved  to  Audubon.  To  Samuel  Mantz 
and  wife  were  born  eight  children,  namely :  Everett,  a  farmer  of  Hobart, 
Oklahoma ;  Frank,  a  publisher  at  Manning,  Iowa ;  Halleck  J. ;  William  a 
farmer  of  Belle  Plaine,  Canada ;  Clara,  who  married  Frank  Taylor,  a  farmer 
located  near  Guthrie  Center;  Theodore,  a  practicing  attorney,  located  at 
Des  Moines,  Iowa;  Mrs.  Sadie  Schmidt,  of  Leroy  township,  this  county, 
and  Albert,  a  railroad  telegraph  operator  at  Kimballton,  Iowa. 

Halleck  J.  Mantz  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  his  primary  educa- 
tion in  the  district  school,  following  which  he  completed  the  course  in  the 
Audubon  high  school.  He  then  taught  school  for  three  years  and  in  1901 
entered  the  law  school  of  Drake  University,  graduating  from  this  excellent 
institution  in  the  spring  of  1904,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws. 
After  his  admission  to  the  bar,  Mr.  Mantz  began  the  practice  of  law  in  Audu- 
bon and  has  achieved  a  gratifying  success. 

In  August,  19 10,  Halleck  J.  Mantz  was  married  to  Dorothy  Sandberg, 
which  union  has  been  without  issue.     Mr.  Mantz  is  a  Republican  in  politics 


3IO  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

and  is  prominent  in  the  councils  of  his  party.  He  was  elected  to  the  office 
of  county  attorney  in  1907,  and  after  serving  for  a  term  of  two  years  he  was 
re-elected  in  1909,  serving  from  January,  1908  to  January,  1912,  inclusive. 
His  faithful  discharge  of  the  duties  involved  in  this  official  position  was  such 
as  to  commend  him  favorably  to  the  people  of  the  county.  He  was  appointed 
mayor  of  Audubon  in  July,  1913,  and  was  elected  to  the  office  in  the  spring 
of  19 14.  Mayor  Mantz  is  an  aggressive  and  energetic  public  official,  who  is 
strongly  in  favor  of  municipal  improvements,  and  is  a  constant  and  con- 
sistent "booster"  and  advocate  for  a  greater  and  better  Audubon.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  is  fraternally  connected  with  the 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  having  attained  to  the  chapter  in  that 
order,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star  lodge.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 


OTTO  WTTTHAUER. 


In  nearly  every  community  are  individuals  who,  by  innate  ability  and 
sheer  force  of  character,  rise  above  their  fellows  and  win  for  themselves 
public  honors  and  preferment,  occupying  conspicuous  places  in  the  public 
esteem.  Such  a  one  is  the  well-known  gentleman  whose  name,  appears 
above,  who  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  history  of  Audubon 
county  for  a  number  of  years,  during  which  period  his  life  has  been  closely 
interwoven  with  the  growth  and  development  of  the  county.  He  has  been 
active  in  business  affairs,  as  well  as  having  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the 
official  administration  of  the  county  government,  and  his  career  as  a  pro- 
gressive and  enterprising  citizen  has  been  synonymous  with  all  that  is  honor- 
able and  upright  in  citizenship. 

Otto  Witthauer,  former  county  auditor  of  Audubon  county  and  present 
representative  from  this  county  in  the  Iowa  General  Assembly,  was  born  in 
Woodward,  Center  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  October  11,  1857,  ^he  son  of 
Herman  and  Louisa  (Flahl)  Witthauer,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ger- 
many, where  they  were  married,  emigrating  to  America  in  May,  1854.  They 
resided  in  Pennsylvania  until  April  5,  1865,  at  which  time  they  set  out  for 
the  long  trip  to  the  newer  and  cheaper  lands  of  western  Iowa.  The  family 
located  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near  Guthrie  Center,  Guthrie 
county,  and  resided  thereon  until  1884,  in  which  year  Herman  Witthauer 
purchased  the  adjoining  farm,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  3II 

occurring  in  1905.  Mrs.  Witthauer  died  in  1901.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  namely :  Louis,  who  is  tilling  the  home  farm  in  Guthrie 
county;  Ida,  who  died  in  infancy;  Otto,  with  whom  this  review  directly 
treats;  Hugo,  who  died  in  infancy;  Bruna,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years; 
Thomas,  a  resident  of  Council  Bluffs;  Udo,  of  Wellsville,  Missouri,  and 
Edward,  formerly  a  citizen  of  Olathe,  Kansas,  now  deceased. 

Otto  Witthauer  was  reared  to  young  manhood  on  the  pioneer  farm  in 
Guthrie  county,  and  after  receiving  what  instruction  was  available  in  the 
local  district  school,  he  attended  the  county  high  school  at  Panora,  Guthrie 
county,  Iowa.  He  fitted  himself  for  the  profession  of  teaching  and  taught 
for  four  years  in  his  home  county,  after  which,  in  the  fall  of  1880,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Captain  Stuart,  an  extensive  grain  and  lumber  merchant.  Mr. 
Witthauer  first  began  his  work  for  Captain  Stuart  in  the  latter's  lumber 
yards  at  Guthrie  Center,  but  was  soon  afterward  transferred  to  Monteith. 
In  April,  1881,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  Captain  Stuart's  business  at  Exira, 
this  county.  The  nature  of  his  occupation  gave  him  a  wide  acquaintance 
throughout  the  county  and  he  made  many  warm  and  faithful  friends.  He 
became  his  party's  candidate  for  county  recorder  in  the  fall  of  1884,  was 
elected  to  this  office,  and  served  for  one  term  of  two  years.  Upon  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  of  office  he  returned  to  Exira  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  on  his  own  account.  He  was  unfortunate,  for  in  1887  fire  destroyed 
his  building  and  wiped  out  the  stock  of  goods.  He  did  not  attempt  again  to 
start  in  business,  but  re-entered  Captain  Stuart's  employ  and  was  thus 
engaged  until  Stuart  disposed  of  his  business  in  the  fall  of  1888,  at  which 
time  Mr.  Witthauer  embarked  in  the  lumber  business  for  himself,  continuing 
that  business  until  1890,  when  he  sold  out  and  engaged  in  the  hardware  and 
harness  business  for  two  years,  after  which  he  was  employed  by  the  Daven- 
port Syrup  Refining  Company  as  grain  buyer  at  Exira.  He  remained  in  this 
latter  position  for  six  years,  or  until  1898,  the  firm  in  the  meantime  being 
incorporated  with  the  Davenport  Elevator  Company.  For  a  period  of  one 
and  one-half  years,  following  1898  Mr.  Witthauer  was  employed  as  manager 
for  the  Fullerton  Lumber  Company  at  Exira.  From  1899  to  1909  his  occu- 
pations were  varied  and  he  then  made  a  trip  to  Montana,  where  he  was 
superintendent  of  a  saw-mill  and  lumber  company  for  one  year.  He  returned 
home  in  1910  and  in  that  year  was  elected  to  the  office  of  auditor  of  Audubon 
county. 

In  June,  1883,  Otto  Witthauer  was  married  to  Hattie  Bowman,  of  this 
county,  to  which  union  three  children  have  been  born,  Bessie,  a  teacher  of 
music  in  the  public  schools  of  Corwith,  Iowa;  Omar,  at  home,  and  Leo,  who 
died  in  infancy. 


312  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Mr.  Witthauer  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  and  is  a  consistent 
supporter  of  that  faith.  He  is  fraternally  allied  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Mr.  Witthauer  is  a  stanch  Democrat 
in  his  political  affiliations  and  stands  high  in  the  councils  of  his  party.  He 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  auditor  in  the  fall  of  19 lo  and  was  re- 
elected in  1912,  serving  two  full  terms.  He  was  a  most  capable  official  and 
enjoyed  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people  of  Audubon  county,  not  only 
in  his  capacity  of  commissioner  but  as  a  citizen  who  was  held  in  high  regard 
by  all  who  knew  him.  Mr,  Witthauer  is  now  a  representative  from  Audubon 
county  in  the  state  Legislature,  having  been  elected  in  1914,  in  which  honor- 
able public  capacity  he  has  made  a  fine  reputation  throughout  the  state. 


JOHN  A.  NASH. 


With  affectionate  and  tender  interest  men  and  women  of  the  present 
generation,  who  are  enjoying  the  comforts  and  advantages  made  possible 
by  those  whose  works  have  ended,  revert  to  the  salient  points  of  their 
careers.  The  service  of  one's  fellows  is  the  keynote  of  honorable  and  effi- 
cient citizenship,  and  when  we  turn  the  pages  of  personal  history  and  realize 
for  the  first  time  how  far  one  noble  man  or  one  noble  woman  may  influence 
for  good  the  currents  of  life  in  a  community,  we  are  struck  with  a  sense 
of  our  own  personal  responsibilities  as  citizens  of  this  republic  and  as 
factors  in  the  community  life  of  whatever  sphere  we  may  dominate.  It  is 
not  the  man  who  makes  the  loudest  pretentions  of  greatness  who  is  really . 
great,  but  rather  the  man  who  in  a  modest  and  humble  spirit  meets  the 
obligations  which  opportunity  puts  in  his  pathway.  These  thoughts  are 
especially  suggested  by  the  career  of  the  late  John  A.  Nash,  who,  until 
his  death  on  October  28,  191 3,  was  properly  regarded  as  the  first  citizen 
of  Audubon. 

The  late  John  A.  Nash  was  fortunate  in  having  been  born  of  par- 
ents who  during  his  youth  set  for  him  a  worthy  example  of  service.  Fur- 
thermore, he  was  fortunate  in  having  been  provided  in  his  youth  with 
exceptional  educational  advantages,  which  equipped  him  for  a  large  career 
of  influence.  IMoreover,  in  Audubon  county  at  least,  he  had  the  advantage 
of  having  come  here  as  a  young  man  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  county's 
settlement,  the  beginning  of  its  agricultural  development;  the  beginning  of 
its  rise  to  distinction  among  the  sister  counties  of  the  great  Hawkeye  com- 


£,-^.ic,s.£:.itf/i<am:s  ^^i-ej\nr 


lOy      C 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA.  313 

monwealth.  What  he  did,  however,  from  the  beginning  of  his  career  in 
this  county  is  what  hundreds  of  other  men  similarly  situated  might  have 
failed  to  do.  He  was  able  to  see  his  opportunities  and  he  was  possessed 
of  the  inclination  and  ability  to  take  advantage  of  them. 

Though  his  last  days  here  were  darkened  by  personal  sorrow  at  the 
loss  of  a  loved  member  of  his  family,  he  nevertheless  bore  with  fortitude 
the  exacting  demands  of  the  omniscient  and  omnipotent  Father  and 
remained  until  his  death  an  optimist  in  sorrow,  one  who  could  see  behind 
the  dark  clouds  the  silver  lining  that  lay  beyond.  John  A.  Nash  excelled 
as  a  lawyer,  he  was  superb  as  a  citizen,  patient,  kind  and  unselfish  as  a 
father  and  husband. 

Born  on  May  9,  1854,  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  the  late  John  A.  Nash 
was  the  son  of  Rev.  John  A.  Nash,  D.  D.,  a  Baptist  minister  who  came  to 
Iowa,  locating  at  Des  Moines  about  1850,  when  that  splendid  city  of  today 
was  no  more  than  a  trading  post  on  the  outpost  of  civilization.  There  he 
lived  for  many  years,  and  there  the  greatest  work  of  his  life  was  performed. 
He  went  to  Des  Moines  as  a  miinister  in  the  church,  and  after  some  years 
established  Des  Moines  College,  an  institution  which  has  had  a  profound 
influence  on  the  life  of  this  section,  and  of  which  for  many  years  he  was 
the  president.  Both  he  and  his  good  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary 
E.  Hepburn,  were  natives  of  New  York  state  and  migrated  from  New  York 
to  Iowa.  Both  are  now  deceased.  But  their  good  work  goes  on,  not  only 
in  the  reflected  goodness  of  their  distinguished  son,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  but  in  the  lives  of  their  other  children  and  in  the  lives  of  the  hun- 
dreds who  came  under  the  spell  of  their  beneficent  influence.  To  Rev.  John 
A.  and  Mary  E.  (Hepburn)  Nash  were  born  three  children  besides  John 
A.,  namely:  Janet  C,  Nettie  M.  and  Harriet  N. 

John  A.  Nash,  who  was  the  eldest  of  these  children,  received  his 
elementary  education  in  the  schools  of  Des  Moines,  and  was  graduated  from 
Des  Moines  College.  It  was  there,  under  the  tutelage  of  his  father  and  the 
influence  of  the  church  that  his  early  ideals,  aspirations  and  ambitions  were 
formulated.  Naturally  the  influence  of  Christianity  was  predominant  in 
Des  Moines  College,  and  as  a  student  in  the  institution  of  which  his  father 
was  president  John  A.  Nash  came  under  this  influence.  It  is  no  doubt 
true  that  there,  in  association  with  his  fellow  students,  his  notions  of  real 
life  and  the  purposes  of  the  individual  in  society  became  fixed. 

Early  in  life  John  A.  Nash  decided  to  equip  himself  for  the  law, 
and,  after  completing  the  classisal  course  at  Des  Moines  College,  he  entered 
the  Iowa  College  of  Law,  now  a  part  of  Drake  University,  and  subsequently 


314  "  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

was  graduated  with  high  honors.  When  his  collegiate  training  was  finished 
he  was  equipped  to  practice  his  profession  in  the  largest  cities  of  the  East, 
since  his  training  was  in  no  wise  inferior  to  that  given  in  the  larger  univer- 
sities of  the  East.  But  instead  of  returning  to  the  home  of  his  father,  as 
many  other  boys  might  have  done,  he  choose  the  little  town  of  Stewart, 
Iowa,  as  a  place  where  he  might  begin  his  practice.  There  for  one  year 
he  read  law  with  a  Mr.  Fogg,  and,  after  gaining  some  practical  experience, 
the  next  year  formed  a  partnership  with  B.  S.  Phelps  and  removed  to  Exira, 
this  county.  But  Exira  was  to  be  only  a  temporary  seat  of  his  professional 
activities.  Audubon  at  that  time  was  not  counted  as  a  city,  but  upon  its 
establishment  as  the  county  seat,  Mr.  Nash  removed  to  Audubon  and  con- 
tinued in  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  July,  1913,  when  he  sold  the 
practice  and  office  to  Arnold,  Ross  &  Rasmussen. 

Two  years  after  beginning  the  practice  of  law  at  Exira,  John  A.  Nash 
was  married  on  September  i,  1880,  to  Gertrude  Russell,  daughter  of  George 
B.  and  Jane  (Hutchinson)  Russell,  who  were  natives  of  Scotland  and  New 
York  state,  respectively.  Mrs.  Nash's  father  came  to  America  when  a  mere 
lad,  and  after  remaining  for  a  time  in  New  York,  moved  to  Wisconsin, 
where  he  married  and  eventually,  in  1871,  settled  at  Exira,  this  county. 
George  B.  Russell  was  a  pioneer  merchant  in  what  was  then  a  straggling 
village  on  the  broad  prairie.  Some  years  ago  he  passed  away  in  Audubon, 
but  his  widow  is  still  living  in  California.  They  had  four  children:  Mrs. 
Agnes  R.  Stotts;  Charles  H.,  who  died  in  1898;  Mrs.  Gertrude  Nash,  who 
was  born  on  February  3,  1863,  and  James  F.,  of  Ft.  Dodge,  Iowa. 

To  John  A.  and  Gertrude  (Russell)  Nash  two  daughters  were  born, 
Beatrice,  born  on  June  11,  1881,  and  Gretchen  Russell,  August  25,  1883. 
The  former  is  the  wife  of  Nelson  W.  Cowles,  of  Ottumwa,   Iowa. 

The  last  years  of  the  late  John  A.  Nash  were  darkened  by  the 
sickness  and  death  of  his  younger  daughter,  Gretchen  Russell,  who  died  at 
Monrovia,  California,  on  ]\Iarch  23,  1913,  after  an  illness  of  two  years. 
It  was  only  seven  months  later  that  Mr.  Nash  himself  died.  Mrs.  Nash 
spent  the  last  two  years  of  her  daughter's  life  with  the  latter  in  California, 
during  which  time  Mr.  Nash  made  several  trips  to  that  state.  The  news  of 
Gretchen  Nash's  death  brought  sorrow  to  a  large  circle  of  friends  in  Audu- 
bon, Iowa.  The  remains  were  brought  back  to  Audubon  by  her  parents 
and  the  funeral  services  were  conducted  by  A.  B.  Miller. 

The  late  John  A.  Nash  will  go  down  in  the  history  of  this  section  as 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Audubon,  where  he  had  a  host  of  friends. 
Having  gone  to  Audubon  in  the  first  place  in  the  employ  of  the  Chicago, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  315 

Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  to  quiet  the  titles  to  land  owned  by  the 
company,  in  Audubon,  Shelby  and  Carroll  counties,  Mr.  Nash  had  enjoyed, 
up  to  within  a  few  months  before  his  death,  when  he  abandoned  the  prac- 
tice of  law,  a  large  legal  business  in  this  section  of  Iowa.  He  was  a  man 
of  quiet  and  unassuming  manners  and  retiring  disposition,  who  avoided  all 
display  of  whatever  kind.  He  did  much  for  the  city  where  he  lived  so 
long,  which  his  surviving  fellow  townsmen  remember  with  personal  admira- 
tion for  the  memory  of  the  man.  Although  he  served  with  distinguished 
ability  as  mayor  of  Audubon,  perhaps  his  most  helpful  service  was  per- 
formed as  a  private  citizen.  He  was  prominent  in  the  fraternal  circles  of 
the  city,  having  been  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
in  which  order  he  had  attained  to  the  chapter  and  commandery,  the  Scot- 
tish Rite  and  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  was  also  at  the  time  of  his  death  a  past 
chancellor  of  the  Audubon  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Though  his 
wife  and  daughters  were  Presbyterians,  Mr.  Nash  himself  was  not  a  mem- 
ber of  the  church.  Mrs.  Nash,  who  survives  her  husband,  is  a  fine  type  of 
the  broad-minded,  cultured  and  refined  woman,  who  enjoys  the  sincerest 
respect  and  esteem  of  the  entire  community. 

Other  men  perhaps  will  perform  worthy  service  in  this  great  county; 
men  are  doing  it  today,  in  fact,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  other  man 
will  ever  perform  a  service  greater  than  that  of  the  late  John  A.  Nash,  who, 
a  man  that  might  have  fitted  into  the  cultured  and  exacting  social  life  of  the 
East,  chose  as  his  sphere  of  action  a  straggling  village  on  these  broad 
prairies.  His  work  is  done,  but  his  influence  will  live  as  long  as  this  favored 
section  endures. 


ELLA  M.  STEARNS. 


The  peculiar  rewards  accruing  to  a  person  who  follows  the  profession 
of  teaching  for  a  long  number  of  years  are  not  great,  but  the  honor  and 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  one  has  accomplished  a  great  deal  of  good  and 
molded  many  minds  to  the  right  way  of  living  and  thinking,  more  than 
compensates  for  the  lack  of  large  compensation.  While  it  is  true  that  the 
rank  and  file  of  teachers  are  not  paid  in  the  same  ratio  that  those  who  follow 
other  learned  professions  are  rewarded,  yet  there  are,  as  in  other  vocations, 
high  places  for  those  who  are  deserving.  'There  is  always  room  at  the 
top,"  is  a  tried  and  true  saying,  and  it  might  be  added  that  the  top  is  never 
overcrowded  with  the  really  capable.     One  of  the  recognized  leaders  in  the 


3l6  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

teaching  profession,  one  who  has  risen  to  a  high  place  in  her  chosen  life 
work,  is  Ella  M.  Stearns,  county  superintendent  of  schools  for  Audubon 
county. 

Ella  M.  Stearns  was  born  in  Oxford  county,  Maine,  daughter  of 
Stephen  B.  and  Mary  (Gordon)  Steams,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native 
of  Oxford  county,  Maine,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Freyburg,  Maine.  Fol- 
lowing the  death  of  Stephen  B.  Stearns,  his  family,  in  1874,  emigrated  to 
Michigan,  and  two  years  later,  in  1876,  the  sons,  Stephen,  Sewell  and  H. 
Wilbur,  came  to  Audubon  county  in  order  to  make  a  permanent  home. 
Mrs.  Stearns  came  on  later  to  join  them  in  making  a  home  and  died  at  the 
home  in  Luccocks  Grove  not  long  after  her  arrival  in  the  county.  Stephen 
and  Sewell  went  further  west  after  some  years  of  residence  here  and  Stephen 
now  resides  in  Kansas  City  and  Sewell  is  located  in  Tacoma,  Washington. 
There  were  nine  children  in  the  Stearns  family,  all  of  whom  but  four  re- 
mained in  the  East.  These  children,  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  are 
George,  residing  at  Spring  Creek,  Pennsylvania;  J.  C,  living  at  Lovell 
Center,  Maine;  Mrs.  Carrie  Leighton,  of  Indianapolis;  Mrs.  Belle  Hurlman, 
of  Great  Falls,  Maine;  Mrs.  Sarah  Stearne,  of  Lovell  Center,  Maine;  Stephen, 
a  resident  of  Kansas  City;  Sewell,  of  Tacoma,  Washington,  and  H.  W., 
formerly  a  resident  of  Audubon  county,  who  recently  died,  was  one  of  the 
well-known  citizens  of  the  county,  and  left  four  children,  Virgil,  Mereber, 
Helen  and  Russell. 

Ella  M.  Stearns  was  educated  in  the  high  school  of  Ludington,  Michi- 
gan, the  Bloomfield  Normal  School,  and  the  State  Teachers  College  at  Cedar 
Falls,  Iowa.  She  studied  in  the  various  schools  and  colleges  while  teaching 
and  practically  made  her  own  way.  Miss  Stearns  taught  her  first  school  in  a 
board  shanty  in  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county.  This  shanty  was  put 
up  roughly  and  was  covered  with  tar-paper  roofing,  a  good  example  of  the 
makeshift  school  buildings  of  the  time.  Her  next  school  was  taught  in  an 
old  granary,  which  sufficed  for  a  temple  of  learning  in  Viola  township. 
She  also  taught  the  "J^ck  Whipple"  school  in  Lincoln  township  and  taught 
likewise  in  rural  schools  in  Leroy  and  Melville  township.  She  became  so 
well  and  favorably  known  throughout  the  county  as  an  able  and  forceful 
teacher  that  her  services  became  greatly  in  demand  and  positions  were  ofifered 
her  in  various  parts  of  the  county.  While  teaching  in  the  Exira  schools, 
a  position  which  had  come  without  solicitation  on  her  part,  she  was  offered 
a  situation  in  the  Audubon  schools.  She  accepted  and  for  a  number  of 
years  was  at  the  head  of  the  city  grammar  school,  later  serving  as  principal 
of  the  high  school  and  teacher  of  English.    Miss  Steams  served  for  twenty- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  317 

three  years  in  the  Audubon  schools,  and  it  was  only  natural  that  she  should 
eventually  assume  the  highest  position  in  educational  circles  possible  within 
the  gift  of  the  people  of  Audubon  county.  In  January  of  1907  she  became 
county  superintendent  of  schools  for  Audubon  county  and  has  since  then 
continuously  served  in  this  important  capacity.  During  her  administration 
the  public  schools  have  made  marked  progress  and  modern  methods  are  in 
evidence  in  practically  every  district  in  the  county. 

Miss  Stearns  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  She  takes  an 
active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  "P.  E.  O."  and  the  Columbian  Club  and 
the  Woman's  Club  of  Audubon  and  is  universally  esteemed  by  all  classes 
in  Audubon  county  for  her  many  excellent  qualities  and  her  ability  as  an 
educator.  Despite  the  fact  that  her  teaching  experience  has  been  longer  than 
most  teachers  of  the  county,  she  has  never  allowed  her  energy  and  determi- 
nation to  flag,  or  herself  to  retrogade  intellectually  or  mentally,  and  she  has 
kept  pace  with  the  latest  developments  in  her  profession.. 


CHARLES  SUNBERG. 


Specific  mention  is  made  of  many  of  the  worthy  citizens  of  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  within  the  pages  of  this  book.  Citizens  who  have  figuerd 
in  the  growth  and  development  of  this  favored  locality  and  whose  interests 
are  identified  with  its  every  phase  of  progress.  Each  has  contributed  in 
his  special  sphere  of  activity  to  the  well-being  of  the  community  in  which 
he  resides  and  to  the  advancement  of  its  moral  and  legitimate  growth.  Among 
this  number  is  Charles  Sunberg,  to  whose  career  peculiar  interest  attaches 
from  the  fact  that  a  good  part  of  his  life  has  been  spent  in  Audubon  county 
and  that  he  is  now  filling  one  of  the  responsible  offices  within  the  gift  of  the 
people  of  this  county,  being  the  present  efficient  and  popular  sheriff  of  Aubu- 
bon  county. 

Charles  Sunberg  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  on 
September  9,  1871,  son  of  Henry  and  Hannah  (Ahrend)  Sunberg,  natives 
of  Germany.  Henry  Sunberg  was  born  in  1843,  the  son  of  a  farmer,  and 
with  his  wife  came  to  America  in  the  spring  of  1871,  settling  on  a  farm  near 
Iowa  City,  in  Johnson  county,  this  state,  where  he  resided  until  1885,  a 
period  of  fourteen  years,  after  which  he  came  to  Audubon  county  and  settled 
on  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Melville  township.  In  1907 
he  moved  to  a  farm  south  of  Audubon  and  in  the  spring  of   19 14  retired 


3l8  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

and  moved  to  Audubon,  at  that  time  being  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres.  The  children  born  to  Henry  and  Anna  (Ahrend)  Sunberg 
were  seven  in  number,  namely:  Fred  C,  who  lives  near  the  old  home  place; 
Charles,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Frank,  now  living  retired  in  Audubon; 
Mrs.  Minnie  Owen,  living  in  Viola  township;  John,  living  in  Hamlin  town- 
ship; Henry,  Jr.,  of  Viola  township,  and  Mrs.  Anna  Leflar,  who  lives  on  the 
old  home  place. 

Charles  Sunberg  attended  school  in  Johnson  county,  and  on  coming 
to  Audubon  coimty  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm  until  he  attained  his 
majority.  He  then  rented  a  farm  in  the  eastern  part  of  Melville  township 
for  four  years,  after  which  he  took  up  contracting  and  building,  with  head- 
quarters in  Audubon.  In  191 1  he  was  appointed  deputy  sherifif,  and  served 
two  years  in  that  office.  In  the  fall  of  1912  j\Ir.  Sunberg  was  selected 
sheriff  and  was  re-elected  for  the  second  term  in  the  fall  of  19 14,  now  filling 
that  office  very  efficiently. 

On  June  21,  1905,  Charles  Sunberg  was  married  to  Clemency  Leib, 
the  daughter  of  Ernest  and  Louisa  (Frieberg)  Leib,  natives  of  Germany, 
who  settled  in  Michigan  after  coming  to  this  country  and  were  there  married. 
iM-om  that  region  they  removed  to  Montgomery  county,  Iowa,  and  in  1844 
they  came  to  Audubon  county,  locating  on  the  farm,  where  Ernest  Lieb 
died  in  1902.  His  widow,  who  lives  in  Audubon,  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1838,  and  emigrated  to  Michigan  with  her  mother  when  a  young  woman 
and  was  there  married.  Mrs.  Sunberg  is  one  of  ten  children,  four  sons 
and  six  daughters,  as  follow :  Leopold,  who  lives  in  South  Dakota ;  Robert, 
of  Guthrie  county,  Iowa;  Richard,  of  Audubon  county;  Otto,  of  Guthrie 
county;  Frank,  who  was  killed  in  Audubon  in  the  spring  of  1.904;  Mrs. 
Emma  Lee,  who  lives  in  Guthrie  county;  Mrs.  Dena  Lee,  of  Sac  City; 
Mrs.  Anna  Brown,  of  Sac  City;  Mrs.  G.  C.  Dettmann,  of  Valley  Junc- 
tion, Iowa,  and  Clemency,  who  married  Mr.  Sunberg. 

Charles  Sunberg  is  an  ardent  Democrat  and  for  many  years  has  been 
active  in  the  councils  of  that  party  in  Audubon  county.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sunberg  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  and  are  active  in  the  affairs  of  that  church  and  of  the  Sunday 
school. 

Sheriff  Charles  Sunl)erg  naturally  is  well  known  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  Audubon  county,  and  is  a  man  highly  respected  for  his 
many  good  qualities  of  head  and  heart,  being  held  in  the  warmest  esteem 
by  all  who  know  him. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  319 

FRANK  KREAMER.     . 

Not  too  often  can  be  repeated  the  life  history  of  one  who  has  hved 
so  honorable  and  useful  a  life  as  Frank  Kreamer,  the  present  efficient  post- 
master of  Exira,  Iowa.  As  a  private  citizen  and  as  a  public  official,  he  has 
been  a  pronounced  success.  There  are  individuals  in  nearly  every  com- 
munity who,  by  reason  of  their  ability  and  force  of  character,  rise  above 
the  heads  of  the  masses  and  command  the  esteem  of  their  fellow  men. 
These  individuals  are  characterized  by  perseverance  and  a  directing  spirit, 
two  virtues  that  never  fail.  They  always  make  their  presence  felt  and  the 
vigor  of  their  strong  personalities  serves  as  a  stimulus  to  others.  To  this 
enterprising   and    energetic   class,    Frank    Kreamer   very    properly   belongs. 

Frank  Kreamer  was  born  in  Cass  county,  Iowa,  on  August  23,  1879, 
the  son  of  George  and  Elvina  (Cahoon)  Kreamer,  both  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania. George  Kreamer  left  Pennsylvania  when  a  young  man  with  his 
parents,  and  located  in  Illinois,  where  he  farmed  with  his  father.  When  the 
Civil  War  broke  out,  he  enlisted  in  the  Forty-sixth  Illinois  Regiment,  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  served  about  a  year.  He  then  returned  home  and  after 
his  marriage  came  to  Iowa,  settling  in  Cass  county,  where  he  purchased  a 
farm,  remaining  there  until  1891,  in  which  year  he  moved  to  Exira,  this 
county,  where  he  purchased  a  grocery  store,  in  partnership  with  F.  L.  Odell, 
the  business  being  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Kreamer  &  Odell  for 
nine  vears,  at  the  end  of  which  time  Mr.  Kreamer  retired,  his  death  oc- 
curring  in  1904.  His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  in  1893.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  Ida,  who  married  F.  L.  Odell;  Edna, 
who  married  Clarence  Maisling;  Salome,  who  married  Frank  Shranger,  and 
Frank,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Frank  Kreamer  received  his  "elementary  education  in  the  schools  of 
Cass  county,  and  at  Exira,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Exira  high  school, 
after  leaving  which  he  attended  Ames  College  for  three  years.  After  leav- 
ing college,  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the  Spanish-American  War,  enlisting 
at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  in  Company  F.,  Fifty-second  Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry, 
in  which  he  served  six  months,  being  mustered  out  on  November  30,  1898. 
Upon  his  return  home  he  went  west,  where  he  remained  for  a  few  years, 
after  which  he  returned  to  Exira,  where  he  had  charge  of  a  mail  route  for 
three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  engaged  in  the  coal  and  feed 
business  for  one  year,  and  on  August  i,  191 1,  became  postmaster  of  Exira 
and  is  still  occupying  that  position. 

On  August  8,    1908,  Frank  Kreamer  was  married  to  ]Maude  Hamlin, 


320  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

daughter  of  Nathaniel  Douglas  and  Elva  (Crane)  Hamlin,  to  which  union 
three  children  have  been  born,  Elva,  Mona  and  Kathleen. 

Mr.  Kreamer  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
He  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  is  influential  in  the  councils  of  that  party 
in  this  county.  He  is  a  good  citizen  and  well  deserves  the  words  of  com- 
mendation, confidence  and  esteem  which  have  been  bestowed  upon  him  by 
his  fellow  citizens. 


GEORGE  W.  HOOVER. 


George  W.  Hoover  belongs  to  that  class  of  men  who  win  in  life's  battles 
by  sheer  force  of  personality  and  determination,  coupled  with  soundness  of 
judgment  and  keen  discrimination.  In  whatever  Mr.  Hoover  has  under- 
taken, and  he  has  been  engaged  in  many  lines  of  activity,  he  has  shown  him- 
self to  be  a  man  of  ability  and  honor.  He  is  always  ready  to  lend  his  aid  in 
defending  the  principles  affecting  the  public  good.  He  has  ably  and  con- 
scientiously performed  all  the  duties  of  a  public  and  private  citizen,  and  has 
conducted  himself  in  such  a  manner  as  to  win  the  unqualified  indorsement 
and  support  of  his  business  associates  and  his  fellow  citizens. 

George  W.  Hoover  was  born  in  Johnson  county.  Iowa,  on  January  14, 
1856,  a  son  of  George  and  Catherine  (Horton)  Hoover,  who  were  both 
natives  of  Pennsylvania.  They  were  married  in  the  latter  state  and  came  to 
Iowa,  shortly  after  their  marriage,  settling  in  Johnson  county,  where  they 
spent  the  rest  of  their  lives.  To  George  and  Catherine  (Horton)  Hoover 
were  born  five  children,  Charles,  Emily,  Levi,  George  W.  and  Maria,  all  of 
whom  are  living  with  the  exception  of  Levi. 

George  W.  Hoover  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Johnson 
county,  Iowa,  receiving  a  good  common-school  education,  and  after  leaving 
school,  took  up  farming  as  a  vocation,  which  he  followed  for  several  years, 
being  also  incidentally  engaged  in  carpenter  work  and  contracting  for  some 
time.  Mr.  Hoover  was  not  only  a  successful  farmer,  but  he  made  a  success 
of  the  contracting  business  as  well.  In  1888  he  engaged  in  the  hardware 
business  in  the  city  of  Audubon  and  continued  in  this  line  for  twenty  years, 
at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  disposed  of  his  hardware  business.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  trade  in  the  retail  sale  of 
hardware  and  implements  under  the  firm  name  of  the  Audubon  Hardware 
Company.  At  the  present  time  ]\Ir.  Hoover  is  engaged  in  the  furniture  and 
undertaking  business,  and  has  one  of  the  best  stores  in  Audubon. 


'-^  32,1"  a  TI^^A-r^i  ^Sr^  ^nr 


^--CT—Cr—z^.  ^^ 


i. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  32 1 

George  W.  Hoover  was  married  in  1880  to  Maggie  Reynolds,  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Lucy  Reynolds,  both  natives  of  Johnson  county, 
Iowa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoover  are  the  parents  of  four  children:  May,  who 
married  W.  W.  Waldron,  and  Karl,  Jessie  and  Jessamine,  who  are  at  home. 

Mr.  Hoover  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  at 
Atlantic.  He  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  been  active  in  political  affairs, 
and  has  never  held  office.  He  has  been  largely  and  actively  interested  in 
public  affairs,  however,  and  was  president  of  the  Audubon  County  Agricul- 
ture Society  for  thirteen  years,  during  which  time  he  developed  it  into  a 
strong  organization.  Mr.  Hoover  also  has  had  charge  of  Maple  Grove 
cemetery  for  the  past  eight  years  and  has  cleaned  it  up  and  added  very  much 
to  its  attractiveness. 


CHARLES  BAGLEY. 


Professional  success  results  from  merit.  Frequently  in  commercial 
life  one  may  come  into  possession  of  a  lucrative  business  through  inheritance 
or  gift,  but  in  what  is  known  as  the  learned  professions  advancement  is 
gained  only  through  painstaking  and  long-continued  effort.  The  lawyer  or 
physician  does  not  enjoy  the  privilege  of  exploiting  his  profession  in  order 
U)  gain  a  clientele.  He  must  thoroughly  prepare  himself  and  be  educated 
broadly  ''n  order  that  his  mental  development  may  be  such  as  to  enable  him 
to  quickly  grasp  the  points  of  a  cause  presented  for  his  consideration.  He 
must  be  well  grounded  in  the  deep,  underlying  principles  of  his  profession; 
whereas,  the  business  man  or  merchant  often  engages  in  trade  or  commerce 
with  little  or  no  preparation  other  than  his  native  ability.  It  frequently 
happens  that  members  of  the  legal  profession  are  called  upon  the  take  charge 
of  extensive  business  undertakings,  lawyers  being  required  in  the  conduct 
of  great  corporations  and  kindred  concerns  on  account  of  their  thorough, 
and  well-grounded  knowledge  of  business  law  and  ethics.  As  a  general 
rule,  they  are  excellent  financiers  and  not  infrequently  achieve  success  in 
other  lines  which  may  properly  be  conducted  along  with  their  legal  busi- 
ness. A  high  type  of  successful  attorney,  a  prominent  member  of  the  bar 
of  western  Iowa,  is  found  in  the  person  of  Charles  Bagley,  of  Audubon, 
whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  biographical  sketch. 

Charles  Bagley  was  born  on  May  29,  1854,  in  West  Liberty,  Cedar 
(21) 


322  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

county,  Iowa,  son  of  William  A.  and  Lucretia  (Burgan)  Bagley,  natives 
of  the  old  Buckeye  state.  The  Bagley  family  is  a  very  old  one  in  America, 
Charles  Bagley  tracing  his  lineage  back  to  Mary  Chilton,  who  came  over 
from  England  in  the  "Mayflower."  The  father  of  William  A.  Bagley 
emigrated  from  Vermont  to  Ohio  and  thence  to  Iowa,  where  he  became 
the  owner  of  the  land  on  which  the  city  of  West  Liberty  was  built.  This 
tract  was  deeded  to  William  A.  Bagley  by  his  mother  after  his  father's 
death.  William  A.  Bagley,  after  he  grew  to  manhood,  married  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Muscatine  county,  after  a  residence  in  Cedar  county,  where 
Charles  was  born.  In  1873  he  removed  to  Cass  county  and  tilled  a  fine 
farm  there  until  his  retirement  to  the  city  of  Atlantic,  where  he  died  in 
1909. 

To  William  A.  and  Lucretia  (Burgan)  Bagley  were  born  the  following 
children:  W.  F.,  of  Topeka,  Kansas;  Bert,  a  farmer  near  Atlantic,  Iowa; 
Mrs.  Mary  Smedley,  of  Randolph,  Nebraska;  Mrs.  Hattie  Alexander,  a 
resident  of  Colby,  Kansas;  Mrs.  Kate  Alexander,  of  Atlantic,  Iowa;  Mrs. 
Sallie  Ellett,  living  at  Guthrie  Center,  Guthrie  county,  Iowa;  Charles,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Emma,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years; 
Louise,  of  Atlantic,  and  Scott,  residing  in  Oregon. 

Charles  Bagley  was  educated  in  the  district  school  and  at  a  select 
school  at  Walton  Junction,  Iowa,  later  attending  the  high  school  at  At- 
lantic. From  his  boyhood  days,  he  practically  made  his  own  way  and  edu- 
cated himself  in  preparation  for  the  practice  of  law.  The  only  assistance 
that  he  received  from  his  father  was  a  team  of  horses.  This  team  was  given 
him  to  assist  him  in  farming.  After  attending  the  high  school,  Mr.  Bagley 
taught  school  and  farmed  in  order  to  raise  money  with  which  to  defray 
the  expenses  of  a  higher  education.  He  managed  to  gain  a  liberal  educa- 
tion, not  only  in  literature  and  the  sciences  but  in  the  legal  department 
of  the  State  University  as  well,  and  was  graduated  from  the  collegiate 
department  of  the  State  University,  and  also  was  graduated,  with  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Laws,  in  the  State  University  at  Iowa  City  in  1881. 
He  taught  a  term  of  school  in  Nebraska  in  1881  and  then  located  in  Audubon, 
where  he  became  one  of  the  pioneer  attorneys  of  the  new  and  growing 
town.  He  began  the  practice  of  law  and  also  took  up  the  real  estate  and 
insurance  business  and  has  been  successful  in  his  various  enterprises.  He 
also  added  an  abstract  department  which  he  is  yet  conducting  with  the 
assistance  of  his  two  sons,  who  are  now  associated  with  him  in  the  offices. 
Mr.  Bagley  has  prospered  and  has  a  fair  share  of  this  world's  goods.     He 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  '      323 

is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  in  Audubon 
county,  in  addition  to  being  the  owner  of  considerable  real  estate. 

In  1888,  Charles  Bagley  was  united  in  marriage  with  Amanda  Williams, 
of  Audubon,  a  native  of  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  daughter  of  Richard  Will- 
iams, to  which  union  four  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Louis  C.  a 
graduate  of  the  Audubon  high  school  and  the  law  college  of  the  State 
University,  who  is  now  with  his  father  in  the  law  ofiices;  Frank,  also  a 
graduate  of  the  Audubon  high  school,  likewise  associated  with  his  father, 
and  Marion  and  Russell,  students  in  the  high  school. 

Mr.  Bagley  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  contributes 
of  his  time  and  means  to  the  support  of  that  denomination.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  a  Republican,  but  has  never 
been  an  office  seeker  nor  sought  political  preferment  to  any  extent.  How- 
ever, he  fulfilled  his  civic  obligations  to  his  home  town  by  serving  two 
terms  as  mayor  of  Audubon.  Otherwise,  he  has  been  content  to  take  his 
place  in  the  ranks  of  the  mass  of  voters  and  vote  for  his  favorite  principles 
of  government  and  for  the  most  capable  candidates  who,  in  his  estimation, 
were  best  fitted  to  fill  the  offices  sought.  Mr.  Bagley  is  a  cultured,  well- 
read  and  broad-minded  gentleman,  who  is  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know 
him  in  his  home  community. 


HARRY  A.  NORTHUP. 


To  write  the  personal  records  of  men  who  have  raised  themselves  from 
humble  circumstances  to  positions  of  responsibility  and  trust  in  a  community 
is  no  ordinary  pleasure.  Self-made  men,  men  who  have  achieved  success 
by  reason  of  their  personal  qualities  and  who  have  left  the  impressions  of 
their  individualities  upon  the  business  and  political  life  of  their  community; 
men  who  affect  for  good  such  institutions  as  are  embraced  in  their  spheres 
of  usefulness  unwittingly,  perhaps,  built  monuments  more  enduring  than 
marble  obelisks  or  granite  shafts.  Such  a  man  is  Harry  A.  Northup,  the 
present  auditor  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  member  of  the  firm  of  Northrup 
Brothers,  dealers  in  grain  and  live  stock,  one  of  the  best-known  citizens 
of  Audubon  county. 

Harry  A.  Northup  was  born  on  February  7,  1876,  on  a  farm  in  Johnson 
county,  Iowa,  son  of  Nathan  and  Harriet  (Sherlock)  Northup,  the  former 
of  whom  was  a  native  of   Vermont,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  England. 


324  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Nathan  Northup  was  bom  in  18 17  and  died  in  1891.  He  was  reared  in 
Vermont  and  in  early  manhood  migrated  to  Ohio,  where  he  married,  and 
in  the  sixties  came  to  Iowa,  locating  in  Johnson  county,  where  his  wife 
died  and  he  married,  secondly,  Harriet  Sherlock,  who  was  born  in  England 
in  1835,  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Sherlock,  who  located  in  Johnson  county, 
Iowa,  upon  coming  to  this  country,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life. 
Nathan  Northup  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1882,  settling  on  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres  in  Douglas  township,  where  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  spent. 

To  Nathan  and  Harriet  (Sherlock)  Northup  the  following  children 
were  bom :  Ernest,  deceased ;  Edwin,  who  lives  at  Vallesca,  Iowa ;  Richard, 
ex-sheriff  of  this  county;  Mrs.  Martha  Oxer,  of  Franklin,  Nebraska;  Mrs. 
Mary  Myers,  deceased;  George,  who  is  a  partner  of  his  brother,  Harry,  in 
the  grain  and  live  stock  business  at  Audubon;  Mrs.  Myra  Holcomb,  of 
Spokane,  Washington;  Jasper,  of  Audubon;  Harry  A.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  and  Mrs.  Emma  Norton,  of  Yale,  Iowa.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  on  August  30,  1909,  having  survived  her  husband  nearly 
twenty  years. 

Harry  A.  Northrup  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Douglass 
township,  this  county,  and  farmed  with  his  brother  on  the  home  place, 
renting  land  until  he  became  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  then  managed  the 
farm  until  his  widowed  mother  sold  it,  and  after  that  returned  to  Johnson 
county,  this  state,  where  he  worked  for  one  season.  In  1897  M^-  Northup 
married  and  moved  to  a  farm  in  Cameron  township,  this  county,  where 
he  remained  for  ten  years.  He  then,  for  a  little  more  than  three  years, 
bought  and  shipped  grain  at  Ross,  Iowa,  for  the  Trans-Mississippi  Grain 
Company,  and  in  the  spring  of  19 10  moved  to  Audubon,  where  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  his  two  brothers,  George  and  Richard,  in  the  grain 
and  live-stock  business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Northup  Brothers. 

On  March  10,  1897,  Harry  A.  Northup  was  married  to  Cora  A.  Mc- 
Cristal,  of  Audubon,  daughter  of  William  and  Martha  McCristal,  both 
of  whom  are  now  deceased.  To  this  happy  vmion  two  children  have  been 
born.  Hazel,  born  on  January  24,  1898,  and  Merrill,  July  2^,  1900. 

In  the  fall  of  19 14  Harry  A.  Northup  was  a  candidate  on  the  Demo- 
cratic ticket  for  auditor  of  Audubon  county  and  was  triumphantly  elected. 
He  took  the  office  of  county  auditor  on  January  i,  19 15.  and  is  now 
filling  that  office  with  credit  to  himself  and  with  satisfaction  to  the  people 
of  Audubon  county  who  elected  him.  Mr.  Northup  is  a  stanch  Democrat 
and  for  many  years  has  been  active  in  the  councils  of  his  party^.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  325 

SOREN  MADSEN. 

The  career  of  Soren  Madsen,  a  retired  farmer  of  Greeley  township,  this 
county,  and  the  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Exira,  should  serve 
as  an  inspiration  to  every  young  man.  Mr.  Madsen's  youth  was  filled  with 
few  of  the  joys  which  fall  within  the  experience  of  most  boys  of  today. 
From  the  time  he  was  eight  years  old  he  was  compelled  to  support  himself  by 
the  labor  of  his  own  hands.  Coming  to  America  when  he  was  twenty  years 
old,  he  took  up  quickly  with  the  ways  of  his  adopted  country  and  in  a  com- 
paratively brief  period  became  a  successful  farmer  and  banker.  He  is  now 
known  throughout  Audubon  county  as  one  of  the  most  successful  citizens  of 
this  part  of  the  state.  His  career  only  goes  to  show  what  determination, 
industry  and  personal  economy  will  accomplish.  Many  of  Soren  Madsen's 
fellow  countrymen  have  made  good  in  America,  and  they  deserve  unfailing 
credit  for  their  achievements. 

Soren  Madsen  was  born  in  Denmark  on  February  7,  i8'6i,  son  of  Nels 
and  Marie  (Jacobsen)  Madsen,  both  of  whom  were  native-born  citizens  of 
Denmark.  Nels  Madsen  was  a  farmer  and  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  he 
came  to  America  in  1885,  joining  his  son,  Soren,  in  Hamlin  township,  this 
county,  where  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land,  which  he  farmed  for  a  time. 
His  wife  died  in  1887,  and  two  years  afterward,  in  1889,  he  passed  away. 
Nels  and  Marie  (Jacobsen)  Madsen  had  only  two  children,  Soren  and  Marie, 
the  latter  of  whom'  married  Hans  Rasmussen,  who  is  now  deceased,  his 
widow  living  in  Hamlin  township.  From  the  time  Soren  Madsen  was  eight 
years  old,  and  after  leaving  school,  he  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  until  he 
came  to  America. 

Upon  arriving  in  this  country,  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  Soren 
Madsen  located  first  at  Avoca,  Iowa.  After  working  there  for  eleven  months 
on  a  railroad,  he  went  to  Utah.  In  the  fall  of  1882,  one  year  after  his  arrival 
in  America,  he  began  working  in  a  smelter  and  mining  camp,  a  position  he 
held  for  two  and  one-half  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  came  to  Audubon 
county,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Hamlin  township.  By 
characteristic  energy  and' good  management,  Mr.  Madsen  was  able  to  increase 
his  farm  holdings  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  after  which  he  moved  to 
Sharon  township,  where  he  lived  for  eleven  years.  Selling  his  farm  property 
in  Sharon  township,  Mr.  Madsen  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty-six  acres 
in  Greeley  township,  and  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising  until 
he  retired.  During  all  this  period  Mr.  Madsen  raised  from  a  hundred  and 
twenty-five  to  a  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  hogs  every  year,  besides  a  carload 


326  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

of  cattle.  In  fact  his  experience  in  raising  hogs  and  cattle  was  the  basis  of 
his  success  as  a  farmer. 

On  May  15,  1888,  Soren  Madsen  was  married  to  Christina  Wolf,  the 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Margaret  (Petersen)  Wolf,  both  natives  of  Schleswig, 
Germany.  Peter  Wolf  was  a  farmer  in  his  native  land,  and  was  also  engaged 
in  purchasing  cattle.  He  came  to  America  in  1883  and  located  in  Audubon 
county,  purchasing  land  west  of  Exira,  living  there  until  1903,  in  which  year 
he  retired  and  moved  to  Exira.  He  prospered  and  increased  his  original 
holdings  of  ninety-one  acres  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres.  Peter  Wolf  and 
wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  Christina,  wife  of  Mr. 
Madsen,  was  the  fourth  born.  The  others  were  Welberg,  Jens,  Chris,  Botilda, 
Margaret,  Mary  and  Lena. 

To  Soren  and  Christina  (Wolf)  Madsen  four  children  have  been  born, 
Marie,  Anna,  Nels  and  August.  All  of  these  children  are  unmarried,  and  all 
the  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Madsen  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
He  is  county  supervisor  of  Audubon  county  and  a  member  of  the  Exira  town 
council.  In  politics  he  is  an  ardent  and  enthusiastic  Democrat.  For  some 
time  Mr.  Madsen  has  been  serving  as  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Exira,  and  has  proved  himself  to  be  a  man  capable  of  performing  the  import- 
ant and  highly  technical  duties  of  a  successful  banker. 


DANIEL  FRANKLIN,  M.  D. 

The  world  has  little  use  for  the  misanthrope.  The  universal  brotherhood 
of  men  is  widely  recognized,  as  is  also  the  truth  that  he  serves  God  best 
who  serves  his  fellow  man.  There  is  no  profession,  business  or  vocation 
which  calls  for  greater  sacrifice  or  more  devoted  personal  attention  than 
the  medical  profession.  The  most  successful  physician  is  he  who,  through 
love  of  his  fellow  men,  gives  his  time  and  earnest  attention  to  the  relief 
of  human  suffering.  The  successful  physician  is  bound  to  make  friends 
wherever  he  is  known  and  he  will  retain  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all 
classes  of  people.  Among  the  able  young  physicians  of  Audubon,  this 
county,  is  Dr.  Daniel  Franklin,  a  young  man  who  deserves  great  credit 
for  his  accomplishments. 

Daniel  Franklin,  the  youngest  son  of  Harry  and  Bessie  Franklin,  was 
born  in  Russia  on  July  27,  1893.  His  primary  studies  were  directed  by  a 
private  tutor  and  when  ten  years  of  age  he  entered  the  gymnasium.     After 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  327 

four  years  of  study  there  he  came  to  America,  landing  in  New  York  City 
on  December  i,  1907.  Spending  only  a  few  days  in  the  cities  of  New  York 
and  in  Chicago,  he  heeded  the  advice  of  Horace  Greeley,  and  came  west, 
locating  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  where  he  entered  the  public  schools,  and,  by 
the  diligent  study  of  English,  qualified  himself  for  admittance  to  Creighton 
Medical  College.  During  his  period  of  attendance  at  this  college,  in  order 
to  defray  his  college  expenses,  he  worked  as  chemist  for  a  creamery,  and 
during  the  last  year  of  his  attendance  at  the  medical  school  was  a  resident 
interne  at  the  Omaha  general  hospital.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Creigh- 
ton Medical  College  on  April  30,  19 14,  and  immediately  after  receiving 
his  diploma  came  to  this  county,  locating  in  Audubon  on  May  9th  of  that 
year,  at  once  entering  on  the  active  practice  of  his  profession.  Although 
he  is  a  young  man,  Doctor  Franklin's  practice  is  growing  rapidly,  and,  by 
his  courteous  manners,  his  careful  practice  of  the  ethics  of  his  profession 
and  the  high  standard  of  his  professional  skill,  he  is  fast  gaining  the  confi- 
dence and  respect  of  the  people  of  Audubon  county. 

Doctor  Franklin  is  a  member  of  the  Audubon  County  Medical  Society, 
the  Iowa  State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association,  in 
all  of  which  organizations  he  takes  a  deep  interest.  Fraternally,  the  doctor 
is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

Doctor  Franklin  is  one  of  the  rising  young  physicians  of  Audubon 
county,  and  his  career  forcibly  illustrates  what  can  be  accomplished  by  the 
worthy  sons  of  foreign  countries  who  come  to  our  land,  and  by  persistent 
energy  and  determination  win  merited  success. 


CHRIS  OLSEN. 


This  country  takes  great  pride  in  the  citizens  of  other  lands  who  have 
come  to  these  shores  and  who,  with  rare  energy,  industry  and  management 
have  built  up  profitable  and  popular  businesses  in  the  various  communities. 
The  career  of  Chris  Olsen,  a  well-known  general  merchant  of  Audubon, 
this  county,  is  worthy  of  being  heralded  to  the  native-born  sons  of  this  land. 
The  story  of  his  life  is  more  like  a  romance  than  a  statement  of  real  fact, 
since  he  has  been  able  since  coming  to  America,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  to  build 
up  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  flourishing  enterprises  in  Audubon  county. 
Mr.  Olsen's  success  is  not  a  matter  of  accident.  He  has  given  his  labor 
ungrudgingly  and  deserves  the  large  success  which  he  has  attained. 

Chris  Olsen,  a  well-known  merchant  of  Audubon,  Iowa,  was  born  in 


328  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Denmark  on  October  31,  1872,  the  son  of  Peter  P.  and  Anna  (Christensen) 
Olsen,  farmers  in  their  native  land.  His  father,  who  served  in  the  Danish- 
Prussian  War  of  1864,  died  unexpectedly  in  1895.  The  mother,  who  has  had 
ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living,  is  still  living  in  her  native  land. 
Chris  Olsen  is  the  only  member  of  this  family  living  in  this  country.  He  was 
educated  in  his  native  land  and  after  leaving  school  clerked  in  a  store  for  two 
and  one-half  years.  Coming  to  America  in  1888',  he  located  at  Harlan,  in 
Shelby  county,  Iowa,  and  for  two  years  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand,  attending 
school  in  the  winter.  Coming  to  Audubon  county  at  the  end  of  that  period 
he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  Cameron  township  for  a  short  period  and  then 
went  to  Audubon,  where  he  clerked  in  the  general  mercantile  store  of  E. 
Bilhars  &  Sons  for  some  years.  About  1895  ^^^-  Olsen  started  in  business 
in  a  small  way  for  himself.  He  established  a  general  mercantile  store  on  a 
small  scale,  and  has  increased  his  stock  from  time  to  time  as  his  patronage 
has  grown,  until  he  now  has  one  of  the  best  stores  and  perhaps  as  good  a 
stock  of  general  merchandise  as  is  to  be  found  anywhere  in  Audubon  county. 
Mr.  Olsen  handles  a  complete  line  and  today  his  trade  is  larger  and  more 
profitable  than  ever  before. 

In  1902  Chris  Olsen  was  married  to  Marie  Mathisen,  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Sophia  Mathisen,  and  to  this  happy  marriage  have  been  born  four  chil- 
dren, Peter  P.,  Anna  Marie,  George  and  Carl,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Olsen  affiliates  with  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  and  is  foremost  in 
every  worthy  movement  in  this  county.  In  his  toil  and  struggle  for  success 
he  has  not  overlooked  the  larger  and  greater  purposes  of  life,  but  has  given 
the  attention  of  a  loving  father  to  his  children  and  has  always  been  and  is 
regarded  as  a  good  citizen,  keen  and  alert. 


JACOB   KUHN. 


There  is  nothing  which  stimulates  a  man  to  deeds  of  worth  and  a  life 
of  uprightness  and  rectitude  more  than  the  recollection  of  the  strength  of 
character  and  examples  of  right  living  which  have  been  shown  by  his  forbears. 
In  this  respect  Mr.  Kuhn  is  fortunate  beyond  the  majority  of  men  in  being 
descended  from  forbears  who  were  men  of  strength  and  influence  in  their 
community,  men  who  performed  well  their  duties,  whether  in  the  peaceful 
pursuits  of  ordinary  life  or  in  positions  of  public  trust.  In  the  business 
affairs  of  Audubon,  Iowa,  Jacob  Kuhn.  a  well-known  retired  miller,  has 
always  occupied  a  position  of  importance  among  those  who  have  conserved 
and  promoted  the  commercial  and  industrial  prosperity  of  this  community. 


JACOB  KUHN 


Pl'1'1   l! 


xi:.: 


RY 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  329 

Jacob  Kuhn  was  born  on  August  31,  1844,  oi'^  ^  farm  near  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  the  son  of  Archy  and  Mary  (King)  Kuhn.  Archy  Kuhn, 
who  was  born  and  died  in  Pennsylvania,  was  the  son  of  Archibald  Kuhn. 
The  family  dates  back  to  the  seventeenth  century  when  a  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kuhn 
were  among  a  shipload  of  emigrants  captured  by  the  British  and  taken 
into  Port  Derry,  Ireland.  A  son,  Adam,  was  born  in  Derry.  Later  this  ves- 
sel proceeded  to  New  Amsterdam,  but  the  Kuhns  did  not  go.  Adam  became 
a  traveling  merchant  in  Europe.  He  was  the  great-great-grandfather 
of  Jacob  Kuhn,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Eventually  he  came  to  New 
Amsterdam,  now  New  York,  and  married  a  Scottish  woman  named  Eve. 
They  went  to  New  Jersey,  where  three  children  were  born,  Mansfield,  Michael 
and  Nicholas,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
The  family  eventually  moved  to  the  Wyoming  county  settlement  in  Penn- 
sylvania. At  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  Michael  Kuhn  settled  in 
Patten  township,  Allegheny  county.  Adam  Kuhn  later  went  down  the  Ohio 
ri\er  to  Fishing  creek  and  settled  below  Wheeling,  where  Eve,  his  wife,  was 
killed  by  the  Indians.  Adam  Kuhn  remarried  and  lived  to  be  a  ver}-  old 
man.  His  son  Michael,  the  great-grandfather  of  Jacob  Kuhn,  married 
Catherine  McClarty,  a  daughter  of  Archibald  McClarty,  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, who  settled  on  the  Susquehanna  river  in  the  Wyoming  settlement. 
Michael  Kuhn  and  his  family  had  several  thrilling  experiences  and  he  fought 
in  the  Indian  wars.  He  died  in  1800,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 
Nicholas  Kuhn  had  no  children.  Mansfield  Kuhn  settled  in  Kentucky. 
Michael  Kuhn  was  born  on  April  5,  1747,  and  died  on  January  30,  1820. 
His  wife.  Catherine  McClarty.  was  born  March  3,  174^,  and  died  July  12, 
1823.  They  had  eight  children,  Eva,  Archibald,  Adam,  Samuel,  John,  Mary, 
David  and  Nancy.  Archibald  Kuhn,  the  grandfather  of  Jacob,  was  born 
on  August  28,  1771,  and  died  on  December  13,  1831.  He  was  married  on 
May  16,  1799.  to  Martha  Stotler,  who  was  born  on  February  7,  1781,  and 
who  died  on  June  17,  1818.  They  were  the  parents  of  Michael,  Jacob,  Nancy, 
Archy.  David,  Catherine,  John  M.  and  William  H.  H.  Archibald  Kuhn  was 
a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature,  1816-1820.  His  son,  Archy 
Kuhn.  the  father  of  Jacob,  was  born  on  September  2,  1805,  and  died  on  De- 
cember II,  1889.  He  married  Mary  (Craig)  King,  who  was  born  on  August 
18,  1812.  and  who  died  on  March  28,  1904.  Their  children  were  as  follow: 
Mrs.  Nancy  D.  McCready,  who  was  born  on  October  22,  1837;  ^^^illiam, 
May  28,  1839,  died  on  January  15,  1863,  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  serving 
in   the    One    Hundred    and    Fifty-fifth    Regiment.    Pennsylvania    A^olunteer 


33^  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Infantry,  was  mortally  wounded  at  Fredericksburg  on  December  13,  1862, 
having  been  shot  through  the  right  lung;  Mrs.  Martha  S.  Stotler,  March  6, 
1841,  died  on  March  28,  1897;  Robert,  December  12,  1842,  died  on  Septem- 
ber 28,  1843;  Jacob,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  on  August  31,  1844. 
Jacob  Kuhn  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  a  member  of  the  Third  Penn- 
sylvania Heavy  Artillery,  Light  Battery  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second 
Regiment,  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  He  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Twentieth  Iowa  General  Assembly  in  1884.  The  sixth  child  of  Archy 
and  Mary  (Craig)  Kuhn  was  James  King  Kuhn,  born  on  February  18, 
1846,  and  died  November  17,  1879.  The  other  children  were:  Mrs.  Eliza 
Ann  Dildine,  March  3,  1848;  Mrs.  Susan  Alter,  June  24,  1850;  Mrs.  Mary 
L.  Spraul,  June  2,  1852,  and  David  B.,  June  20,  1855. 

Jacob  Kuhn  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  county 
in  Pennsylvania.  On  February  13,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Light  Battery  H, 
commonly  called  Rank's  Battery,  and  connected  with  the  Third  Pennsyl- 
vania Heavy  Artillery  and  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-second  Regiment, 
Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  served  one  and  one-half  years  and 
was  discharged  at  Philadelphia  on  July  25,  1865.  One  section  of  Battery  H 
was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  While  in  the  reserve  artillery  he 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Monocacy,  near  Frederick  City,  Maryland.  After 
the  war  Mr.  Kuhn  learned  iron  making  in  Pittsburgh  and  worked  there  until 
1868.  In  March  of  that  year  he  came  West  and  located  in  Grove  City,  Cass 
county,  Iowa,  where,  for  the  first  year,  he  followed  carpentry  work.  He 
was  then  married  shortly,  after  which  he  mo\'ed  to  Anita,  Cass  county, 
where  he  resided  for  fifteen  years,  being  engaged  in  carpentering  during 
that  time,  with  the  exception  of  six  years,  during  which  time  he  was  engaged 
in  the  milling  business.  In  1884,  Mr.  Kuhn  located  at  Manning,  in  Car- 
roll county,  this  state,  and  there  engaged  in  the  milling  business  for  six 
years.  He  then  lived  in  Des  Moines  eight  years,  and  was  there  engaged 
in  the  milling  business.  In  1898  he  came  to  this  county,  locating  at  Audu- 
bon, and  there  engaged  in  the  milling  business  for  sixteen  years,  or  until 
October,  1913,  when  he  sold  out  to  his  partner,  A.  S.  Culver,  having  been 
engaged  in  the  milling  business  for  nearly  thirty-six  years,  during  which 
period  he  became  very  wealthy.  Mr.  Kuhn  is  the  owner  of  a  large  ranch 
and  town  property  near  Billings,  Yellow  Stone  county,  Montana,  and  for 
twenty-five  years  has  been  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  First  National 
Bank  at  Manning. 

On  May  26,  1870,  Jacol)  Kuhn  was  married  to  Minnie  C.  Taylor,  who 
was  born  on  September  20,  1851,  the  daughter  of  William  and  Martha  Tay- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  33 1 

lor,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  early  settlers  in  Cass  county,  Iowa.  To  this 
happy  union  the  following  children  have  been  born :  Mrs.  Eva  M.  Rey- 
nolds, born  on  July  5,  1871,  died  on  August  31,  1893;  Mrs.  Ada  M.  Wever, 
June  16,  1881,  who,  on  October  24,  1906,  married  George  B.  Wever,  who 
was  born  on  December  27,  1880,  to  which  union  three  children  have  been 
born,  George  Kuhn,  December  i,  1907;  Alice  L.,  August  18,  1910,  and 
Ethel  Mary,  March  i,  191 3;  and  Ethel  L.,  September  13,  1884,  married  on 
June  II,  1914,  Dr.  Charles  Burnside,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Audubon 
county,  and  who  practises  medicine  at  Los  Angeles,  to  which  union  one 
child  has  been  born,  Harriett  Elizabeth,  born  on  October  13,  1914. 

In  politics  Jacob  Kuhn  is  an  ardent  Republican.  In  1883  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  Iowa  Legislature  and  served  in  the  twentieth  General  As- 
sembly. Fraternally,  Mr.  Kuhn  is  a  member  of  Allison  Post,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic.  All  of  the  members  of  the  family  attend  the  Presbyterian 
church. 


THOMAS  E.  MASON. 


Thomas  E.  Mason,  who,  by  his  own  unaided  efforts,  has  gradually 
worked  his  way  up  from  a  modest  beginning  to  a  position  of  influence  in  the 
community  where  he  lives,  is  a  well-known  photographer  of  Audubon,  this 
county.  His  life  has  been  one  of  unceasing  industry  and  perseverance,  and 
the  systematic  and  honorable  methods  he  has  followed  have  won  for  him  the 
unbounded  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens  in  Audubon  county,  whose  inter- 
ests he  has  ever  had  at  heart.  As  a  photographer,  Mr.  Mason  is  one  of  the 
best  in  the  county.  He  understands  the  technique  of  his  profession,  and  in  his 
dealings  with  the  public  has  been  especially  fair  and  square.  Although  Mr. 
Mason  has  been  in  Audubon  but  a  few  years,  yet  within  that  time  the  merit 
of  his  work  has  had  a  telling  effect  upon  his  business. 

Thomas  E.  Mason  was  born  in  Jones  county,  Iowa,  on  December  29, 
1868,  a  son  of  William  J.  and  Clemma  (Finch)  Mason,  natives  of  Ohio,  who 
came  west  when  both  were  young  and  settled  in  Jones  county,  Iowa.  They 
were  married  in  Jones  county,  and  lived  there  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  they  moved  to  Cherokee  county,  Iowa,  where  they  are  still 
residing.  William  J.  Mason  is  a  well-known  farmer  of  Cherokee  county, 
having  been  a  farmer  all  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  five 
children:  Thomas  E.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  brief  review;  Jesse  O., 
of  Jefferson,  Iowa;  May,  the  wife  of  B.  F.  Mason,  of  Meridian,  Iowa;  Hattie, 


332  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

the  wife  of  Harry  Phelan,  of  Cherokee,  Iowa,  and  Bessie,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Elmer  Phelan,  of  Aurelia,  Iowa. 

Thomas  E.  Mason  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Cherokee  county,  Iowa.  After  leaving  school  he  took  up  farming  and  was 
engaged  in  that  occupation  for  two  years  in  Cherokee  county.  Subsequently 
he  was  engaged  in  the  clothing  business  in  Webster  county,  Iowa,  for  one 
year  and  then  followed  various  pursuits  for  the  next  five  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  engaged  in  the  business  of  commercial  photography,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  business  at  Jefferson,  Iowa,  until  191 1,  when  he  came  to 
Audubon  county  and  opened  a  photograph  gallery  in  Audubon. 

On  March  7,  1894.  Thomas  E.  Mason  was  married  to  Julia  Swanson, 
the  daughter  of  Swen  Munson.  Her  parents  were  both  natives  of  Sweden, 
but  they  never  came  to  America,  she  having  come  alone  to  the  United  States, 
following,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  three  sisters  who  had  come  to  this  country, 
one  of  these  sisters  now  being  deceased.  Mr.  Mason  and  wife  are  the  parents 
of  three  children.  Earl,  Blanche  and  Lester,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Mason  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  has  not  taken  an  active  part 
in  political  matters.  He  and  his  wife  are  earnest  and  loyal  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  they  take  an  active  part  and  to  which 
they  are  liberal  contributors.  During  his  residence  in  Audubon,  Mr.  Mason 
has  built  up  a  large  circle  of  friends,  who  are  ardent  admirers  of  him  and  his 
work,  and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  popular  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zens of  Audubon. 


ARTHUR  FARQUHAR. 


This  utilitarian  age  has  been  especially  prolific  of  men  of  action,  men 
of  high  resolves  and  noble  purposes,  who  give  character  and  stability  to  the 
communities  honored  by  their  citizenship,  and  whose  influence  and  leadership 
are  easily  discernible  in  the  various  enterprises  that  have  added  so  greatly  to 
the  reputation  which  Audubon  county  enjoys  among  her  sister  counties  of 
this  great  commonwealth.  Conspicuous  among  this  class  of  men  in  Audubon 
county  is  Arthur  Farquhar,  former  county  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Audubon  county,  and  at  present  a  well-known  business  man  of  Audubon, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  life  insurance  business. 

Arthur  Farquhar  was  born  on  March  2"/,  1868,  in  Knox  county.  Ohio, 
a  son  of  F.  P.  and  Lucena  L.  (Bagly)  Farquhar.  both  natives  of  Ohio. 
Lucena  L.  Bagly  came  to  Iowa  in  1837  with  her  parents,  who  located  at  West 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  333 

Liberty,  her  father  homesteading  the  land  where  the  town  of  West  Lib- 
now  stands.  Mr.  Farqiihar's  father  came  to  Iowa  and  settled  at  West  Lib- 
erty, where  he  met  and  married  Lucena  Bagly.  After  living  in  Iowa  for  some 
years  they  returned  to  Ohio,  where  they  lived  until  1873,  in  which  year  they 
returned  to  West  Liberty,  where  they  remained  until  they  came  to  /Vudubon 
county  in  1886,  and  here  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  namely:  Ada,  deceased;  Ella,  who  is  living  in 
Audubon;  Horace,  who  lives  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska;  George,  who  lives  at 
Villisca,  Iowa;  Fred,  who  is  a  resident  of  Winterset,  Iowa;  May,  living  at 
Audubon;  Arthur,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review,  and  Mary,  deceased. 
Three  of  these  children  were  born  in  this  state  and  four  after  the  family's 
return  to  Ohio,  and  the  youngest  was  born  after  the  return  to  Iowa.  F.  P. 
Farquhar  was  born  and  raised  a  member  of  the  Quaker  church. 

Arthur  Farquhar  received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Muscatine  county,  this  state.  He  same  with  his  parents  to  Audubon  county 
in  1886  and  taught  school  here  for  ten  years.  In  1899  he  was  elected  county 
superintendent  of  schools  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  seven  years,  or  until 
1907.  After  retiring  from  the  office  of  county  superintendent,  Mr.  Farquhar 
opened  a  life  insurance  agency,  and  is  still  a  general  agent  in  nine  counties 
for  the  Register  Life  Insurance  Company,  of  Davenport,  Iowa.  During  the 
time  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  school,  Mr.  Farquhar  occupied  his  summers 
in  farming,  and  in  1891  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in 
Melville  township,  which  he  still  owns. 

On  January  17,  1892,  Arthur  Farquhar  was  married  to  Nellie  Leach, 
the  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Dean)  Leach,  natives  of  England,  who 
came  to  this  country  and  located  in  South  Dakota,  where  they  spent  the  rest 
of  their  lives.  Mrs.  Farquhar  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1881,  and  made 
her  home  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  James  Hunt,  until  the  time  of  her  marriage. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farquhar  two  children  have  been  born,  Aubrey  L.,  deceased, 
and  Wynona  L.,  who  is  living  at  home  with  her  parents. 

For  many  years,  Arthur  Farquhar  has  been  prominent  in  the  councils  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  for  the  past  eight  years  has  served  as  chairman  of 
the  Republican  central  committee  of  Audubon  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  belongs  to  the  chapter  and  the  com- 
mandery  at  Audubon.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Farquhar  attend  the  services  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  although 
neither  is  a  member  of  any  church. 

Arthur  Farquhar,  by  virtue  of  his  long  service  as  county  superintendent 
of  schools  and  by  virtue  of  his  present  business  as  well  as  his  activity  as  chair- 


334  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

man  of  the  central  committee  of  the  Repubhcan  party  of  Audubon  county,  is 
well  known  in  this  section  of  the  state.  He  is  an  enterprising  and  progressive 
citizen  and  entitled  to  rank  among  the  leading  men  of  his  county. 


EVANS  MAROUESEN. 


It  is  the  progressive,  wide-awake  man  of  affairs  who  makes  the  real 
history  of  a  community.  His  influence  as  a  potential  factor  in  the  body 
politic  is  difficult  to  estimate.  The  example  such  men  furnish  of  patient  pur- 
pose and  steadfast  integrity  strongly  illustrate  what  is  in  the  power  of  each 
to  accomplish.  There  is  always  a  full  measure  of  satisfaction  in  adverting 
even  in  a  casual  way  to  their  achievements  in  advancing  the  interests  of  their 
fellow  men  and  in  giving  strength  and  solidity  to  the  institutions  which  make 
so  much  for  the  prosperity  of  the  community.  Such  a  man  is  Evans  Mar- 
quesen,  a  well-known  merchant  of  Audubon,  this  county.  As  such  it  is 
proper  that  a  review  of  his  career  be  accorded  a  place  among  these  biographi- 
cal sketches  of  many  other  representative  citizens,  of  the  city  and  county 
where  he  has  lived  for  so  many  years. 

Evans  Marquesen  was  born  on  September  3,  1884,  in  Audubon,  Iowa, 
the  son  of  Hans  and  Laura  (Peterson)  Marquesen,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Denmark  on  November  12,  1855,  the  son  of  Jens  Marquesen,  born 
on  November  12,  1830.  Jens  Marquesen  came  to  America  in  1862  and 
located  in  Washington  Island,  Wisconsin,  where  he  engaged  in  farming. 
He  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1876  and  located  in  Sharon  township,  where 
he  lived  for  years,  but  now  resides  in  Elkhorn.  Jens  Marquesen  and  wife 
had  three  children,  Hans,  Mrs.  Julia  Gray,  of  St.  Louis,  and  Laura,  the 
wife  of  Jacob  Esbeck,  of  Elkhorn.  Hans  Marquesen  was  employed  in  Glea- 
son's  store  in  Audubon  for  one  year  and  then  engaged  in  the  lumber  business 
for  nine  years,  subsequently  moving  to  Kimballton.  where  he  engaged  in  the 
general  mercantile  business  for  twelve  years.  After  a  short  time  spent  in 
Exira  he  then  moved  to  a  farm  east  of  Exira,  in  Audubon  township,  and 
lived  there  for  five  years,  after  which,  for  four  years,  he  engaged  in  the 
general  mercantile  business  in  Exira.  In  1908  he  removed  to  Elkhorn  and 
engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business.  To  Hans  and  Laura  (Peterson) 
Marquesen  were  born  three  sons  and  eight  daughters,  namely :  Evans,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch ;  Edmond,  a  merchant  at  Avoca ;  Storm,  who  lives  with 
his  father;  Pearl,  who  also  is  at  home;  Olga,  who  married  Thomas  Olsen,. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  335 

and  lives  on  a  farm  in  Hamlin  township ;  Myrtle,  who  married  James  Heinick, 
of  Hamlin  township;  Gudrun,  who  married  Harry  Larson,  near  Elkhorn, 
and  Hansie,  Frances,  Katherine  and  Gladys,  who  are  at  home. 

Evans  Marqiiesen  was  educated  in  the  Audubon  public  schools  and  at 
Exira.  He  engaged  with  his  father  in  the  general  mercantile  business  and  was 
with  him  for  four  years.  After  his  marriage,  in  1906,  he  moved  to  a  farm 
near  Brayton,  owned  by  his  father-in-law,  and  for  five  years  operated  this 
farm.  In  19 14  Mr.  Marquesen  moved  to  Audubon,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business,  in  partnership  with  M.  J.  Frabicuis,  and  on  the  first  of 
October,  that  year,  purchased  the  entire  business  and  now  has  the  largest 
storeroom  in  the  city,  eighty- four  by  sixty  feet  and  containing  two  floors, 
lighted  by  the  company's  own  gas  plant.  Mr.  Marquesen  carries  a  general 
stock  of  merchandise  and  the  stock  is  arranged  under  the  departmental  plan. 
Mr.  Marquesen  employs  nine  assistants,  six  women  and  three  men,  and 
carries  a  thirty-five  thousand-dollar  stock. 

On  January  i,  1906,  Evans  Marquesen  was  married  to  Christine  Nelson, 
daughter  of  L.  P.  Nelson,  of  Oakfield  township.  L.  P.  Nelson  is  a  native  of 
Denmark,  who  came  to  America  in  1869,  and  lived  in  Minnesota  until  1877, 
in  which  year  he  came  to  Audubon  county.  Not  long  ago  Mr.  Nelson  dis- 
tributed ten  farms  among  his  ten  children,  this  distribution  being  made  at  a 
Thanksgiving  Day  family  reunion  at  his  farm  home  near  Lorah.  The  ten 
children  made  their  own  selection  of  the  farms,  at  the  suggestion  of  their 
father,  each  one  selecting  the  place  which  he  or  she  thought  more  nearly  met 
with  his  or  her  ideal  of  a  farm.  The  distribution  was  happily  made.  The  ten 
children  had  planned  an  elaborate  surprise  for  their  father,  which  took  the 
form  of  a  reception  to  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Harry  Traum,  and  husband,  but 
recently  married.  Mr.  Nelson,  upon  coming  to  this  country,  first  settled  in 
La  Crosse,  Wisconsin.  He  came  to  Iowa  by  the  first  passenger  train  that 
came  over  the  Rock  Island  railroad  from  Des  Moines  to  Atlantic.  Mr.  Nelson 
settled  eight  miles  north  of  Atlantic,  where  the  surrounding  country  was  all 
open  prairie,  with  but  one  or  two  houses  between  his  home  and  Atlantic, 
and  by  enduring  all  the  discomforts  of  the  early  pioneer,  by  unceasing  indus- 
try and  by  the  highest  integrity  and  the  exercise  of  shrewd  business  judg- 
ment, accumulated  one  of  the  largest  estates  in  this  part  of  the  state.  Mr. 
Nelson's  children  are  as  follow :  Gilbert  P.  Nelson,  of  Exira ;  John  C.  and 
Edward  M.  Nelson,  of  Brayton;  A.  A.  Nelson  and  Mrs.  Harry  Traum, 
living  north  of  Atlantic;  J.  A.  Nelson,  south  of  Atlantic;  Mrs.  Evans  Mar- 
quesen ;  and  the  Misses  Rose  and  Martha  Nelson,  all  of  Audubon,  and  L.  A. 
Nelson,  Jr.,  of -Atlantic. 


336  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

To  Evans  and  Christine  (Nelson)  Marpuesen  four  children  have  been 
born,  namely:  LaRue,  born  on  November  15,  1907;  LaVonne,  November  4, 
1910;  Thelma,  June  22,  1912,  and  Dale,  September  13,  1913. 

Although  a  comparatively  young  man,  Mr.  Marquesen  has  made  a  splen- 
did start  in  life.  He  has  attended  strictly  to  his  own  business  and  has  never 
found  time  for  activity  in  politics,  although  he  is  identified  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
are  earnestly  interested  in  all  good  works  hereabout,  being  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  bv  all  who  know  them. 


ALFRED  BROOKS,  M.  D. 

The  life  of  the  physician  and  public-spirited  man  of  affairs,  whose  name 
appears  above,  affords  a  striking  example  of  well-defined  purpose.  Dr. 
Alfred  Brooks  is  also  possessed  of  a  purpose  to  make  his  ability  serve  not 
only  his  own  ends,  but  the  ends  of  his  fellow  men  as  well.  He  has  built  up 
for  himself  a  distinct  position  in  the  medical  profession,  a  vocation  which 
requires  for  its  basis  sound  mentality  and  intellectual  discipline  of  a  high 
order. 

Alfred  L.  Brooks  was  born  on  June  6,  1858,  at  Vinton,  Iowa,  the  son 
of  Lorenzo  and  Jane  (Peace)  Brooks,  natives  of  New  York  state.  Lorenzo 
Brooks  was  born  in  1821  and  died  in  1901.  He  was  a  farmer  by  vocation, 
who  came  to  Iowa  in  1854  and  settled  in  Benton  county,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  His  wife  was  born  in  1823  and  died  in  1903.  They 
had  five  children,  two  of  whom  are  living.  Dr.  Alfred  L.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  and  C.  B.,  who  lives  in  Iowa  City. 

Dr.  Alfred  L.  Broooks  is  self-made  and  self-educated  and  deserves  a 
great  deal  of  credit  for  his  achievements  in  the  world.  He  received  his  ele- 
mentary education  in  the  common  schools  and  subsequently,  attended  the 
Blairstown  Academy.  After  this  he  taught  school  and  worked  on  the  farm 
during  vacations,  later  taking  up  the  study  of  medicine,  and  was  graduated 
from  Rush  Medical  College,  at  Chicago,  with  the  class  of  1883.  Upon  re- 
ceiving his  diploma.  Doctor  Brooks  commenced  to  practice  his  profession  at 
Gray,  in  Audubon  county,  and  was  there  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time,  in  1888,  he  moved  to  Audubon  and  has  there  built  up  an  excellent 
practice.  Doctor  Brooks  is  a  member  of  the  Audubon  County  Medical 
Society,  the  Iowa  State  Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Associa- 


ALFRED  L.  BROOKS.  M.  I». 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  337 

tion,  and  is  active  in  all  of  these  bodies.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Inter- 
national Association  of  Railway  Surgeons,  having  been  appointed  some 
years  ago  as  surgeon  for  the  Northwestern  Railroad. 

Dr.  Alfred  L.  Brooks  was  married  in  1887  to  May  Langworth,  who 
died  in  1898,  leaving  one  child,  Lucile,  who  married  Dr.  W.  E.  Kimbell,  of 
Des  Moines,  Iowa,  to  which  union  has  been  born  one  son,  William  Brooks, 
On  June  20,  1901,  Doctor  Brooks  married,  secondly,  Caldona  Young,  of 
Grand  Junction,  Iowa,  to  which  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Emmett 
F.  and  Jane  C. 

Doctor  Brooks  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party  and  has  served 
as  coroner  of  Audubon  county  for  three  terms,  his  first  service  in  this 
capacity  having  begun  in-  the  eighties.  In  1890,  Doctor  Brooks  was  elected 
to  the  twenty-fourth  Iowa  General  Assembly  and  served  during  the  session 
of  1 89 1,  filling  places  on  many  important  committees  and  assisting  materially 
in  passing  much  important  legislation.  Fraternally,  Doctor  Brooks  is  a 
member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  Templar  and  the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Des  Moines.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Doctor  Brooks  and  family  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


JOHN  KIRKWOOD  DONALDSON,  D.  D.  S. 

Success  in  what  are  popularly  termed  the  learned  professions,  is  a  legiti- 
mate result  of  merit  and  painstaking  endeavor.  In  commercial  life,  one  may 
come  into  possession  of  a  lucrative  business  through  inheritance  or  gift,  but 
professional  advancement  is  gained  only  by  critical  study  and  consecutive 
research,  long  continued.  Proper  intellectual  discipline,  thorough  profes- 
sional knowledge  and  the  possession  and  utilization  of  those  qualities  and 
attributes  essential  to  success  have  made  Dr.  John  Kirkwood  Donaldson  one 
of  the  leading  dentists  of  Audubon  county.  Though  Doctor  Donaldson  is  a 
comparatively  young  man,  he  is  widely  known  for  the  high  standard  of  his 
professional  attainments  and  since  establishing  himself  at  Audubon  has  built 
up  an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice  in  his  profession. 

John  Kirkwood  Donaldson  was  born  on  July  28,  1885,  on  a  farm  in 
Audubon  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  the  son  of  Orlando  Chester  and 
lantha  (Rutan)  Donaldson,,  natives  of  Johnson  county,  Iowa.  Orlando 
(22)   ■ 


338  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Chester  Donaldson  was  born  in  1845,  ^he  son  of  James  and  Jane  Donaldson, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  were  early  settlers  in  Johnson  county,  this  state, 
lantha  Rutan  was  born  in  Johnson  county  in  1841,  the  daughter  of  early 
settlers  and  pioneers  in  Johnson  county,  her  mother  having  been  a  sister  of 
the  wife  of  Governor  Kirkwood,  Iowa's  war  governor.  Mrs.  Kirkwood 
is  still  living  (1915),  at  Iowa  City,  at  the  age  of  ninety-seven,  and 
is  quite  hearty.  Orlando  C.  Donaldson  and  lantha  Rutan  were  married  in 
Johnson  county  and  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1878,  settling  in  Audubon 
township.  Orlando  C.  Donaldson  served  as  county  recorder  of  Audubon 
county  from  1900  to  1905,  during  which  period  he  resided  in 
Audubon.  From  Audubon  he  moved  to  Shenandoah  and  there  was  engaged 
in  the  clothing  business.  One  year  later  he  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile 
business  at  Defiance,  Iowa,  and  after  being  in  business  there  for  two  years, 
removed  to  Exira  township,  this  county,  where  he  lived  on  a  farm  for  one 
year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  a  farm  near  ^Manchester,  where 
he  is  now  living. 

To  Orlando  Chester  and  lantha  ( Rutan)  Donaldson  six  children  were 
born,  two  daughters  and  four  sons,  namely :  Elverton  Orlando,  who  lives  at 
Defiance,  Iowa,  where  he  is  owner  of  the  gas  plant;  Wesley  Samuel,  a 
mechanic,  who  lives  at  Exira.  where  he  is  proprietor  of  the  Ford  garage; 
Mrs.  Janette  Burbridge,  who  lives  at  Palo  Alto,  California,  and  whose  hus- 
band is  an  instructor  in  Leland  Stanford,  Jr.,  University;  Dr.  John  Kirk- 
wood, the  subject  of  this  sketch;  James  William,  of  Palo  Alto,  California, 
who  is  in  the  motorcycle  business,  and  Clara  Belle,  who  married  Ray  Zollin- 
ger, a  ranchman  of  Montana. 

John  Kirkwood  Donaldson  was  graduated  from  the  Audubon  high 
school,  after  which  he  attended  the  Northwestern  University  Dental  School, 
graduating  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery  in  19 10,  immediately 
after  which  time  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Audubon  and 
during  the  years  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  in  practice  has  made  rapid 
progress. 

Doctor  Donaldson  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  having  attained  to  the  chapter  in  that  order,  and  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  While  at  Northwestern  University, 
Doctor  Donaldson  was  a  member  of  the  Delta  Sigma  Delta,  the  popular 
dental  fraternity.  He  is  identified  with  the  Presbyterian  church,  and.  politi- 
cally, classes  himself  as  an  independent  Republican,  being  independent  in 
local  politics,  but  supporting  Republican  principles  and  Republican  candidates 
in  national  politics. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  339 

RUSSELL  JAMES  LOVELAND. 

It  is  a  well-attested  maxim  that  the  greatness  of  a  community  or  state 
lies  not  in  the  machinery  of  government,  nor  even  in  its  institutions ;  but  rather 
in  the  sterling  qualities  of  the  individual  citizen,  in  his  capacity  for  high  and 
unselfish  effort  and  in  his  devotion  to  the  public  welfare.  In  these  particulars 
Russell  J.  Loveland,  one  of  the  partners  in  the  Audubon  Canning  Company, 
has  conferred  honor  and  dignity  upon  his  locality  by  his  persevering  and 
close  application  to  his  business,  and  it  is  fitting  that  there  should  be  recorded 
in  this  volume  a  brief  resume  of  his  career,  with  the  object  of  noting  his 
connection  with  the  advancement  of  this  flourishing  and  progressive  section 
of  the  Hawkeye  commonwealth.  As  one  of  the  partners  in  the  Audubon 
Canning  Company,  Mr.  Loveland  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  business, 
this  being  one  of  the  large  commercial  enterprises  in  the  city  of  Audubon, 
enjoying  the  liberal  support  of  the  people  of  Audubon  county. 

Russell  James  Loveland  was  born  on  January  lo,  1875,  in  New  York 
state,  a  son  of  James  H.  and  Catherine  (Dickson)  Loveland,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  York,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Canada.  They  were  married 
in  New  York  state  and  are  still  living  there.  James  H.  Loveland  has  been  a 
farmer  all  his  life,  and  has  been  unusually  prosperous  and  successful  in  his 
chosen  vocation.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  Minnie 
A.,  Josephine  M.,  Russell  J.,  Adelber  F.,  Howard  R.,  Elizabeth  E.,  Grace  F. 
and  Chester. 

Russell  James  Loveland  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
state  of  New  York,  and  after  finishing  the  course  in  the  common  schools, 
entered  the  academy  at  Utica,  New  York,  where  he  further  pursued  his 
educational  training.  After  leaving  school  Mr.  Loveland  took  up  the  canning 
business  in  Iowa,  Indiana  and  Ohio,  and  has  been  engaged  in  this  line  for  the 
past  seventeen  years,  during  the  last  five  years  of  which  time  he  has  been 
located  in  Audubon,  Iowa.  The  firm  with  which  Mr.  Loveland  is  connected 
is  known  as  the  Audubon  Canning  Company.  It  is  a  partnership,  Mr.  Love- 
land holding  an  equal  interest  in  the  company  with  Charles  Van  Garder. 

On  July  16,  1907,  Russell  James  Loveland  was  married  to  Edith  L. 
Denslow,  the  daughter  of  L.  S.  and  Sarah  (Benton)  Denslow,  both  of  whom 
are  natives  of  Utica,  New  York,  and  are  still  residing  in  that  city.  Mrs. 
Loveland  was  born  in  Utica  and  was  there  married  to  Mr.  Loveland.  To  this 
union  three  children  have  been  born,  Ford  Dickson,  Katherine  Mabel  and 
Russell  James,  Jr.  ' 

The  canning  factorv  in  which  Mr.  Loveland  is  interested  has  a  capacity 


340  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

of  one  and  one-fourth  million  cans  annually.  The  output  is  sold  largely  in 
the  west.  The  company  cans  all  kinds  of  vegetables  and  fruit,  and  its  brand 
is  well  known  throughout  the  section  of  the  countr}^  in  which  its  sales  have 
been  made. 

Mr.  Loveland  is  not  a  member  of  any  lodge,  but  has  devoted  his  time 
rather  to  his  business,  to  his  home  and  to  his  family,  being  a  man  of  decided 
domestic  inclinations.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loveland  and  family  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Loveland  is  a  Republican,  but  he  is 
not  active  in  politics  and  has  never  held  office  nor  cared  to  do  so. 


WILLIAM  LAYLAND. 


The  best  history  of  a  community  or  state  is  that  which  deals  most  with 
the  lives  and  activities  of  its  people,  especialty  of  those  who  by  their  own 
endeavors  and  indomitable  energy  have  forged  to  the  front  and  placed 
themselves  in  positions  entitling  them  to  the  respect  and  emulation  of  pro- 
gressive men.  In  this  brief  review  will  be  found  the  record  of  one  who 
has  outstripped  the  less  active  plodders  on  the  highway  of  life  and  who  has 
achieved  a  success  surpassed  by  few  of  his  immediate  contemporaries,  his 
career  in  agricultural  affairs  having  earned  him  a  name  which  all  men  who 
know  him  delight  to  honor,  on  account  of  his  upright  life  and  his  habits 
of  thrift  and  industry. 

William  Layland,  a  well-known  retired  farmer  of  Audubon,  who  came 
to  this  county  in  1880,  was  born  on  March  18,  1854,  in  Holmes  county,  Ohio, 
the  son  of  William  and  Nancy  (Crozier)  Layland,  natives  of  Ohio.  William 
Layland  died  in  Ohio  in  1861  and  his  widow  died  in  Iowa  county,  Iowa, 
about  1886.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely:  Mrs.  Sarah 
Givin,  deceased;  Mrs.  Ehzabeth  Williams,  of  Ohio;  Mrs.  Margaret  Gilmore, 
of  Ohio;  Mrs.  Mary  Tealond,  of  Ohio,  who  died  in  1912;  William,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch;  Isaac,  who  died  in  this  county,  and  Jacob,  who  lives  two 
miles  south  of  Audubon. 

In  1869  the  Layland  family  left  Holmes  county,  Ohio,  and  settled  in 
Iowa  county,  this  state,  where  William  Layland  finished  his  schooling,  he 
having  been  but  fifteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Iowa.  After  his  mar- 
riage William  Layland  began  farming  in  Iowa  county  and  in  1880  came  to 
Audubon  county,  settling  in  Hamilton  township,  where  he  bought  sixty  or 
seventy  acres  of  wholly  unimproved  land,  at  nine  dollars  an  acre.     Mr.  Lay- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  34 1 

land  put  up  a  small  two-room  house,  twenty  by  fourteen  feet,  living  in  the 
barn  for  six  weeks  while  building  the  house,  all  the  work  on  which  was  done 
by  himself.  He  lived  on  that  place  for  five  years  and  then  rented  the  farm 
and  returned  to  Iowa  county,  where  he  spent  one  year.  Two  years  later  he 
sold  the  farm  for  twenty-four  dollars  an  acre  and  bought  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Sharon  township,  for  eighteen  dollars  an  acre.  One  year  later 
he  rented  this  land  for  four  years  and  then  sold  it.  He  then  moved  to  the 
Kibby  farm,  on  which  he  lived  for  one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Leroy  township,  on  which  he  lived  for 
many  years,  making  many  changes  and  improvements  on  it.  Later  Mr.  Lay- 
land  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Audubon  township  and  lived 
on  this  latter  farm  for  one  year.  He  next  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Hamlin  township,  improved  the  farm,  rented  it  out  and  finally  sold 
it.  In  the  spring  of  1896  Mr.  Layland  moved  to  Exira  and  in  the  fall  of  that 
year  bought  property  in  Audubon  and  has  since  resided  in  that  city.  He  is 
the  owner  of  two  farms,  totalling  two  hundred  and  thirty-six  acres,  including 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  east  of  Audubon  and  nearly  eighty  acres  near 
Casey,  in  Guthrie  county.  For  many  years  Mr.  Layland  has  been  a  breeder 
of  heavy  draft  horses,  and  until  recently  was  very  active  in  that  line,  having 
been  quite  extensively  engaged  as  a  buyer  and  seller  of  horses. 

William  Layland  was  married  on  December  27,  1891,  to  Mary  Elizabeth 
Riley,  who  was  born  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  on  May  16,  1856,  the  daughter 
of  John  and  Catherine  (McCann)  Riley,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  came  to 
America,  with  their  first  child,  about  1846.  In  1863  John  Riley  settled  on  a 
farm  at  the  end  of  the  railroad  in  Iowa  county,  this  state.  He  rented  land 
for  some  years,  but  subsequently  bought  a  farm  and  in  old  age  retired  to 
Victor,  Iowa,  where  he  died  in  1896,  his  widow  surviving  him  ten  years,  her 
death  not  occurring  until  1906.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Mary,  who  died  in  infancy;  Rose,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two; 
John,  who  died  at  the  age  of  forty-five ;  Mrs.  Catherine  Gannon,  of  Victor, 
Iowa;  Mary  Elizabeth,  who  married  Mr.  Layland;  James  E.,  who  lives  in 
Sioux  City,  and  Patrick,  who  lives  in  Victor,  this  state. 

To  William  and  Mary  E.  (Riley)  Layland  four  children  have  been  born, 
an  infant,  who  died  at  birth,  Charles,  Cora  and  May.  Charles,  who  was 
born  on  April  27,  1877,  married  Alice  Moon,  to  which  union  four  children 
have  been  born,  as  follow:  Evelyn,  born  on  October  10.  1902;  William, 
November  8,  1903;  Genevieve,  June,  1908,  and  Margaret  Fay,  April  27.  191 1. 
Cora,  born  on  July  8,  1881,  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Elliot,  of  Creston,  Iowa, 
and  has  one  child,  John  Calvert.     May,  born  on  November  9,   1885,  is  the 


342  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

wife  of  Frank  Sampson,  and  has  one  child,  Mary  Louise,  who  was  born  on 

May  lo,  1911. 

Wilham  Layland  for  years  has  been  identified  with  the  fortunes  of  the 
Democratic  party,  but  he  has  never  been  active  in  its  councils  and  has  never 
been  a  candidate  for  office.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith,  all  adhering 
to  the  same,  the  family  being  highly  respected  throughout  the  county. 


HIRAM  MENDEXHALL. 

The  career  of  Hiram  Mendenhall  has  been  a  strenuous  and  varied  one, 
entitling  him  to  honorable  mention  among  the  representative  citizens  of  his 
day  and  generation  in  the  county  with  which  his  life  is  so  closely  identified. 
Although  his  life  record  is  chiefly  written  and  the  period  of  his  active  career  is 
nearing  a  close,  Mr.  Mendenhall,  as  an  inventor,  is  known  to  countless  thou- 
sands throughout  this  country,  the  story  of  his  successs  reading  more  like  a 
romance  than  a  statement  of  facts.  Mr.  Alendenhall  is  one  of  the  wealthiest 
men  in  this  section  of  Iowa  and  he  has  done  what  few  men  are  able  to  do, 
make  an  inventive  turn  of  mind  pay  handsome  royalties.  His  success  may  be 
attributed  to  his  ability  to  discern  what  things  were  most  needed  and  he  has 
been  possessed  of  the  mechanical  genius  to  turn  out  those  devices.  Through- 
out the  many  years  of  his  active  career  he  has  applied  himself  diligently  to 
his  business  interests  and  is  one  of  the  best-known  and  most  highly  respected 
citizens  in  this  section  of  Iowa.  Hiram  Mendenhall  owns  a  whole  city  block 
in  the  city  of  Audubon  and  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Douglas  township 
and  has  spent  fifteen  thousand  dollars  in  improving  his  two  farms. 

In  1886  Hiram  Mendenhall  patented  and  sold  the  Mendenhall  hog  trough, 
of  which  he  sold  thousands  of  dollars'  worth.  Later  he  patented  the  gravity 
lock  and  is  one  of  the  patentees  of  the  Boss  hog  trough  and  the  Daisy  hog 
trough.  He  is  the  patentee  of  the  Dandy  pig  taker  and  the  owner  of  the  Boss 
pig  taker  and  has  shipped  his  products  to  Central  America  and  throughout 
Canada.  Mr.  Mendenhall  was  one  of  the  patentees  of  the  One-Minute  wash- 
ing-machine. There  are  at  the  present  time  twelve  different  companies  pay- 
ing him  royalties  on  the  manufacture  of  this  machine.  The  first  company 
which  began  manufacturing  the  One-Minute  washing-machine  paid  ]\Ir.  Men- 
denhall over  thirty-five  thousand  dollars  in  four  years  and  this  was  only  one- 
half  of  the  royalty  paid  by  that  company.     Mr.  Mendenhall  is  secretarv  and 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  343 

treasurer  of  the  Iowa  Washing-Machine  Company,  which  controls  the  patents 
which  pay  Mr.  Mendenhall  his  royalties.  He  has  recently  patented  an  ironing 
board  which  he  expects  soon  to  market.  This  last  device  he  has  promoted  in 
company  with  his  son-in-law,  Albert  Killinger.  Mr.  Mendenhall  also  has 
pending  a  patent  for  a  folding  workbench,  which  he  expects  to  put  on  the 
market  very  soon. 

Hiram  Mendenhall  was  born  in  Randolph  county,  Indiana,  on  August  2, 
1848,  the  son  of  Nathan  and  Mary  (Beach)  Alendenhall,  natives,  respectively, 
of  Clinton  county,  Ohio,  and  of  New  York  state,  who  were  married  in  Ohio 
and  from  that  state  moved  to  Indiana,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  Nathan  Mendenhall  was  a  farmer  and  miller  and  died  on  April 
27,  1861,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  owner 
of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  this  county  and  two  hundred  acres 
in  Dallas  county,  this  state.  Nathan  Mendenhall's  first  wife  was  accidentally 
killed  in  1858,  whereupon  he  married  again.  By  the  first  marriage  he  was 
the  father  of  ten  children  and  one  by  the  second,  the  children  of  the  first  mar- 
riage being  Thomas,  Hannah,  Amanda,  Elizabeth,  Benjamin,  Nathan,  John, 
Hiram,  George  and  Timothy,  of  whom  Thomas,  Hannah,  Amanda,  George 
and  Timothy  are  deceased.     The  child  by  his  second  marriage  was  Rebecca. 

Hiram  Mendenhall  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Indiana  and 
Iowa.  He  began  working  out  by  the  month  when  he  was  thirteen  years  old 
and  has  been  an  industrious  worker  ever  since.  He  took  up  farming  early 
in  life  and  has  been  active  during  the  entire  period  of  his  life.  He  is  an 
extensive  breeder  of  Poland-China  hogs,  having  been  active  in  the  hog  busi- 
ness since  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  Mr.  Mendenhall  came  to  Audubon 
county  in  1877  and  has  been  here  since  that  time.  The  first  spring  Mr.  Men- 
denhall spent  in  this  county  he  had  his  corn  in  bv  the  nth  of  May.  On  that 
date  six  inches  of  snow  fell  and  froze  so  hard  that  for  three  days  Mr.  Men- 
denhall could  not  take  out  a  team. 

On  October  zy,  1872,  Hiram  Mendenhall  was  married  to  Angeline  John- 
son, who  was  born  in  Indiana,  her  parents  having  been  natives  of  Ohio,  and 
to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born.  Rosa,  Nora,  Alda  B.,  Hiram, 
George  and  Myrtle.  Rosa  married  William  Brockway,  a  carpenter  and 
painter,  of  Audubon,  and  has  four  children,  Lawrence,  Mabel,  Hiram  G.  and 
Kenneth.  Nora  married  Thomas  Sw^ezey,  a  livery  man  of  Audubon,  and  has 
six  children,  Leola,  Dollie,  Wa3me,  Wilma,  Wyman  and  Thelma,  the  last 
three  named  being  triplets.  Alda  B.,  who  lives  in  Douglass  township,  mar- 
ried Maude  Burkey  and  has  two  children,  Margarette  and  Frederick.  Hiram 
George  married  Alta  Berger  and  has  four  children,  Lester,  Pearl,  James  and 


344  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Olivine.     Myrtle  married  Albert  Killinger  and  has  three  children,  Albert  M., 
Velma  and  Francis  W. 

Hiram  Mendenhall  is  independent  in  politics.  He  believes  more  in  the 
virtue  of  measures  and  men  than  he  does  in  parties  and  party  emblems.  He 
served  as  trustee  of  Douglass  township  at  one  time.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Menden- 
hall and  children  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr. 
Mendenhall  is  not  a  member  of  any  lodge. 


ALEXANDER  HOLT  ROBERTS. 

Fortunate  indeed  is  the  family  which  can  trace  its  history  back  for  more 
than  three  generations,  and  there  are  very  few  in  this  country  that  can  do 
more  than  trace  their  genealogy  back  as  far  as  four  generations.  The  Rob- 
erts family  history  has  been  traced  in  an  unbroken  line  to  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury and  investigation  has  shown  its  descendants  by  the  thousands.  They 
are  found  scattered  over  Europe  and  over  many  of  the  states  in  this  country, 
and  wherever  they  are  found  they  rank  among  the  best  families  of  the  com- 
munity. It  is  not  strange  to  record,  therefore,  that  the  representative  of  this 
family  in  Audubon  county  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  county  and 
ranks  high  as  a  member  of  the  community,  who  is  active  in  civic,  religious 
and  business  affairs.  A  famous  historian  once  wrote,  "Show  me  a  people 
that  has  no  pride  of  ancestry^,  and  Pll  show  you  a  non-progressive  and  back- 
ward race."  This  is  quite  true.  The  investigator  and  writer  has  found,  as  a 
result  of  years  spent  in  historical  and  genealogical  work,  that  the  best  and 
most  progressive  communities  are  those  which  take  pride  in  keeping  up  the 
family  records  and  keeping  alive  the  family  traditions.  Culture,  knowledge 
and  pride  of  family  and  community  go  hand  in  hand  and  they  are  one  and 
all  inseparable. 

Alexander  Holt  Roberts,  president  of  the  Audubon  Commercial  Club, 
and  pharmacist  of  Audubon  this  county,  was  born  on  August  26,  1848,  in 
Des  Moines  county,  Iowa,  the  son  of  James  Dorsey  and  Susan  (McDonald) 
Roberts.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  which  was  entered  upon  and  settled  by 
his  grandfather,  Reuben  Roberts,  as  early  as  1838.  Mr.  Roberts,  therefore, 
enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in 
the  state  of  Iowa.  Reuben  Roberts  came  from  Elizabethtown,  West  Vir- 
ginia, at  a  time  when  the  greater  part  of  the  country  that  he  traversed  was 
a  wilderness.     The  banks  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  were  not  then 


ALEXANDER  H.  ROBERTS 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  345 

lined  with  great  cities  and  towns  as  now  and  Indians  yet  roamed  the  great 
forests  and  the  plains.  Wild  animals  were  plentiful  and  settlers  were  few 
and  far  between.  This  brave  pioneer  was  made  of  stern  material,  however, 
and  his  vision  enabled  him  to  see  far  into  the  future  and  determine  that  the 
vast  stretches  of  unpeopled  territor}'-  would  in  a  generation  or  so  swarm  with 
millions  of  industrious  inhabitants. 

The  Roberts  family  traces  its  origin  back  to  the  eleventh  century  in 
Wales,  the  family  being  of  Welsh  origin.  The  family  properly  begins  with 
(I)  Colwyn  of  Langno,  in  the  eleventh  century;  (II)  Meredith  of  Colwyn 
(meaning  that  Meredith  was  the  son  of  Colwyn  of  Llyn)  ;  (III)  Gwegan 
of  Meredith;  (IV)  Einion  of  Gwegan;  (V)  Meredith  of  Einion;  (VI) 
Howell  of  Meredith;  (VII)  Griffith  of  Howell;  (VIII)  levan;  (IX)  Rhys; 
(X)  levan;  (XI)  Griffith;  (XII)  Morris;  (XIII)  Thomas;  (XIV)  Robert 
Thomas  Morris  of  Cowyne;  (XV)  Richard  Roberts — Margaret  Evans,  wife; 
(XVI)  Richard  Roberts,  wife.  Elizabeth;  (XVII)  Richard  Roberts,  wife, 
Margaret;  (XVIII)  Reuben  Roberts,  wife,  Elizabeth  Barton;  (XIX)  James 
Dorsey  Roberts,  wife,  Susan  McDonald;  (XX)  Alexander  Holt  Roberts, 
wife,  Elizabeth  Pritchard. 

Colwyn,  with  whom  this  genealog}'  originates,  was  the  Lord  of  Llyn, 
Wales.  His  coat-of-arms  was:  A,  sable;  a  chevron,  between  three  fleurs- 
de-lys,  arg.  The  descent  of  Richard  Roberts  is  as  follows,  according  to  a 
genealogy  compiled  from  a  pedigree  chart  by  Lewis  Down,  deputy  herald  for 
Wales  (by  patent  under  seal  of  Clavencieux  and  Norrey,  kings-at-arms), 
made  in  the  year  1588,  from  a  manuscript  pedigree  by  John  Roberts,  brother 
of  Richard  Roberts,  compiled  about  1704  from  manuscript  in  Harleion  col- 
lections, British  Museum,  and  from  wills  and  deeds  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
from  official  records  in  Wales. 

Colwyn  was  the  ancient  lord  of  that  portion  of  the  promontory  of  Llyn 
in  Carnarvonshire  which  included,  among  others,  the  parish  of  Llangin, 
Llanengan,  Llabedrog  and  Llanarmon.  These  several  parishes  are  on  the  Bay 
of  Cardigan.  Colwyn  lived  in  the  eleventh  century  and  was  ancestor  to  most 
of  the  families  in  that  part  of  Llyn.  In  later  years  the  lordship  of  a  greater 
part  of  Llyn  belonged  to  the  Princes  of  North  Wales  and  their  descendants, 
among  whom  was  Trahairn  Goch,  who  held  the  title  to  a  considerable  por- 
tion thereof  in  the  fourteenth  century.  Notwithstanding  this  fact,  the  imme- 
diate possessions  of  the  descendants  of  Colwyn  do  not  seem  to  have  been  dis- 
turbed. Down  to  1700  there  was  scarcely  a  freehold  in  the  parishes  men- 
tioned not  held  by  the  posterity  of  this  Welsh  princeling.  Colwyn  was  the 
father  of  a  son,  Meredith,  etc.,  down  to  Morris  of  Griffth,  who  held  the  lands 


346  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

of  Pencold,  near  Plasdlu,  in  the  parish  of  Llanarmon,  and  other  detached 
farms,  about  the  year  1500  and  later.  Morris  Griffith  had  issue  as  follows: 
Griffith  Morris,  John  Morris,  William  Morris,  Thomas,  Hugh.  Richard, 
David,  Robert  and  Meredith  Morris.  Thomas  Morris  had  (beside  a  son 
Richard)  a  son  Robert,  called  Robert  Thomas  Morris  of  Cowyns,  who  was 
the  father  of  Richard  Roberts,  who  married  Margaret,  a  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard Evans,  and  was  the  father  of  John  Roberts,  born  in  1648  of  Richard 
and  Ann  Roberts.  From  the  record  of  the  Richard  Davies  Company  (1682) 
we  find  that  "John  Roberts,  one  of  the  twenty-seven  grantees,  on  the  thirtieth 
and  thirty-first  of  July,  of  Llagian  parish,  Carnarvon,  gentleman,"  the  grant 
comprising  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  in  Pennsylvania.  It  likewise 
appears  that  both  his  brother  Richard  and  his  sister  Ann  removed  with  John 
Roberts  to  Pennsylvania  on  September  16,  1683.  John  married  Gainor  Rob- 
erts, a  daughter  of  Robert,  son  of  Hugh  and  Elizabeth  Williams,  his  wife. 
John  Roberts  died  on  June  6,  1724.  A  record  of  his  will  is  in  existence,  dated 
July  3,  1722,  and  probated  at  Philadelphia,  August  31,  1724.  Richard  Rob- 
erts, a  brother  of  John  Roberts  of  Pencoyd,  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Maryland  in  about  1862.  Bartholomew,  the  son  of  Richard,  was  born  on 
August  24,  1 701.  Richard  Roberts,  whose  wife  was  Margaret,  was  evi- 
dently a  younger  son  in  a  large  family  of  children.  Pie  was  born  in  1728 
and  enlisted  in  the  First  Regiment  of  Maryland  troops  in  the  Continental 
service  from  Anne  Arundel  county,  April  23.  1778.  He  died  in  August  of 
1778.  His  issue  was  as  follow:  Thomas,  Richard,  John,  Edward,  Gainor 
(born  1766,  died  1856),  David,  Abner,  Jonathan.  Elizabeth,  Reuben,  the 
last  named  the  direct  ancestor  of  A.  H.  Roberts,  being  born  in  1772  and 
died  on  March  9,  1850. 

Reuben  Roberts  married  Elizabeth  Barton,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Sophia  Barton,  in  1779.  John  Barton  was  a  member  of  the  Third  Haven 
Meeting  (Friends'  Records  of  Talbot  county,  volume  5,  page  311).  Reuben 
and  Elizabeth  (Barton)  Roberts  had  issue  as  follow:  John;  Jonathan,  born 
in  March,  1801,  and  died  on  September  3,  1849;  Penelope,  1803,  died  on 
August  16,  1839;  Gains,  an  infant;  Sophia,  February  29,  1809,  died  on  Jan- 
uary 29,  1885;  Jehu,  181 1,  died  in  1884;  Reuben  P.,  1813,  died  on  Decem- 
ber 10,  1854;  Martin  S. ;  Rebecca  J.,  March  21,  1818,  died  on  June  10,  1894; 
Josiah,  October  24,  1820,  died  on  August  2S,  1870;  James  Dorsey,  father 
of  A.  H.  Roberts,  July  25,  1823,  died  July  2"/,  1903;  Alexander  Holt,  1826. 
died  November  15,  1847. 

It  is  a  matter  of  record  that  Reuben  Roberts  removed  from  Maryland 
to  Virgfinia  in  1802  and  settled  in  Marshall  countv,  near  Grave  creek.     In 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  347 

1838  he  migrated  to  Iowa  and  settled  on  a  farm  twelve  miles  west  of  Bur- 
lington. 

A  recapitulation  of  the  history  of  the  Roberts  family  in  America  reveals 
the  following  authentic  facts :  Forty-two  enlistments  are  recorded  from 
among  the  members  of  the  Roberts  family  in  the  American  War  of  Inde- 
pendence, Continental  army,  from  Virginia  alone,  and  there  were  eighteen 
members  of  the  family  enlisted  in  the  state  of  Maryland.  Richard  Roberts, 
the  great  grandfather  of  A.  H.  Roberts,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  His 
great-grandfather.  Barton  (on  his  mother's  side),  was  also  a  Revolutionary 
soldier.  The  famous  Bishop  Roberts,  of  pioneer  missionary  fame,  was  a 
cousin  of  Reuben  Roberts.  Richard  Roberts,  from  x^nne  Arundel  county, 
Maryland,  enlisted  in  the  Continental  army  for  a  term  of  three  years,  in  the 
First  Maryland  Regiment  of  Volunteers,  and  died  during  the  same  year  of 
his  enlistment.  Additional  genealogical  facts,  which  will  have  a  tendency  to 
make  clear  some  previous  statements  of  this  chronicle  follow:  Richard  and 
Margaret  Roberts  were  the  parents  of  Reuben,  who  married  Elizabeth,  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Sophia  Barton.  Reuben  was  the  tenth  child  of  Rich- 
ard and  Margaret  Roberts.  He  was  born  in  1772  and  died  on  March  9, 
1850,  and  was  the  father  of  James  Dorsey  Roberts,  the  father  of  Alexander 
Holt  Roberts,  with  whom  this  review  is  directlv  concerned.  The  grand- 
father of  A.  H.  Roberts,  on  the  maternal  side.  Captain  Barton,  fought  in  the 
War  of  1812. 

Reuben  Roberts,  as  recorded,  in  1838  settled  on  a  farm  twelve  miles 
west  of  Burlington,  Iowa,  where  he  died.  James  Dorsey  Roberts,  his  son, 
was  born  on  July  25,  1823,  and  died  on  July  27,  1903.  His  wife  was  Susan, 
a  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Mary  McDonald.  She  was  born  in  August 
of  1826,  and  died  on  October  18.  1894.  The  children  of  James  Dorsey  and 
Susan  (McDonald)  Roberts  are  as  follow:  William  Barton,  of  Texas; 
Alexander  Holt,  of  Audubon,  Iowa;  Theodore  Lang,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa; 
Martha  Malvina  Weller,  of  Long  Beach,  California. 

Alexander  Holt  Roberts  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Henry 
county  and  Howes  Academy  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa.  He  was  reared  to 
young  manhood  on  a  farm  and  learned  to  till  the  soil  as  had  his  forbears 
for  generations  before  him.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Bryant  &  Strat- 
ton  Business  College  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  in  1869,  and  for  some  time  there- 
after was  employed  in  the  office  of  the  Burlington  Hawkeye,  and  thereafter 
taught  school  for  a  time.  For  some  time  succeeding  his  work  in  Burling- 
ton, Mr.  Roberts  was  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business  at  New 
London,  Iowa.     In  1872  he  embarked  in  the  drug  business  at  Mt.  Pleasant, 


348  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Iowa,  and  in  1878  he  came  to  this  county,  locating  at  Audubon  at  a  time 
when  the  country  was  a  prairie  and  the  city  was  in  the  embryo  stage  of 
development.  He  purchased  a  lot  in  the  newly-platted  town  and  erected  a 
building  in  two  months'  time.  Within  three  months  from  his  advent  there 
he  was  doing  business.  He  is  still  conducting  his  business  in  Audubon  and 
has  the  oldest  established  business  in  the  city  of  Audubon.  During  his  long 
residence  in  the  county,  Mr.  Roberts  has  been  closely  identified  with  the 
pioneer  life  of  the  city  and  county  and  the  later  improvement  and  upbuild- 
ing of  the  city. 

On  September  14,  1871,  A.  H.  Roberts  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Elizabeth  Pritchard,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  Iowa,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah 
Pritchard,  who  came  from  Philadelphia  and  settled  in  Henry  county  in 
1834.  She  was  born  on  a  farm  entered  by  her  father.  The  patent  given  to 
Thomas  Pritchard  by  President  Tyler  in  1841  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
Mr.  Roberts.  To  this  marriage  have  been  born  two  children,  Ira  Pearl,  a 
practicing  dentist  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  and  Ralph  Pritchard,  a  practising 
dentist  at  Falls  City,  Nebraska,  who  is  the  father  of  two  children,  Thelma 
Millicent,  aged  fifteen  years,  and  Ralph  Pritchard,  Jr.,  three  years  of  age. 

A.  H.  Roberts  has  always  taken  a  great  interest  in  church  and  Sunday 
school  work  and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  is  an 
active  layman  and  has  represented  his  church  many  times  as  a  delegate  to 
lay  conferences,  in  1900  having  been  a  member  of  the  general  conference  at 
Chicago,  being  widely  known  as  one  of  the  leaders  in  church  and  Sunday 
school  work  m  the  county.  For  the  past  thirty-six  years  he  has  been  the 
efficient  Sunday  school  superintendent  in  the  Methodist  school  at  Audubon. 
He  is  actively  interested  in  civic  affairs  and  is  found  in  the  forefront  of  all 
movements  intended  to  advance  the  interests  of  his  home  city  and  county. 
For  the  past  two  years  he  has  served  as  president  of  the  Audubon  Commer- 
cial Club,  an  organization  which  is  "boosting"  the  city  and  pushing  public 
improvements.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  fraternally  connected 
with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  having  attained  to  the  chapter 
and  the  cpmmandery  in  that  order,  and  has  the  distinction  of  being  the 
commander  of  the  local  Knights  Templar  organization  for  sixteen  years. 
His  membership  is  with  the  Veritas  Lodge  No.  392,  Amity  Chapter  No.  93 
and  Godfrey  Commandery  No.  44. 

There  are   few  more  public-spirited  citizens  in  Audubon  county  than 

.  Mr.   Roberts.     He  was  the  first  treasurer    of    the    Audubon    Agricultural 

Society,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  six  years.     He  was  a  member  of  the 

first  tOAvn  council,  also  of  the  first  city  school  board,  in  both  of  which  pnsi- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  349 

tions  he  has  given  years  of  active  service.  When  the  Belgian  Relief  /Asso- 
ciation was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  extending  relief  to  Belgian  vic- 
tims of  the  European  war,  Mr.  Roberts  was  elected  chairman  of  the  asso- 
ciation, and  none  worked  harder  than  he  to  extend  the  cause  of  .this  asso- 
ciation, there  having  been  sent  from  this  county,  besides  more  than  three 
hundred  dollars  in  cash,  one  car  of  shelled  corn,  one  car  of  flour  and  one 
car  of  canned  corn,  for  the  relief  of  the  stricken  Belgians. 

There  is  a  special  satisfaction  in  offering  in  the  foregoing  life  record 
justification  for  issuing  such  a  compendium  as  the  one  in  hand.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  record  that  the  career  of  men  of  the  type  of  Alexander  H. 
Roberts  has  been  such  as  to  gain  wide  reputation  or  the  plaudits  of  men, 
but  that  such  as  he  have  been  true  to  the  trusts  imposed  in  them  and  to 
such  attributes  of  character  as  entitle  them  to  the  regard  of  all.  Mr.  Rob- 
erts has  been  a  very  useful  citizen  in  his  sphere  of  action,  and  has  won  the 
confidence  and  good  will  of  all  with  whom  he  has  come  in  contact. 


ANSON  S.  CULVER. 


The  history  of  every  man  is  an  account  of  his  life  work,  of  his  up-bring- 
ing, his  youth,  his  early  struggles  to  gain  a  livelihood,  his  successes  and  fail- 
ures and  his  rise  to  affluence  and  prestige  in  the  community,  in  whatever 
vocation  he  has  selected  as  best  fitted  to  accord  with  his  temperament  and 
abilities.  The  gentleman  of  whom  this  chronicle  is  written  seems  to  have 
been  adapted  to  the  trade  of  miller,  from  boyhood  having  followed  that 
vocation  from  choice,  and  has  made  a  success  of  his  calling.  Anson  S.  Cul- 
ver likewise  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  only  Union  naval  veteran  in 
Audubon  county.  Speaking  of  this  important  part  of  the  life  of  ]\'Ir.  Culver 
it  can  truly  be  stated  that  too  much  honor  cannot  be  given  the  boys  in  blue 
who  fought  in  the  long  and  bloody  struggle  in  the  sixties.  When  they  heard 
their  country's  call  they  forsook  their  ordinary  vocations,  enrolled  under  the 
Stars  and  Stripes,  and  with  patriotic  fervor  and  enthusiasm  braved  all  the 
dangers  of  the  battlefield  in  order  that  our  beloved  flag  might  continue  to 
wave  from  the  lakes  to  the  gulf.  The  homage  of  a  grateful  people  is  theirs 
and  we  delight  to  accord  them  all  the  praise  so  justly  due  them.  Among  the 
few  veterans  left  in  Audubon  county  none  is  more  deserving  of  a  worthy 
place  in  this  volume  than  A.  S.  Culver,  only  naval  veteran  of  the  county. 

A.  S.  Culver  and  his  son  are  the  proprietors  of  the  Audubon  flour-mill, 


350  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

which  began  operations  in  August  of  1887  ^^^  ^''^s  continued  to  grind  unin- 
terruptedly since  that  time.  This  mill  was  under  the  ownership  and  manage- 
ment of  Kuhn  &  Culver  until  19 13,  in  which  year  the  son  of  Mr.  Culver,  Vern 
Culver  became  his  partner.  The  capacity  of  the  mill  is  seventy-five  barrels 
daily  and  the  two  principal  brands  are  "A  No.  i"  and  "Straight." 

Anson  S.  Culver  was  born  on  October  3,  1841,  in  New  York  state,  son 
of  Lemuel  and  Patience  Culver,  natives  of  Vermont  and  Massachusetts, 
respectively,  agriculturists  in  New  York  state,  in  which  state  their  last  days 
were  spent.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  A.  S.  Culver 
is  the  only  one  now  living.  Mr.  Culver  learned  his  trade  of  miller  in  New 
York  when  a  boy  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York, 
until  1872.  In  the  meantime  the  great  Civil  War  came  on  and  it  was  not  to 
be  expected  that  a  young  and  vigorous  man  of  his  calibre  would  fail  to  listen 
to  the  call  of  his  country  for  assistance  in  quelling  the  rebellion.  Anson  S. 
Culver  enlisted  in  the  Union  navy  in  1863  and  was  detailed  for  duty  on  the 
"Susquehanna."  His  vessel  participated  in  the  five  days"  battle  and  bom- 
bardment of  Ft.  Fisher  and  in  many  blockades  on  the  Southern  coast.  He 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Mr.  Culver  came  west  from  New  York  in  1872,  locating  for  a  time  at 
Anita,  Iowa,  and  in  August,  of  the  same  year,  journeyed  to  Nebraska,  where, 
at  Ft.  Calhoun,  he  followed  his  trade  of  miller  for  nine  years.  In  1881  he 
became  the  proprietor  of  a  flour-mill  at  Anita  and  operated  the  same  for  six 
years.  In  1887  he  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  came  to  this  county, 
locating  at  Audubon,  where  he  engaged  in  the  milling  business  and  where  he 
has  since  resided,  being  accounted  one  of  the  county  seat's  foremost  citizens. 

In  1866  A.  S.  Culver  was  married  to  Celeste  Rose,  who  departed  this 
life  in  1900.  To  this  union  three  children  were  born,  namely:  Vern,  partner 
in  the  milling  business  with  his  father,  the  father  of  six  children,  Lucille, 
Edith,  Catharine,  Helen,  Mary  and  Alice ;  Genevieve,  at  home,  her  father's 
housekeeper,  and  Mrs.  Emma  Dickinson,  of  Saskatoon,  Canada,  the  mother 
of  one  child,  Ruth. 

Mr.  Culver  is  a  Republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  is  allied  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Grand  Army 
post  at  Audubon.  Mr.  Culver  is  a  man  who  by  his  own  unaided  efforts  has 
worked  from  a  modest  beginning  to  a  position  of  affluence  in  the  community. 
His  life  has  been  one  of  unceasing  industry  and  perseverance  and  the  syste- 
matic and  honorable  methods  which  he  has  followed  have  won  for  him  the 
confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens  of  Audubon,  whose  interests  he  has  ever  had 
at  heart. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  35 1 

DAVID  E.  SOAR. 

A  review  of  the  life  of  David  E.  Soar,  a  pioneer  harness-maker  of 
Audubon,  Iowa,  must  of  necessity  be  brief  and  general  in  its  character.  To 
enter  fully  into  the  interesting  details  of  Mr.  Soar's  career,  touching  the  ear- 
nest and  persistent  efforts  of  his  earlier  years  and  the  successes  of  his  later 
days,  would  far  transcend  the  limits  of  this  article.  He  has  filled  a  large 
place  in  the  ranks  of  the  enterprising  and  public-spirited  men  of  his  day  and 
generation  and  has  been  an  important  factor  in  the  growth  and  development 
of  Audubon  county's  industrial  and  commercial  interests.  He  is  a  representa- 
tive of  that  type  of  the  world's  workers  which  has  furnished  much  of  the 
bone  and  sinew  of  the  country  and  added  to  the  stability  of  the  county  and  its 
institutions.  And  yet,  in  spite  of  the  multitudinous  activities  of  his  life,  he 
has  never  allowed  the  pursuit  of  wealth  to  warp  his  kindly  nature.  He  has 
preserved  his  faculties  ,and  the  warmth  of  his  heart  for  the  broadening  and 
helpful  influences  of  human  life  and  is  a  genial  friend,  a  gentleman  whom  it 
is  a  pleasure  to  meet. 

David  E.  Soar  was  born  in  Nottingham,  England  on  x\ugust  15,  1843, 
the  son  of  Charles  and  Sarah  (Taylor)  Soar,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  lace 
manufacturer  in  Nottingham.  The  family  came  to  America  in  1850  and 
settled  in  Kanesville,  Iowa,  now  Council  Bluffs,  Charles  Soar  there  engaging 
in  the  mercantile  business,  the  rest  of  his  life  being  spent  there,  his  death 
occurring  in  1906,  he  being  then  ninety-six  years  of  age.  Charles  and  Sarah 
(Taylor)  Soar  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  two  of  whom  are  still 
living,  Ezra,  who  lives  at  Council  Bluffs,  and  David  E.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

David  E.  Soar  received  his  primary  education  at  Council  Bluffs.  His 
mother  died  when  he  was  thirteen  years  old  and  he  came  to  this  county  and 
began  doing  farm  work  near  Exira,  meanwhile  continuing  to  go  to  school 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  learned  the  harness-maker's  trade  in 
1862,  and  in  1864  started  out  as  a  journeyman  harness-maker.  In  1868  he 
opened  a  harness  shop  in  Exira,  the  first  shop  of  its  kind  in  this  county.  In 
1879  Mr.  Soar  opened  a  harness  shop  in  Audubon,  the  first  shop  of  the  kind 
in  the  new  county  seat,  and  in  1881  moved  to  Audubon  and  has  since  that 
time  made  his  home  there.  He  kept  the  shop  in  Exira  until  1883.  In  the 
summer  of  1902  Mr.  Soar  erected  in  Audubon  a  large  brick  building  and  has 
it  completely  stocked  with  products  made  both  by  hand  and  by  machinery. 
During  late  years  his  assistants  have  done  the  work  and  he  looks  after  the 
retail  department  of  the  business.     Mr.  Soar  owns  a  fine  farm  of  one  hun- 


352  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

dred  and  twenty  acres  in  Greeley  township.  He  has  seen  Audubon  county 
grow  from  a  treeless  prairie  waste  to  a  prosperous  and  thriving  agricultural 
and  industrial  community. 

On  July  19,  1868,  David  E.  Soar  was  married  to  Rebecca  N.  Harris,  of 
Exira,  who  was  born  in  1848  and  died  on  January  12,  1904.  She  was  a 
native  of  Braxton  county,  West  Virginia,  the  daughter  of  Adonijah  Harris, 
a  very  early  settler  in  Audubon  county.  To  this  union  four  children  were 
born,  Cecilia  I.,  Charles  H.,  Beulah  O.  and  Edward  W.  Cecelia  1.  has  been 
married  twice,  first  to  Walter  Connrardy,  by  whom  she  had  one  daughter, 
Beulah.  She  is  now  the  wife  of  L.  A.  Jensen  and  they  have  two  daughters, 
Audrey  and  Lucille.  Charles  H.,  who  is  a  bookkeeper,  married  May  Murray 
and  lives  at  Butte,  Montana.  Beulah  O.  is  the  wife  of  J.  S.  Small  and  resides 
at  Hudson,  South  Dakota.     Edward  W.  lives  at  Butte,  Montana. 

David  E.  Soar  is  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  served  as  township  clerk  at 
Exira  and  as  a  member  of  the  city  council  at  Audubon,  the  latter  important 
service  covering  a  period  of  nine  years.  Air.  Soar  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  at  Atlantic 
and  is  well  known  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  Audubon  county  as 
an  honored  and  respected  citizen  of  this  community. 


ROBERT  C.  SPENCER. 


It  is  generally  acknowledged  that  journalism  is  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant factors  in  twentieth  century  life,  exerting  as  it  does  an  influence  in 
practically  every  department  of  society.  This  relation  is  just  as  actual  and 
potent  in  the  smaller  cities  and  towns  as  in  the  large  cities,  and  he  who 
directs  the  policy  of  a  newspaper  or  wields  the  pen  which  gives  expression 
to  that  policy,  exerts  a  control  over  local  thought  and  action  that  is  not 
equalled  by  any  other  profession.  Among  the  newspaper  men  of  Audubon 
county  who  have,  by  their  progressive  attitude  toward  local  affairs,  contrib- 
uted in  a  definite  measure  to  the  welfare  of  the  community,  is  the  gentle- 
man whose  name  appears  above,  who  is  successfully  publishing  the  Audu- 
bon Advocate,  in  addition  to  his  duties  as  postmaster  of  the  city  of  Audu- 
bon. He  is  not  only  a  successful  editor  and  pubHsher,  but  is  one  of  the 
most  efficient  and  accommodating  postmasters  that  the  city  has  ever  had. 

Robert  C.  Spencer,  son  of  William  and  Esther  fOsborn)  Spencer,  was 
born  in  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  on  October  13,  1872.     His  father  was  a  native 


ROBERT  C.   SPENCER 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  353 

of  West  Virginia  and  his  mother  was  born  in  the  old  Buckeye  state.  Will- 
iam W.  Spencer  was  born  in  1842  and  died  in  1897.  He  was  the  son  of 
William  Spencer,  who  moved  to  Indiana  from  his  birthplace  and  there 
resided  a  while,  but  later  migrated  to  Jasper  county,  Iowa.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Jasper  county  and  came  to  Audubon  county  in- the  spring  of  1881. 

William  Spencer  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil 
War  and  served  for  three  years  and  three  months  in  the  Fiftieth  Regiment 
Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  responded  to  President  Lincoln's  first  call 
for  troops  to  serve  three  months,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  first  enlist- 
ment he  signed  the  roster  for  three  years  longer.  He  fought  under  General 
Rosecrans  and  his  record  as  a  brave  soldier  was  an  enviable  one,  of  which 
his  sons  and  daughters  have  the  right  to  be  proud.  William  Spencer  set- 
tled in  Hamlin  township  when  he  came  to  Audubon  county  and  bought  a 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  on  which  he  spent  the  rest  of  his 
life.  He  was  the  father  of  five  children,  namely:  Madison,  a  farmer  resid- 
ing north  of  Audubon  city;  Albert,  proprietor  of  a  farm  near  Audubon; 
Robert  C,  with  whom  this  chronicle  is  directly  concerned;  Charles, -a  citi- 
zen of  Audubun;  Mrs.  Arabelle  Siemsen,  wjfe  of  C.  F.  Siemsen,  a  resident 
of  California.     The  mother  of  these  children  departed  this  life  in  1899. 

Robert  C.  Spencer  received  his  early  education  in  the  district  school 
of  the  neighborhood  in  which  the  family  resided.  After  completing  the 
courses  afforded  by  the  local  school  he  studied  for  two  years  in  the  National 
Normal  and  Business  College  at  Glidden,  Iowa,  and  was  graduated  from 
this  institution.  He  taught  school  in  his  home  county  for  four  years,  or 
terms,  and  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  superintendent  in  1897,  enter- 
ing upon  the  duties  of  that  position  on  January  i,  1898,  and  serving  for 
one  term. 

Upon  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  county  superintendent  of  schools, 
R.  C.  Spencer  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  Audubon  Advocate,  or  rather, 
while  he  was  still  serving  his  term  as  county  superintendent  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  J.  A.  Graham  in  the  ownership  of  the  Advocate.  Four 
months  after  this  partnership  became  an  actuality,  Mr.  Graham  retired  from 
the  editorial  management  of  the  newspaper,  and  S.  C.  Curtis  became  a 
third  owner  in  the  enterprise,  which  has  since  been  conducted  under  the 
name  of  R.  C.  Spencer  &  Co.  The  Advocate  is  one  of  the  flourishing  busi- 
ness institutions  of  Audubon  county  and  an  ably  edited  and  influential  news- 
paper, which  reaches  practically  every  home  in  the  county. 

Robert  C.  Spencer  is  a  member  and  a  ruling  elder  of  the  Presbyterian 

(23) 


354  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 

church  and  contributes  of  his  time  and  means  to  the  support  of  this  denomi- 
nation. He  is  fraternally  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  was  married  on  September  13,  1899,  to 
Clara  Hansen,  of  Audubon,  a  daughter  of  Ivor  P.  Hansen,  to  which  union 
two  children  have  been  born,  Arnold  H.,  born  in  1901,  and  Roland  E., 
born  in  1904. 

Mr.  Spencer  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  stands  high  among  the  lead- 
ers of  his  party.  For  the  past  seventeen  years  he  has  taken  a  very  active 
part  in  Democratic  politics  and  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  county  cen- 
tral committee.  During  the  campaign  and  election  of  1908  he  was  the  can- 
didate of  his  party  for  Congress  and  made  a  good  race  for  the  position.  He 
served  eight  years  as  mayor  of  the  city  of  Audubon  and  it  can  be  said  of 
him  that  he  made  a  faithful  and  conscientious  public  official  and  in  every 
way  possible  enhanced  the  reputation  of  the  city.  He  was  a  strong  advo- 
cate for  public  improvements  during  his  term  as  mayor,  and  when  he  left 
the  office  the  city  was  in  excellent  shape  in  every  way.  He  received  the 
appointment  of  postmaster  of  Audubon  and  took  up  the  duties  of  that  office 
on  August  16,  1913.  He  is  faithfully  performing  the  duties  of  this  office 
and  is  serving  the  public  in  a  thorough  and  painstaking  manner,  which  is 
a  characteristic  of  his  nature — to  do  everything  he  undertakes  to  the  best 
of  his  ability,  and  to  give  the  best  service  he  possibly  can  give.  Mr.  Spencer 
is  naturally  gifted  with  those  attributes  of  character  which  go  far  toward 
raising  him  in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  and  enhancing  his  great  per- 
sonal popularity.  He  is  genial,  kind  and  obliging,  ever  ready  to  do  a  friend 
or  acquaintance  a  favor,  and  is  held  in  high  regard  throughout  the  county. 


JAMES  HUNT. 


In  the  following  paragraphs  specific  mention  is  made  of  one  of  the 
worthy  citizens  of  this  county,  who  has  figured  in  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  agricultural  and  financial  interests  of  this  favored  locality,  and 
whose  interests  have  been  identified  with  its  progress,  he  for  years  having 
contributed,  in  his  particular  sphere  of  action,  to  the  well-being  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  resides  and  to  the  advancement  of  its  normal  and  legiti- 
mate growth.  Earnest  purpose  and  tireless  energy,  combined  with  mature 
judgment  and  every-day  common  sense,  have  been  among  his  most  prominent 
characteristics  and  he  has  merited  the  respect  and  esteem  which  are  accorded 
him  by  all  who  know  him. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  355 

James  Hunt  was  born  in  New  York  state  on  December  ii,  1850,  the  son 
of  Jonathan  and  Mary  (Fletcher)  Hunt,  both  natives  of  Lincolnshire,  Eng- 
land, who  came  to  the  United  States  shortly  after  their  marriage  and  located 
in  New  York,  where  they  remained  one  year.  They  then  came  west,  locating 
in  Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  where  they  lived  for  six  years,  after  which  they 
removed  to  Lafayette  county,  Wisconsin,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives,  both  dying  of  typhoid  fever  just  one  month  apart,  Jonathan 
Hunt's  death  occurring  on  August  26,  1862,  his  wife  dying  September  26, 
of  the  same  year,  their  son,  James,  being  then  but  twelve  years  of  age.  Jona- 
than Hunt  was  a  farmer  all  his  life  and  he  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  James,  Mary,  Robert,  John,  William,  Albert  and  George,  all 
of  whom  are  living  save  the  latter. 

James  Hunt  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  Lafayette 
county,  Wisconsin,  and  after  the  death  of  his  parents  continued  attending 
school  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  working  in  the  summer  seasons 
and  doing  chores  during  the  winters  for  his  board  and  room.  Until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand,  receiving  from  twelve  to 
twenty  dollars  a  month  for  his  labor.  In  1871  Mr.  Hunt  came  to  Audubon 
county  and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Melville  township.  When  he 
first  came  to  Iowa  he  had  about  eight  hundred  dollars,  which  he  had  man- 
aged to  save  from  his  labors  while  in  Wisconsin.  With  this  money  he  bought 
his  first  land  in  Audubon  county,  and  has  gradually  added  to  his  land  hold- 
ings until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  fine  land 
in  this  county,  a  part  of  which  is  in  the  corporation  of  Audubon.  Besides 
this  he  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  South  Dakota. 

On  September  9,  1829,  James  Hunt  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Leach, 
the  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  Leach,  at  that  time  residents  of  South 
Dakota.  In  later  years  James  Leach  and  his  wife  came  to  Audubon  county, 
where  they  remained  one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  returned  to 
South  Dakota,  where  James  Leach  died,  his  widow,  still  surviving  him,  mak- 
ing her  home  with  her  children.  To  James  and  Elizabeth  (Leach)  Hunt  three 
children  have  been  born,  Nora  and  May,  living  at  home,  and  one  who  died  in 
infancy. 

Besides  general  farming,  Mr.  Hunt  has  made  a  specialty  of  the  breeding 
and  raising  of  high-grade  live  stock,  especially  Shorthorn  cattle  and  Poland- 
China  hogs,  and  has  been  very  successful  in  this  line  of  endeavor.  He  has 
bred,  fed  and  shipped  two  carloads  of  cattle  and  hogs  each  year,  and  still 
owns  a  fine  herd  of  fifty-two  head  of  Shorthorn  cattle,  and  sells  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirty  calves  yearly,  which  add  no  inconsiderable  amount  to  his  yearly 


356  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

income  from  his  farm.  Mr.  Hunt  is  still  actively  engaged  in  his  agricultural 
work,  at  this  time  operating  one  hundred  acres  of  land  and  personally  looks 
after  his  live  stock.  Mr.  Hunt  decided  to  retire  from  active  farm  work  at 
one  time,  but  his  health  became  impaired  through  lack  of  exercise,  having 
always  been  a  man  of  untiring  energy  and  ceaseless  activity,  and  upon  his 
physician's  advice  he  resumed  his  former  active  labors  in  the  management 
of  his  farm,  since  which  time  his  health  has  been  perfect,  and  he  is  strong  and 
sturdy  today. 

Mr.  Hunt  is  a  Republican  and  has  always  taken  a  keen  interest  in  local 
public  affairs.  He  has  served  his  township  as  trustee  and  also  as  road 
supervisor,  in  both  of  which  offices  he  discharged  his  duties  to  the  entire  sat- 
isfaction of  the  citizens  of  his  township.  He  and  his  family  are  earnest  and 
devoted  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  whose  welfare  they  are 
deeply  interested  and  to  the  support  of  which  they  are  liberal  contributors. 


FRED  A.  BUTHWEG. 


The  career  of  Fred  A.  Buthweg,  a  well-known  clothing  merchant  of 
Audubon,  this  county,  contains  no  exciting  chapter  of  tragic  events,  but  is 
replete  with  well-defined  purposes  which,  carried  to  successful  issue,  have 
won  for  him  an  influential  place  in  the  business  circles  of  Audubon,  and  high 
personal  standing  among  his  fellow  citizens  of  Audubon  county.  His  life  has 
been  one  of  unceasing  industry  and  perseverance.  The  systematic  and  hon- 
orable methods  which  he  has  ever  followed  have  resulted  not  only  in  win- 
ning the  confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  has  had  business  dealings,  but 
also  in  building  up  a  large  and  profitable  business. 

Fred  A.  Buthweg  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  East  Prussia  on 
September  9,  1865,  a  son  of  Gottfried  and  Elizabeth  (Wohlgemuth)  Buth- 
weg, who  arrived  in  America  on  October  10,  1880,  later  settling  on  a  farm 
in  this  county,  where  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  but  two  children,  both  sons,  of  whom  Fred  A.  is  the  elder,  the  other 
son,  John,  being  now  a  prosperous  and  well-to-do  farmer  of  Leroy  township, 
this  county. 

Fred  A.  Buthweg  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  land 
and  after  coming  to  this  country  took  a  course  in  the  high  school  at  Audubon, 
brushing  up  his  English.  Subsequently  he  took  a  business  course  in  the 
Omaha  Commercial  College  at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  on  February  25,  1884, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  357 

began  his  business  life  as  a  clerk,  at  which  work  he  continued  for  three 
years.  He  then  went  to  Omaha,  Nebraska,  where  he  lived  for  one  and  one- 
half  years,  during  which  period  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery 
store,  attending  school  at  the  same  time.  In  1890  he  returned  to  Audubon 
and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  for  himself,  continuing  in  that  line  until 
1904,  in  which  year  he  disposed  of  his  business  to  Hans  Albertson,  and 
engaged  in  the  clothing  business,  which  line  of  business  he  still  continues, 
making  a  specialty  of  men's  furnishings.  He  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucra- 
tive business  in  the  city  of  Audubon  and  the  surrounding  country,  and  his 
store  is  one  of  the  most  popular  in  the  county-seat  town. 

On  June  27,  1895,  Fred  A.  Buthweg  was  married  to  Mary  Musson, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Boone)  Musson,  early  settlers  in  Audubon 
county,  they  having  come  to  the  county  in  1876.  and  to  this  union  two  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  Harold  and  Florence,  both  of  whom  are  living  at  home 
with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Buth\yeg  has  never  held  any  public  ofifice  and  has  never  been  espe- 
cially interested  in  politics.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 


AUGUST  ZIERKE. 


No  land  has  given  to  this  country  better  citizens  or  more  successful 
farmers  than  Germany,  and  many  of  these  have  come  to  Audubon  county. 
Among  the  sterling  citizens  of  German  birth  in  this  county  is  August  Zierke, 
a  well-known  farmer  of  Cameron  township,  and  the  owner  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  that  township.  Mr.  Zierke  was  born  on  Febru- 
ary 7,  1850,  in  Germany,  the  son  of  Gottfried  and  Anna  (Karl)  Zierke,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  that  country.  Gottfried  Zierke  was  a  farm  hand  in 
his  native  land  and  was  so  engaged  all  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  had  eight 
children,  only  three  of  whom  are  living,  and  August  is  the  only  member  of 
the  family  living  in  this  county. 

August  Zierke  received  his  education  in  Germany,  and  after  leaving 
school  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  until  he  was  twenty-six  years  old,  when 
he  decided  to  come  to  America.  Upon  arriving  in  this  country  he  located 
near  De  Witt,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  for  one  year  for  the  Rock  Island 
Railroad  Company.  He  then  removed  to  Poweshiek  county,  where  he 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  four  years,  and  then,  in  1881,  came  to  Audubon 


3^8  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

county.  At  that  time  the  settlement  of  certain  sections  of  this  county  had 
scarcely  begun,  and  Mr.  Zierke  found  himself  among  pioneers.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  worked  in  Cameron  township,  and  then  located  on  eighty  acres 
of  land,  which  he  had  purchased  for  nine  dollars  an  acre  before  he  came  to 
Audubon  county.  He  broke  the  sod,  reduced  the  soil  to  a  fine  state  of  cul- 
tivation, and  has  made  many  improvements  upon  the  farm,  the  same  costing 
in  the  neighborhood  of  six  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Zierke  raises  annually 
about  forty  acres  of  corn,  and  small  grain  amounting  to  at  least  fifteen  or 
twenty  acres.  The  corn  usually  yields  not  less  than  forty  bushels  to  the 
acre.     All  of  the  grain  raised  on  the  farm  is  fed  to  hogs  and  cattle. 

In  1887,  August  Zierke  was  married  to  Bertha  Neitzel,  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Matilda  Neitzel,  to  which  happy  union  eight  children  have  been 
born,  Albert,  Clara,  Henry,  George,  Elmer,  Carl,  Ora  and  Ella.  Only  one 
of  these  children  is  married,  Clara,  who  married  Roy  "Somers,  and  has  one 
child,  Harold.  The  remainder  of  the  children  live  at  home  with  their  par- 
ents. Mr.  and  Mrs.  August  Zierke  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church,  in  which  faith  their  children  have  been  reared,  and  Mr.  Zierke  is  a 
Republican. 

August  Zierke  is  not  only  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  Cameron 
township  and  one  of  its  good  citizens,  but  he  is  also  popular  in  Cameron 
township.  Though  he  has  never  held  office,  he  is  a  man  who  is  well  informed 
on  public  questions,  and  is  considered  a  wide  reader.  His  primary  inter- 
ests, however,  are  his  family  and  his  farm,  and  to  these  he  devotes  most  of 
his  attention. 


H.  N.  CHRISTENSEN. 


One  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  of  Cameron  township,  this  county, 
if  not  the  largest  landowner  in  that  section  of  the  county,  is  H.  N.  Chris- 
tensen,  who,  coming  to  America  with  little  or  no  means  at  his  disposal,  set 
to  work  diligently  as  a  farmer,  and  during  a  period  of  less  than  thirty  years, 
which  he  has  spent  in  this  country,  has  become  one  of  the  most  skillful  farm- 
ers in  Audubon  county.  Trained  for  the  vocation  of  farming  in  his  native 
land,  he  was  well  equipped  to  take  up  this  occupation  scientifically  upon  com- 
ing to  America,  and  this  accounts  to  some  extent  for  his  large  success  in 
farming. 

H.  N.  Christensen  was  born  on  October  13.  1865.  in  Denmark,  the 
thriving  little  kingdom  which  has  given  to  this  countr}',  and  especially  to 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  359 

Audubon  county,  so  many  of  her  enterprising  and  successful  citizens.  Mr. 
Christensen's  parents,  Peter  and  Kate  Christensen,  were  farmers  in  Den- 
mark and  are  still  living  in  that  country.  The  father  served  in  the  Dan- 
ish-Prussian war  of  1848  and  has  a  splendid  military  record  as  a  conse- 
quence of  that  service.  He  and  his  wife  have  five  children,  four  of  whom 
are  living  in  this  country. 

H.  N.  Christensen  received  practically  all  of  his  education  in  Denmark 
and  upon  leaving  school  took  up  farming  with  his  father  and  was  engaged 
in  this  vocation  until  1887,  when  he  came  to  America.  His  education,  how- 
ever, has  been  supplemented  by  home  study  and  wide  reading,  and  he  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  well-informed  men  of  Cameron  township  today. 
Upon  coming  to  America  Mr.  Christensen  located  in  Cameron  township,  this 
county,  and  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  1899.  Being  frugal  and  economi- 
cal in  his  habits  of  living,  he  naturally  saved  some  money  during  this  period 
of  twelve  years  when  he  was  working  on  various  farms  in  Cameron  town- 
ship, and  presently  was  able  to  make  a  start  as  a  farmer  on  his  own  account. 
From  the  very  beginning  of  his  farming  operations  Mr.  Christensen  has 
prospered,  and  now  owns  sixteen  hundred  acres  of  land.  He  raises  four 
hundred  acres  of  corn  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  small  grain  each 
year,  besides  annually  feeding  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle  and  at  least  two  hundred  head  of  hogs.  More  than 
thirty  thousand  dollars  has  been  invested  in  improvements  on  the  Cameron 
township  farm  of  Mr.  Christensen.  Of  the  total  acreage,  at  least  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  is  in  hay,  and  Mr.  Christensen  also  keeps  a  consider- 
able acreage  in  pasture,  which  he  finds  necessary  on  account  of  the  great 
number  of  cattle  he  raises. 

In  1897  H.  N.  Christensen  was  married  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Cameron, 
nee  Grife,  daughter  of  John  Grife,  a  well-known  and  successful  farmer  of 
this  section  of  Iowa.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christensen  have  no  children. 

Mr.  Christensen  is  a  Republican  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  political 
matters,  but  he  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  ofifice,  his  large  farming  inter- 
ests having  kept  him  so  busily  engaged  that  he  has  had  little  time  for  politics. 
He  is  deeply  interested  in  civic  movements  and  worthy  public  enterprises, 
however,  and  his  support  may  always  be  depended  upon  when  private  assist- 
ance is  needed. 

Mr.  Christensen  is  a  man  of  charitable  and  humane  impulses,  friendly 
and  cordial  in  all  of  the  relations  of  life.  He  is  not  only  well  known  in 
Cameron  township,  but  well  liked  by  all  the  people  of  this  section  of  the 
county.    Mr.  Christensen  deserves  great  credit  for  the  zeal,  energ}'  and  deter- 


360  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

mination  with  which  he  attacks  the  problems  of  farming  and  for  the  hon- 
orable, upright  character  of  all  his  dealings  with  the  public.  He  is  a  worthy- 
citizen  of  this  great  county  and  state. 


SIMEON  C.  CURTIS. 


It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  public  opinion  expressed  through  the 
medium  of  the  all-powerful  press,  rules  this  country.  It  was  the  insistent 
cry  of  the  public  that  forced  through  the  last  two  amendments  to  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States.  Public  opinion,  however,  would  be  useless 
unless  it  had  the  opportunity  to  find  expression,  and  there  is  no  way  in 
which  public  opinion  can  expend  its  full  power  and  wield  its  tremendous 
influence  except  through  the  newspapers.  For  this  reason  it  is  not  too  much 
to  say  that  the  newspapers  of  the  country  are  the  real  rulers ;  that  they  have 
more  power  in  shaping  the  destinies  of  the  nation  than  Congress  itself.  It 
was  a  very  wise  provision  which  was  inserted  in  the  Constitution  by  the 
fathers  of  this  great  republic  that  freedom  of  the  press  should  be  assured 
for  all  time  to  come.  There  are  few  towns  in  Iowa  today  that  do  not  have 
a  publication  of  some  kind,  and  the  newspaper  directory  gives  several  hun- 
dred publications  of  one  kind  or  another  in  the  state.  Among  the  induen- 
tial  Democratic  newspapers  of  the  western  part  of  the  state  is  the  Audubon 
Advocate,  which  stands  as  an  excellent  and  influential  medium  for  the 
expression  of  the  voice  of  the  people  of  this  county. 

Simeon  C.  Curtis,  manager  of  the  Audubon  Advocate,  was  born  in 
Galesburg,  Illinois,  on  June  30,  1869,  the  son  of  S.  R.  and  Bersheba  (Hef- 
hn)  Curtis,  natives  of  Illinois,  who  removed  from  Illinois  to  Iowa  in  1871 
and  located  in  the  town  of  Avoca,  Pottawattamie  county.  They  purchased 
a  farm  near  Avoca  and  resided  thereon  until  1899,  in  which  year  the  fam- 
ily took  up  its  residence  in  Audubon,  S.  R.  Curtis  having  lost  an  arm 
through  an  accident,  it  l>eing  necessary  for  him  to  retire  from  active  labor. 
S.  R.  Curtis  died  in  Audubon  in  1909.  He  was  the  father  of  nine  children, 
four  of  whom  are  still  living,  Ned,  of  Audubon,  Robert,  Grace  and  Simeon 
C.     The  mother  of  these  children  lives  in  Audubon. 

Simeon  C.  Curtis  attended  the  district  school  and  the  Avoca  high  school. 
For  some  time  after  the  ending  of  his  school  days  he  traveled  in  the  West, 
and  on  his  return  home  engaged  in  the  printing  business  with  A.  P.  Cramer, 
of  Avoca,  in  the  office  of  the  Avoca  Herald.     He  worked  in  that  office  for 


8IME0X  C.  CURTIS 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  361 

three  years,  and  in  1888  came  to  this  county,  locating  at  Audubon,  where 
he  entered  the  employ  of  Frank  D.  Allen,  publisher  of  the  Advocate.  In 
the  fall  of  1900,  R.  C.  Spencer  and  Mr.  Curtis  purchased  the  Advocate  and 
became  the  sole  owners,  with  Mr.  Spencer  holding  a  two-thirds  interest  in 
the  business. 

On  November  27,  1895,  Simeon  C.  Curtis  was  married  to  Ada  May 
Dennis,  a  daughter  of  Charles  A.  Dennis,  to  which  union  three  children  have 
been  born :  Mildred,  deceased;  Garland  H.,  aged  fourteen  years,  and  Thelma, 
who  is  twelve  years  of  age. 

S.  C.  Curtis  is  politically  allied  with  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and  of  the  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  being  a  member  of  the  Audubon  blue  lodge  and  the 
chapter  of  the  latter  order.  He  is  painstaking  and  thorough  in  all  he  under- 
takes and  is  generally  found  in  the  forefront  of  all  matters  which  are 
intended  to  advance  the  best  interests  of  his  home  community. 


FRED  H.   COTTON. 


The  biographies  of  representative  men  of  a  county  bring  to  light  many 
hidden  treasures  of  mind,  character  and  courage,  well  calculated  to  arouse 
the  pride  of  their  families  and  the  community.  It  is  a  source  of  regret 
that  the  people  are  not  more  familiar  with  the  personal  history  of  such  men, 
in  the  ranks  of  whom  may  be  found  farmers,  mechanics,  teachers,  lawyers, 
physicians,  bankers,  and  men  identified  with  other  vocations  and  profes- 
sions. Fred  H.  Cotton  is  distinctively  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Exira 
township,  and  as  such  has  made  his  influence  felt  among  his  fellow  men, 
having  earned  a  name  for  enterprise,  integrity  and  honor  as  the  proprietor 
of  a  grocery  store  at  Exira,  which  has  a  large  and  liberal  patronage  from 
the  people  of  Exira  and  vicinity. 

Fred  H.  Cotton  was  born  in  Mitchell  county,  Iowa,  on  September  7, 
1874,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Christina  (Huyck)  Cotton,  natives  of  New  York 
state.  After  his  marriage,  Henry  Cotton  located  in  Madison  county,  Wis- 
consin, where  he  took  up  a  land  warrant  which  his  father  had  given  to  him. 
He  broke  the  sod  on  this  land  and  was  very  successful  during  the  short  time 
he  remained  there.  He  subsequently  returned  to  the  state  of  New  York, 
but  after  remaining  there  a  short  time  returned  to  Wisconsin,  remaining 
there  a  few  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  came  to  Iowa,  locating  in 


362  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Mitchell  county,  where  he  conducted  a  grist  mill  for  many  years,  later  mov- 
ing to  Vinton,  Iowa,  where  he  took  up  the  agency  for  the  sale  of  the  Fair- 
banks scales.  Henry  Cotton  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
namely:  Charles  E.,  who  lives  at  Cheyenne,  Wyoming;  Edwin  D.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Exira;  Dell,  who  married  William  Ouinn;  Anna  F.,  who  lives  at 
Atlantic,  Iowa;  Fred  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Earl,  deceased,  and 
George  M.,  a  resident  of  Auburn,  Nebraska. 

Fred  H.  Cotton  attended  the  public  schools  at  Vinton,  Iowa,  and  after 
leaving  school  took  up  farming,  later  clerking  in  a  general  store  for  a  time. 
When  the  Spanish-American  War  broke  out  he  enlisted  for  service,  in  April, 
1898,  in  Company  G,  Forty-ninth  Regiment  Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
was  mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war.  Shortly  afterward  he  came  to 
this  county,  locating  at  Exira,  where  he  clerked  for  his  brother,  Edwin,  until 
1908,  in  which  year  he  started  in  business  for  himself.  He  has  increased 
his  stock  and  business  each  year,  and  altogether  has  been  very  successful. 

In  May,  1907.  Fred  H.  Cotton  was  married  to  Catherine  Crane,  the 
daughter  of  John  Crane,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  Chris- 
tina. Mrs.  Cotton  was  born  in  Exira,  this  county.  Her  parents  were 
natives  of  Ohio  and  Tennessee,  respectively,  who  moved  to  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  during  pioneer  times.  Her  father  followed  farming  pursuits  all  his 
life  and  died  in  1907.  John  Crane  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, Harry,  Catherine,  Dell  and  two  who  died  in  early  childhood. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cotton  are  members  of  the  Congregational  church,  and 
Mr.  Cotton  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  He  is  an  ardent  Democrat,  but  has  never  held  ofiice,  the  cares 
of  his  business  having  been  too  great  to  permit  his  active  participation  in 
political  affairs. 


MARTIN  SMITH. 


One  of  the  well-known  and  highly  respected  farmers  of  this  county,  now 
living  retired,  is  Martin  Smith,  who  was  born  in  County  Galway,  Ireland, 
on  May  i,  1838,  the  son  of  Patrick  and  Anna  (Lutney)  Smith,  the  former 
of  whom  was  a  road  contractor  and  followed  this  business  all  his  life,  dying 
in  Ireland  in  1844.  His  wife,  who  was  the  mother  of  five  children,  of  whom 
Martin  Smith  is  the  only  one  now  living,  also  died  in  1844. 

Martin  Smith  came  to  America  with  his  sister  when  he  was  eleven  years 
old  and  located  in  New  York  City,  where  he  attended  school,  selling  news- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  363 

papers  to  assist  in  paying  his  way.  After  leaving  school  he  took  up  the  car- 
penter trade  and  followed  that  until  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  On  August 
17,  1861,  Mr.  Smith  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Ninth  Regiment,  New  York 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and,  serving  in  three  different  regiments,  was  in  the 
service  of  the  Union  army  continuously  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
engaged  in  the  battles  of  South  Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg,  and 
a  number  of  skirmishes,  and  when  mustered  out  of  the  service  was  attached 
to  the  army  of  General  Burnsides.  Mr.  Smith  has  an  honorable  military 
record  and  performed  brilliant  services  in  behalf  of  his  adopted  country 
during  the  period  of  civil  strife.  He  was  one  of  the  guard  during  the  execu- 
tion at  Washington  of  the  conspirators  connected  with  the  assassination  of 
President  Lincoln. 

Returning  to  New  York  City  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Smith 
resumed  work  at  his  trade  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1867,  i"  which  year 
he  moved  to  Aledo,  Illinois,  where  he  rented  a  farm,  remaining  there  until 
1880,  when  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  locating  in  Lincoln  township,  where 
he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  virgin  land  at  six  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents 
an  acre.  After  breaking  the  sod,  Mr.  Smith  moved  to  Melville  township, 
where  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  at  fourteen  dollars  an  acre.  He  later 
increased  his  holding  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  was  actively 
engaged  in  farming  until  1899,  when  he  retired  and  moved  to  Audubon, 
having  acquired  a  substantial  competence  for  his  declining  years. 

In  i860,  Martin  Smith  was  married  to  Julia  McCarty,  to  which  union 
two  children  were  born,  both  of  whom  died  early  in  life.  After  the  death 
of  Mrs.  Julia  (McCarty)  Smith,  Mr.  Smith  married  Anna  Welsch,  who 
died  a  few  years  later,  whereupon  Mr.  Smith  married  Mary  Lowmer,  daugh- 
ter of  John  F.  and  Mary  Lowmer,  natives  of  Bavaria,  Germany.  No  chil- 
dren were  born  either  to  the  second  or  third  marriage. 

Martin  Smith  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic and  has  served  as  commander  and  delegate  to  state  conventions  several 
times.  He  has  been  officer  of  the  guard  in  the  local  post  for  twenty  years. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  Mr.  Smith  is 
identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

Few  men  deserve  more  credit  for  their  part  in  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  this  country  than  Martin  Smith,  who,  during  the  Civil  War,  gave 
four  of  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  the  service  of  his  country,  and  who, 
since  the  end  of  that  great  war,  by  his  labors  has  assisted  in  the  develop- 
ment of  this  great  agricultural  region.  Martin  Smith  is  a  good  citizen,  a 
credit  to  the  community  in  which  he  has  lived  for  so  many  years. 


364  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

WILLIAM  SHAW. 

The  following  is  a  brief  sketch  of  a  man  who,  by  close  attention  to 
business,  has  achieved  marked  success  in  the  world's  affairs,  and  has  risen 
to  an  honorable  position  among  the  enterprising  farmers  of  Audubon 
county.  His  record  is  a  plain  one,  rendered  remarkable  by  no  strange  or 
mysterious  adventures,  no  wonderful  and  lucky  accidents  and  no  tragic  sit- 
uations, he  being  simply  an  estimable  citizen,  whose  integrity  and  strong 
personality  have  forced  him  into  an  admirable  notoriety,  which  his  modesty 
never  would  have  sought,  and  he  commands  the  respect  of  his  contempo- 
raries, he  having  created  a  deep  impression  upon  the  life  of  the  community 
in  which  he  has  lived  for  so  many  years. 

William  Shaw  is  one  of  the  largest  landowners  in  Audubon  county,  if 
not  the  largest.  He  owns  over  seventeen  hundred  acres  of  land,  ten  hundred 
and  seventy-three  acres  of  which  are  in  Cameron  township,  two  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  acres  of  which  are  in  Lincoln  township,  and  a  hundred  and  six- 
ty-six and  five-tenths  acres  of  which  are  in  Leroy  township.  Mr.  Shaw  at 
present  is  farming  four  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres,  which  comprises  the 
home  farm.  He  has  a  fine  house  of  eighteen  rooms,  thoroughly  modern, 
situated  on  a  hill,  surrounded  by  trees  and  shrubbery  and  flowers.  All  of 
the  out-buildings  are  neat  and  well  kept,  the  whole  place  bespeaking  the  pros- 
perity and  good  taste  of  its  owner. 

Mr.  Shaw  feeds  annually  sixty  head  of  cattle  and  at  least  one  car-load 
of  hogs  every  year.  He  raises  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  corn,  which 
yields  him  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre.  Mr.  Shaw  has  six  sets  of  buildings  on 
his  estate,  and  altogether  carries  on  the  most  extensive  operations  of  any 
farmer  in  Audubon  county. 

William  Shaw  was  born  in  Scotland  on  March  i,  1850,  the  son  of 
James  and  Elizabeth  (Rennie)  Shaw,  farming  people  in  that  country,  both 
of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Robert,  a  brother  of  William  Shaw,  lives  in 
Ohio.  A  sister,  Mrs.  Alice  Schooler,  lives  in  Canada.  William  Shaw  was 
married  in  Scotland  on  June  26,  1878,  to  Margaret  Taylor,  who  was  born 
on  September  17,  1853,  in  Ayrshire,  made  famous  by  Robert  Burns,  Scot- 
land's national  poet.  She  is  a  daughter  of  James  and  Agnes  (Foote)  Tay- 
lor, also  farming  people,  and  she  had  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Agnes  Wallace  and 
Mrs.  Isabelle  Dikes,  who  also  came  to  America,  but  both  of  whom  are  now 
deceased.  In  1880  William  Shaw  and  wife  came  to  America,  coming  west 
with  little  delay.     While  Mrs.  Shaw  stopped  for  a  time  at  her  sister's  home 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  365 

in  Illinois,  Mr.  Shaw  came  on  to  Davenport,  Iowa,  finally  coming  to  Audu- 
bon county,  where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  of  raw 
prairie  land  in  section  19  of  Cameron  township,  at  fifteen  dollars  an  acre, 
and  from  that  time  he  prospered.  In  1890  he  purchased  more  land  and  has 
continued  buying  land  ever  since,  having  been  remarkably  successful  in  his 
farming  operations.  His  land  has  cost  him  fifteen,  twenty,  one  hundred 
and  forty  and  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars  an  acre,  the  latter  price 
having  been  paid  when  he  purchased  land  in  19 15. 

To  William  and  Margaret  (Taylor)  Shaw  eleven  children  have  been 
born,  all  of  whom  are  living  save  one,  as  follow:  Agnes  Fulton,  born  on 
June  21,  1879,  married  Ora  Mischler,  of  Cameron  township;  James  Taylor, 
February  22,  1881,  married  Nettie  Wenig,  of  Cameron  township;  Elizabeth 
Rennie,  February  22,  1881;  WiUiam  Wallace,  May  5,  1883,  died  on  April 
17,  1889;  John  Slimen,  November  20,  1884,  residing  in  Gray,  married  Mabel 
Welsh;  Margaret,  November  5,  1887,  wife  of  Charles  King,  of  Cameron 
township;  Isabelle,  May  5,  1889,  wife  of  William  Summerville,  of  Carroll 
county;  Jessie,  July  10,  1891 ;  Archena,  May  24,  1894;  Pearl,  February  25, 
1897,  ^nd  Effie,  August  20,    1899. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  William  Shaw  purchased  the  first  groceries 
and  merchandise  ever  sold  in  the  town  of  Gray.  He  also  purchased  the  first 
pair  of  trousers  sold  in  that  town.  Mr.  Shaw  is  a  Republican,  and  served 
as  trustee  of  Cameron  township  for  six  years,  giving  a  most  efficient  and 
satisfactory  administration.  He  also  has  been  school  director  for  twelve 
years,  his  service  in  this  connection  having  done  much  for  the  betterment  of 
the  schools.  Though  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shaw  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  they  all  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


WILLIAM  NORTHUP. 


Among  the  worthy  citizens  of  Audubon,  whose  residence  in  this  county 
has  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the  prestige  of  the  vicinity,  is  William 
Northup,  ex-sheriff  and  well-known  live-stock  dealer,  familiarly  known  as 
"Dick"  Northup.  While  laboring  for  his  individual  advancement,  Mr. 
Northup  has  at  the  same  time  contributed  liberally  of  his  time,  energy  and 
ability  to  worthy  public  movements,  and  has  been  honored  by  the  people  of 
Audubon  county  with  election  to  one  of  the  most  important  offices  in  the 
gift  of  the  people  of  this  county.     Aside   from  his  political  service,   Mr. 


366  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Northup  has  been  successful  in  a  business  way,  and  is  known  as  one  of  the 
substantial  citizens  of  Audubon  county.  He  is  enterprising,  progressive  and 
broad-minded,  possessed  of  pleasing  and  agreeable  manners,  and  is,  from 
many  standpoints,  a  man  who  must  be  pointed  out  as  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  this  section  of  the  state. 

William  Northup  was  born  on  August  18,  1859,  in  Iowa  county,  Iowa, 
the  son  of  Nathan  and  Harriet  Northup,  who  are  referred  to  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.  When  eight  years  old,  William  Northup  moved  with  the  fam- 
ily to  Nebraska,  where  he  lived  for  eight  years.  The  family  then  returned 
to  Iowa  county,  where  they  lived  until  1880,  in  which  year  they  came  to 
Audubon  county,  and  here  William  Northup  began  life  for  himself.  He 
assisted  his  father  on  the  farm,  breaking  the  raw  prairie  land,  and  also 
worked  for  the  neighbors  during  the  first  season  after  coming  to  this  county, 
and  in  1881  rented  land  in  Leroy  township,  after  which  he  returned  to  Iowa 
county,  where  he  worked  in  a  brick  plant  for  one  year,  but  after  his  mar- 
riage, in  the  fall  of  1882,  came  back  to  Audubon  county  and  rented  a  farm 
for  three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  im- 
proved land  in  Cameron  township,  upon  which  he  lived  for  two  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  sold  the  farm  and  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Douglas  township,  on  which  he  lived  for  thirteen  years.  In  1901 
]\Ir.  Northup  sold  this  latter  farm  and  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  in  Cameron  township,  where  he  lived  for  two  years,  or  until  his  elec- 
tion as  sheriff  in  1903.  He  took  his  office  in  1904  and  served  two  terms 
and  an  extra  year,  making  in  all  five  years.  Since  his  retirement  from  office 
in  1909  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  grain  and  live-stock  business  and  has 
been  very  successful. 

On  July  15,  1882,  William  Northup  was  married  to  Myra  Smith,  of 
Juhiisun  county,  Iowa,  who  was  born  on  October  14,  1861,  the  daughter  of 
Edwin  and  Sabina  (Bird)  Smith,  natives  of  Indiana  and  of  England, 
respectively.  To  this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Her- 
bert, who  married  Florence  Buckner  and  is  a  farmer  in  Cameron  township; 
Harold,  a  farmer  of  Cameron  township,  who  married  Kathleen  Dimmick, 
and  Ruth,  who  is  at  home.  To  Herbert  and  Florence  (Buckner)  Northup 
three  children  have  been  born,  Winifred,  Frank  and  Richard. 

William  Northup  is  a  Democrat  and  has  been  one  of  the  leaders  of  his 
party  in  Audubon  county  for  many  years.  Besides  his  service  of  five  years 
as  sheriff,  he  has  served  as  trustee  of  Douglas  township  and  on  the  city 
council  of  Audubon.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  ^Masons,  in  the  affairs  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  2i^'J 

both  of  which  orders  he  takes  a  warm  interest.  There  are  few,  if  any,  men 
in  the  county  who  enjoy  a  wider  personal  popularity  than  former  Sheriff 
Xorthup,  who  is  held  in  the  highest  regard  by  his  many  friends. 


HENRY  SUXBERG. 


In  the  United  States  there  are  more  persons  engaged  in  farming  than 
in  any  other  business  or  vocation.  The  United  States  census  reports  for 
1910  show  that  there  are  about  one  hundred  and  fifteen  thousand  lawyers, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  physicians  and  surgeons,  one  hundred  and 
eighteen  thousand  clergymen,  something  over  sixty  thousand  engineers  and 
some  six  hundred  thousand  school  teachers,  but  there  are  twelve  million  men 
living  in  the  United  States  engaged  in  farming.  It  therefore  appears  that 
farming  is  one  of  the  most  important  vocations  known  to  mankind.  Farm- 
ers, industrial  workers  and  commercial  and  transportation  workers  consti- 
tute ninety-five  per  cent,  of  the  population,  and  control  an  even  greater  per- 
centage of  the  wealth  of  the  country.  One  of  the  enterprising  and  successful 
farmers  of  this  county,  now  living  retired,  who  has  succeeded  in  his  chosen 
vocation  as  a  consequence  of  his  own  courage,  persistency  and  good  manage- 
ment, is  Henry  Sunberg.  Air.  Sunberg  believes  in  lending  what  aid  he  can 
to  his  neighbors  and  the  general  public,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  Audubon 
county's  best  citizens. 

Henry  Sunberg  was  born  in  Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  Germany,  on  May 
12,  1844,  the  son  of  Christ  and  Paulina  Sunberg.  With  his  wife  and  first- 
born son,  in  1871,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  on  the  voyage  to  America,  locat- 
ing, shortly  after  his  arrival,  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa.  Mr.  Sunberg  came 
to  this  country  on  borrowed  money,  and  for  five  years  after  arriving  here 
worked  for  one  dollar  a  day  as  a  farm  laborer.  He  then  rented  land  for  ten 
years  in  Johnson  county,  and  in  1886  came  to  Audubon  county  and  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  splendid  partly-improved  land  in  Melville  township, 
for  which  he  paid  twenty-five  dollars  an  acre.  Mr.  Sunberg  paid  half  of  the 
purchase  price  of  the  farm  in  cash  and  gave  his  note  and  mortgages  for 
the  balance.  His  affairs  prospered,  and  five  years  later  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  additional,  wholly  unimproved,  for  which  he  paid 
twenty  dollars  an  acre,  later  buying  forty  acres  in  Leroy  township,  at  eighty- 
seven  and  one-half  dollars  an  acre,  making  in  all  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres.     He  resided  in  ]Melville  township  until  1906,  and  then  moved  to  his 


368  '  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

forty-acre  farm  in  Leroy  township,  where  he  lived  until  March,  19 14,  at 
which  time  he  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to  i\udubon,  where  he  has 
since  resided. 

On  May  14,  1868,  Henry  Sunberg  was  married  to  Hannah  Ahrand, 
who  was  born  in  Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  Germany,  on  September  16,  1839, 
the  daughter  of  Christ  Ahrand,  and  to  this  happy  union  seven  children  have 
been  born:  Fred,  a  farmer;  Charles,  sheriff  of  Audubon  county;  Frank,  a 
farmer ;  Mrs.  Minnie  Owen ;  John  a  farmer ;  Henry,  also  a  farmer,  and  Mrs. 
Anna  Lefler,  the  wife  of  a  farmer  of  this  county.  Henry  Sunberg  has  thir- 
teen grandchildren,  Fred  Sunberg  having  four  children,  May,  Carl,  Milton 
and  an  infant;  Mrs.  Minnie  Owen,  three  children.  Henry,  Grace  and  Helen; 
John,  two  children;  Henry,  two  children,  Edward  and  Gertrude;  Mrs.  Anna 
Lefler,  two  children,  Gladys  and  Dessie. 

Henry  Sunberg  is  a  Democrat,  and  at  one  time  served  as  trustee  of  his 
township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sunberg  and  family  are  all  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran church,  and  are  active  in  the  affairs  of  that  denomination,  being  inter- 
ested in  all  good  works  throughout  the  community  in  which  they  reside. 


EUGENE  C.  WILSON. 


Eugene  C.  Wilson,  a  retired  farmer  living  at  Exira,  Iowa,  who  owns 
a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres  in  Exira  township,  besides  four 
hundred  acres  in  Minnesota.  Mr.  Wilson  has  had  a  varied  career.  He  is 
a  skillful  carpenter  and  for  many  years  worked  at  that  trade.  While  living 
in  California  he  was  the  proprietor  of  a  bee  ranch.  He  was  also  engaged 
while  a  resident  of  that  state  in  mounting  birds,  and  besides  a  choice  col- 
lection which  he  sold  to  a  college  museum  in  Turkey,  Mr.  Wilson  has  an 
extensive  private  collection.  For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the  foremost 
farmers  of  Audubon  county,  raising  thousands  of  head  of  hogs  and  buying, 
feeding  and  shipping  many  carloads  of  cattle.  Mr.  Wilson  has  lived  retired 
since  1904,  in  which  year  he  moved  to  Exira,  built  a  fine  home  at  a  cost  of 
ten  thousand  dollars,  a  house  which  consists  of  ten  rooms  and  is  strictly 
modern  in  every  respect,  and  there  he  has  been  living  for  the  past  eleven 
years. 

Eugene  C.  Wilson,  a  retired  farmer  of  Exira  township,  now  living  in 
Exira,  was  born  on  January  21,  i860,  in  Geneseo,  Illinois,  the  son  of  Isaac 
N.  and  Ann  Eliza  (Joslin)  Wilson,  both  natives  of  New  York.     When  he 


EUGENE    C.    AVILSON    AND    SON. 


Piir 


YORK 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  369 

was  thirty  years  old,  Isaac  N.  Wilson  moved  to  Illinois  and  purchased  a 
farm,  on  which  he  resided  for  a  few  years,  after  which  he  moved  to  Gen- 
eseo,  in  that  state,  where  he  engaged  in  the  grain  business,  and  was  thus 
actively  engaged  for  thirty-six  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  retired, 
his  death  occurring  in  Geneseo  in  191 1.  Isaac  N.  Wilson  was  born  on  May 
7,  1824,  and  was  therefore  eighty-seven  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
During  all  of  his  residence  in  Geneseo  he  was  prominent  in  the  commercial 
and  financial  affairs  of  the  city,  and  for  forty  years  was  connected  with 
the  Geneseo  First  National  Bank.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  board  of 
supervisors  in  Illinois.  Isaac  N.  Wilson  became  a  resident  of  Ihinois  in 
1853.  The  following  year  he  was  married  to  Ann  Eliza  Joslin,  to  which 
union  five  children  were  born,  Ida,  Eugene,  Frank,  Edward  and  Emma. 
Ida  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  Eugene  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Frank 
died  in  infancy.  Edward  married  Elma  M.  Henney,  and  Emma  married 
F.  L.  Smith. 

Edward  Wilson  was  associated  with  his  brother,  Eugene,  in  farming 
from  1886,  when  they  came  to  Audubon  county,  until  1893,  during  which 
time  they  were  engaged  in  farming  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  acres  of 
land.  They  were  accustomed  to  feed  four  hundred  head  of  hogs,  and  at 
least  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  head  of  cattle  annually.  Eugene  Wilson 
bought  out  his  brother  Edward  in  1893  and  continued  the  operation  of  the 
farm  alone  until  his  retirement  in  1904. 

Eugene  C.  Wilson  attended  school  at  Geneseo,  Illinois,  and  for  some 
time  was  a  student  in  the  high  school  at  that  place.  He  then  entered  the 
Davenport  Business  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated,  and  after  com- 
pleting the  business-college  course  returned  to  his  home  in  Illinois  and  there 
took  up  farming  and  carpentry  work.  After  having  been  engaged  in  this 
for  one  year  he  went  to  California  and  there  operated  a  bee  ranch  for  two 
years.  Selling  out  his  California  property,  he  returned  to  Illinois,  and  in 
1886  came  to  Iowa,  locating  in  this  county.  While  in  California  Mr.  Wil- 
son trapped  birds  and  mounted  them.  One  of  his  collections  was  sold  in 
Turkey,  and  he  brought  back  to  Illinois  about  six  hundred  specimens  of 
birds.  After  his  return  to  Illinois  and  until  his  removal  to  this  county,  he 
was  engaged  in  carpenter  work.  He  also  engaged  in  raising  fast  horses  for 
a  long  time,  and  for  thirty  years  was  an  advocate  of  good  roads,  doing 
much  to  improve  the  highways  at  his  own  expense.  Mr.  Wilson  is  also  a 
musician  and  was  a  member  of  the  band  at  Exira  for  a  great  many  years. 

Eugene  C.  Wilson  was  married  in  1896  to  Jennie  M.  Bliss,  the  daugh- 
(24) 


370  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

ter  of  George  and  Jane  Bliss,  to  which  union  one  child,  Irving  N.,  was  born. 
Mrs.  Wilson  died  in  1904,  and  ]\Ir.  Wilson  married,  secondly,  Belle  B. 
Lancelot,  daughter  of  ^^^  J.  and  Phoebe  fCrow)  Lancelot.  Two  children, 
both  daughters,  have  been  born  to  this  second  union,  Alarjorie  and  ]Mar- 
guerite,  twins,  both  of  whom  are  living  at  home. 

]\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Wilson  are  members  of  the  Congregational  church.  Mr. 
Wilson  served  as  township  trustee  for  three  years  having  been  elected  on 
the  Republican  ticket. 


JOHX  ADAMS  MUSSON. 

A  review  of  the  life  of  the  honored  subject  of  this  memoir  must  of 
necessity  be  brief  and  general  in  its  character,  for  it  is  impossible  in  this 
instance  to  enter  fully  into  the  details  of  his  life,  touching  many  of  his 
earlier  struggles,  and  only  a  general  perspective  of  a  life  which  has  closed  on 
earth  can  be  had.  Mr.  Musson  still  Hves  in  the  memories  of  many  friends 
and  neighbors  in  Audubon  and  was  known  Iw  all  as  a  kindly  and  honest  man 
whose  best  thoughts  and  efforts  were  for  the  happiness  and  well-being  of 
his  family. 

ml" 

John  Adams  Musson,  a  native  of  the  state  of  Iowa,  was  born  on  Octo- 
ber 5,  1868,  at  Earlham,  Madison  county,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Audubon, 
Audubon  county,  on  July  4.  19 12.  His  father  was  Thomas  Musson,  and 
the  two  were  associated  together  in  their  grain  business  in  Audubon,  the 
father  being  well  remembered  by  many  of  the  older  citizens  of  the  town. 
John  A.  Musson  came  to  Audubon  county  when  a  boy  of  ten  years  old  ( in 
1878).  l)eing  brought  here  by  his  parents.  He  remained  here  until  1890, 
when  he  went  to  Salem.  South  Dakota,  where  he  remained  for  five  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Audubon,  and  it  was  then  father 
and  son  became  associated  in  the  same  business. 

While  in  Salem.  South  Dakota,  on  October  12.  1894.  John  A.  Musson 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Bertha  M.  Schneider,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Frances  (Ringer)   Schneider. 

Mr.  Musson  and  his  father  were  not  long  associated  together,  for  the 
father  soon  died  with  heart  trouble,  and  the  son  then  continued  the  busi- 
ness alone  for  the  balance  of  his  life. 

John  Adams  Musson  was  a  type  of  perfect  manhood,  and.  while  he 
was  fond  of  life  and  the  pleasures  which  it  afforded,  he  also  looked  well 
to  the  more  serious  issues,  and  on  February  4,  1906,  united  with  the  Pres- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  37 1 

byterian  church,  of  which  he  remained  a  faithful  member  until  his  life  here 
on  earth  was  closed.  He  was  also  a  man  in  whom  the  fraternal  spirit  was 
strong,  and  was  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  ancient  order  of  Freema- 
sonry, having  attained  to  the  chapter  and  the  commandery  in  that  order,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
Za-Ga-Zig  Temple,  at  Des  Moines,  this  state.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  both 
he  and  Ishs.  Alusson  were  members  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  Beside 
his  widow,  Mr.  ]^Iusson  left  three  children,  Reuben  J.,  a  graduate  of  Audu- 
bon high  school  and  at  present  a  student  at  the  Iowa  State  College  at  Ames, 
and  Dorothy  and  Thomas  F.,  both  attending  high  school  in  Audubon. 


WILLIAM  OWEN, 


Agriculture  has  been  an  honored  vocation  from  the  earliest  ages,  and 
as  a  usual  thing  men  of  honorable  and  humane  impulses,  as  well  as  of  energy 
and  thrift,  have  been  patrons  of  husbandry.  The  free  out-of-door  life  of 
the  farm  has  a  decided  tendency  to  foster  and  develop  that  independence  of 
mind  and  self-reliance  which  characterizes  true  manhood.  No  truer  blessing 
can  befall  a  boy  than  to  be  reared  in  close  touch  with  nature  in  the  healthful 
life  and  inspiring  labor  of  the  fields.  It  has  always  been  the  fruitful  soil 
from  which  have  sprung  the  moral  bone  and  sinew  of  the  country,  and  the 
majority  of  the  nation's  great  warriors,  renowned  statesmen  and  distin- 
guished men  of  letters  were  born  on  the  farm  and  were  indebted  largely  to 
its  influence  for  the  distinction  which  they  have  attained. 

\\'illiam  Owen,  one  of  the  well-known  farmers  of  this  county,  who  is 
now  living  retired,  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  on  May  i,  1841,  the 
son  of  Richard  and  Isabelle  (Spencer)  Owen,  who  emigrated  to  America 
about  1869,  coming  to  Iowa  and  settling  on  a  farm  in  Melville  township, 
Audubon  county.  They  remained  there  for  one  year,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  they  removed  to  a  farm  on  the  Botna,  where  they  remained  two  years, 
subsequently  moving  to  a  farm  at  Lucketts  Grove,  where  they  remained  for 
one  year.  They  then  moved  to  a  farm  in  Viola  township,  later  purchasing 
land  in  section  26,  near  Williams,  in  Leroy  township.  Richard  Owen  and 
wife  improved  this  latter  farm  and  in  1889  sold  it,  after  which  they  made  a 
visit  to  England.  Upon  their  return  to  this  county  they  located  at  Exira, 
where  Richard  Owen  died  at  the  home  of  his  son,  William,  in  August,  1895, 


2^^^  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

his  Avidow  surviving  for  three  years,  her  death  not  occurring  until  1898. 
Richard  and  Isabelle  (Spencer)  Owen  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  William,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  George,  deceased;  Thomas, 
who  lives  in  Oklahoma,  and  Mary,  the  widow  of  William  \Vildey,  who  now 
lives  in  the  W^est. 

William  Owen  was  educated  in  the  English  schools.  He  married  in 
1866,  and  in  October  of  that  year  he  and  his  wife  set  sail  for  .\merica,  land- 
ing in  New  York  City,  whence  they  went  to  Cleveland,  where  they  remained 
until  1870,  in  April  of  which  year  they  came  to  xVudubon  county,  a  few 
months  later  purchasing  land  in  section  26,  Leroy  township.  This  farm, 
consisting  of  eighty  acres,  was  purchased  at  five  dollars  and  fifty  cents  an 
acre.  William  Owen  erected  a  small  house  on  this  farm,  and  for  a  time  he 
and  his  wife  experienced  some  pretty  hard  times.  Atlantic  was  the  nearest 
market,  and  to  Ft.  Dodge  there  were  nothing  but  trails.  Jefferson  was 
another  market,  but  it  required  three  days  to  make  the  trip  and  blizzards 
sometimes  intervened.  Mr.  Owen  prospered,  however,  and  presently  added 
eighty  acres  to  his  first  eighty-acre  farm,  gradually  increasing  his  holdings 
until  now  he  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Besides  this,  he  has  given 
to  his  four  elder  sons  forty  acres  each,  together  with  teams,  wagons,  har- 
ness and  feed  to  give  them  a  start.  Mr.  Owen's  eldest  son,  Robert,  owns 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  adjoining  the  old  home  place.  The  second  son, 
William  S.,  owns  a  half  section  in  \'iola  township,  which  is  worth  two  hun- 
dred dollars  an  acre.  The  third  son,  Richard,  owns  one  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  in  Hamlin  township  and  two  hundred  and  eleven  acres  in  Exira  town- 
ship.    The  fourth  son,  George,  now  deceased,  owned  eighty  acres. 

On  Februar}'  3,  1866,  William  Owen  was  married  to  ]Mary  Ann  Clifton, 
who  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  on  April  18,  1844,  the  daughter  of 
George  and  Jane  (Spencer)  Clifton,  to  which  union  were  born  the  follow- 
ing children:  Robert  J.  F.,  William  S.,  Richard.  George  Edward.  Charles 
Clark.  Worthy  Earl,  Carrie  C,  Lillie,  Nancy  A.,  Ethel  M.,  and  Jane  Eliza- 
beth and  George  Washington,  twins,  the  two  latter  of  whom  are  deceased. 
Robert  J.  F.  Owen  married  Frances  Ston^  and  they  have  two  children.  Lela 
and  Floyd.  William  S.  married  Minnie  Sunberg  and  they  have  three  chil- 
dren, Henry,  Grace  and  Helen.  Richard  married  Myrtle  Frye  and  they 
have  tsvo  children,  Leland  and  Ellawene.  George  Edward  (now  deceased) 
married  Josephine  Wilson,  to  which  union  two  children  were  born,  Lucille 
and  Bernard.  Charles  Clark,  who  lives  on  the  home  farm,  married  Lula 
Carter  and  they  have  two  children,  Virgil  and  Donald.  Worthy  Earl  lives 
on  the  home  place  with  Charles.     Mrs.   Carrie   C.   Frye  lives  in  Melville 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  373 

township  and  has  three  children,  Marie,  Harry  and  LiUie.  Mrs.  Lilhe  Hig- 
gins  Hves  in  HamHn.  Mrs.  Nancy  A.  Sunberg  hves  in  Hamlin  township  and 
has  two  children,  Leverne  and  Merle.  Mrs.  Ethel  M.  Smith  has  one  child, 
Mary  Ann. 

William  Owen  is  a  Republican  and  has  held  several  township  offices 
with  credit.  The  Owen  family  are  all  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  are  active  in  the  work  of  the  church  and  the  Sunday  school,  all  being 
held  in  high  esteem  throughout  the  section  of  the  county  in  which  they  reside. 


JORGEN  F.  SCHROEDER. 

Jorgen  F.  Schroeder,  who  owns  a  splendid  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  Lincoln  township,  this  county,  was  born  in  Schleswig,  Ger- 
many, in  1844,  the  son  of  Peter  and  Anna  (Tames)  Schroeder,  natives  of 
the  same  place.  Peter  Schroeder  was  a  farmer  and  laborer  and  lived  in  his 
native  land  all  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  three  children, 
Margaret  and  Anna,  who  are  still  living  in  Germany,  and  Jorgen  P.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 

After  leaving  school,  Jorgen  P.  Schroeder  began  working  as  a  farm 
hand  in  his  native  land  and  when  he  was  twenty-six  years  old  joined  the 
army,  in  which  he  served  for  two  years.  A  few  months  after  the  end  of  the 
Franco-Prussian  War,  he  came  to  America  on  the  ship  "Harmonia,"  locating 
in  Davenport,  Iowa,  shortly  after  landing.  From  Davenport  he  moved  to 
Muscatine  county,  this  state,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  three 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  rented  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and 
farmed  for  himself  until  1878,  in  which  year  he  came  to  Audubon  county, 
locating  in  Audubon,  where  he  worked  with  his  teams,  hauling  sand  which 
was  used  in  the  construction  of  the  new  court  house.  After  two  years'  resi-^ 
dence  in  Audubon  he  removed  to  Gray,  Iowa,  where  he  operated  a  tavern  for 
five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  moved  to  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives,  first  purchasing  eighty  acres.  This  original  holding  he  graduall}' 
increased  until  he  now  owns  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  he 
devotes  to  general  farming,  at  the  same  time  feeding  about  seventy-five  head 
of  hogs  annually. 

In  1876  Jorgen  F.  Schroeder  was  married  to  Mary  Schluntz,  daughter 
of  Gottlieb  and  Anna  (Jungjohan)  Schluntz.  Of  the  eleven  children  born 
to  this  union,  only  nine  are  living,  Peter,  Cleveland,  Bismark,  Anna,  Ricka, 


374  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Doris.  Rosa,  iMargaret  and  Elsie.  Of  these  children,  Peter  married  Mae 
Stribe ;  Anna  married  Charles  Ross  and  has  five  children ;  Ricka  married 
Peter  Ohrt :  Doris  married  Fred  Sievers ;  Rosa  married  Jack  ]\Ioore,  and 
has  one  child.  Jack.  Jr.  Airs.  Schroeder  was  born  in  Holstein,  Germany,  her 
parents  also  having  been  natives  of  that  place.  She  came  to  America  when 
ten  years  old  with  her  parents,  who  settled  on  a  farm  near  Davenport,  Iowa. 

A  Democrat  in  ])olitics,  Mr.  Schroeder  ser\ed  as  township  assessor  for 
eieht  years.  He  also  has  served  as  member  of  the  school  board  and  as  school 
director,  and  otherwise  lias  been  prominent  in  the  educational  life  of  his 
community.  The  Schroeder  family  are  all  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church. 

Jorgen  F.  Schroeder  has  been  an  industrious  farmer  and  an  enterprising 
and  successful  citizen  of  this  great  state.  He  is  a  worthy  representative  of 
the  many  German  families  of  this  section,  who  have  carved  out  comfortable 
homes  and  become  the  possessors  of  much  wealth.  Xo  word  of  suspicion 
has  ever  been  raised  regarding  the  high  character  and  sterling  integrity  of 
Jorgen  F.  Schroeder,  and  he  enjoys  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all  his  neigh- 
bors. 


FRANK  M.  RICE. 


Frank  AI.  Rice,  clerk  of  the  district  court  of  Auduljon  county,  Iowa, 
was  born  on  April  26.  1854,  on  a  farm  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  son 
of  Warren  C.  and  Rachel  (Marshall)  Rice,  natives  of  Ohio.  Frank  M. 
Rice  came  to  Audul)()n  county.  Iowa,  in  September.  1879,  and  his  parents 
came  here  to  make  their  ])ermanent  home  in  1883.  They  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Greeley  township,  where  Warren  C.  Rice  died  in  1905.  his  wife  having 
departed  this  life  in  1888,  five  years  after  coming  to  the  new  home  in  the 
West.  \\'arren  C.  Rice  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  Mrs. 
Emma  Moore  of  Omaha;  Edward  C,  a  resident  of  Gray.  Iowa,  and  Frank 
]\I.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

In  September.  1879.  Frank  AI.  Rice  migrated  from  Illinois  to  Iowa, 
locating  on  a  farm  in  Greeley  township,  this  county.  He  invested  his  sav- 
ings in  eighty  acres  of  raw  prairie  land  and  erected  a  small  house  which 
served  as  his  habitation  for  a  tiiue  until  he  could  make  additions  thereto.  He 
resided  on  his  well-tilled  acres  until  January,  1895,  when  he  moved  to  Audu- 
bon to  take  up  his  duties  as  deputy  clerk  of  the  district  court,  which  ofiice  he 
filled  for  a  period  of  two  years.     He  then  engaged  in  the  bakery  and  rcstau- 


AUDUBOX    COUNTY,    IOWA.  375 

rant  business  for  a  period  of  thirteen  years.  His  next  business  venture  was 
buying  and  selling  of  horses  and  conducting  a  sale  barn  in  Audubon,  in  which 
business  he  has  been  successful. 

On  March  19,  1876,  Frank  'SI.  Rice  was  married  to  Lucy  Mulhollen  of 
Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  to  which  union  two  children  have  been  born, 
Eva,  born  on  March  19,  1878,  died  on  December  6.  1903,  and  Blair  E.,  August 
12,  1893.  "^^'ho  is  deputy  clerk  of  the  court,  and  who  was  educated  in  the 
Audubon  high  school  and  the  Iowa  State  Agricultural  College  at  Ames. 

F.  M.  Rice  is  a  Democrat  and  takes  a  prominent  and  influential  part  in 
the  political  affairs  of  the  county.  He  was  elected  to  the  office  of  clerk  of 
the  district  court  in  the  fall  of  1912  and  faithfully  performed  the  duties  of 
his  office.  Mr.  Rice  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  at  Audu- 
bon and  is  one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of  Audubon  county. 


JOHX  W.  BARTEN. 


A  well-known  farmer  of  Lincoln  township,  this  county,  of  German  and 
Swiss  descent,  who,  by  reason  of  his  great  personal  energy,  frugal  living  and 
good  management  has  Ijeen  very  successful,  is  John  W.  Barten,  who  owns  a 
splendid  farm  of  two  hundred  acres. 

John  W.  Barten  was  born  on  December  i,  1871.  in  Jackson  county, 
Iowa,  the  son  of  Chris  and  Anna  (Joss)  Barten,  the  former  a  native  of 
Beckenburg,  Germany,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Switzerland.  Chris  Barten 
left  Germany  when  twenty-two  years  of  age  and  came  to  America,  shortly 
afterward  locating  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  where  he  v/orked  on  the  Rock  Island 
railroad  for  five  years.  Subsequently  he  located  in  Jackson  county,  Iowa, 
and  there  purchased  a  small  farm  and  engaged  in  general  farming  until 
1909,  when  he  retired  and  moved  to  Belleview,  Iowa,  where  he  is  now 
making  his  home  with  his  children.  To  Chris  and  Anna  (Joss)  Barten  were 
born  eight  children,  of  whom  John  W.  is  the  only  one  living  in  Audubon 
county. 

John  \\\  Barten  received  his  education  in  Jackson  county,  Iowa,  and 
after  leaving  school,  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  1897,  ^r  until  he  was 
twenty-six  years  old.  at  which  time  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  locating  m 
Lincoln  towmship  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he  pur- 
chased. 

There   Mr.    Barten  kept   bachelor's  quarters   until    1901,    when   he   was 


376  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

married  to  Ada  Meyer,  daughter  of  August  and  Mary  (Wehlenberg)  Meyer, 
both  natives  of  Germany,  who  married  in  Beecher,  Illinois,  later  moving  to 
Carroll  county,  Iowa,  where  they  remained  for  thirty-eight  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  they  came  to  Audubon  county,  settling  in  Lincoln  township, 
where  they  now  reside.  To  John  W.  and  Ada  (Meyer)  Barten  have  been 
born  three  children,  Richard,  Walter  and  John,  all  of  whom  are  living  at 
home  with  their  parents.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Barten  attend  the  German  Lutheran 
church  and  their  children  are  being  reared  in  that  faith. 

John  W.  Barten  has  invested  more  than  ten  thousand  dollars  in  improve- 
ments on  the  farm  which  he  owns  in  Lincoln  township.  He  annually  raises 
more  than  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  and  at  least  sixty  acres  of  corn,  as  well 
as  thirty-five  acres  of  small  grain.  ]\Ir.  Barten,  who  classes  himself  as  an 
independent  voter,  has  served  as  trustee  of  Lincoln  township  for  two  years, 
and  also  as  school  director. 

One  of  the  features  of  Air.  Barten's  farm  is  his  large  barn,  which  is 
sixty  by  sixty  feet,  and  one  of  the  most  completely-equipped  barns  in  Lincoln 
township.  Mr.  Barten  believes  in  following  the  most  up-to-date  and 
approved  methods  in  farming,  and  uses  only  the  most  improved  devices  and 
equipment  in  his  farm  work.  Like  so  many  farmers  in  this  section,  he 
devotes  much  attention  to  raising  hogs  and  cattle  in  connection  with  the 
raising  of  corn.  John  \\'.  Barten  is  one  of  the  highly-esteemed  citizens  of 
Lincoln  township,  who  is  admired  and  respected  by  his' neighbors  and  by 
the  host  of  friends  he  has  made  in  this  section. 


TONY  M.  RASMUSSEX. 


The  gentleman  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  review,  mayor  and 
well-known  attorney  of  Exira,  this  county,  did  not  come  to  this  county  from 
his  native  land  of  Denmark  until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  seventeen  years, 
yet  he  has  won  for  himself  an  enviable  reputation  as  an  attorney  of  force 
and  abilitv  and  a  public  official  of  keen  administrative  capacity.  The  life 
story  of  Tony  M.  Rasmussen,  mayor  of  the  city  of  Exira,  is  an  example  of 
what  can  be  accomplished  by  an  immigrant  boy  in  this  land  if  given  an 
opportunity  and  the  possession  of  native  talents. 

T.  M.  Rasmussen  was  born  in  Denmark  on  March  26,  1872,  son  of 
M.  P.  and  Elsie  Rasmussen,  natives  of  that  kingdom.  In  the  year  1889, 
when  T.  M.  Rasmussen  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  the  family  emigrated  to 


TONY   M.   RASMUSSEX 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  377 

America  and  came  to  this  county.  After  residing  one  year  in  Exira,  they 
settled  on  a  farm  in  Hamlin  township.  The  mother  of  T.  M.  Rasmussen 
died  in  Denmark  in  1876,  and  the  father  married  a  second  time  before  com- 
ing to  America.  M.  P.  Rasmussen  died  in  Seattle,  Washington,  in  October, 
1909.  There  were  two  sons  by  the  first  marriage,  Anthony  M.,  or  "Tony" 
M.,  the  subject  of  this  review,  and  C.  M.,  a  resident  of  Spokane,  Washing- 
ton. By  the  second  marriage  there  were  six  sons,  namely:  E.  I.,  who  was 
drowned  during  the  summer  of  1899,  while  in  bathing;  Chris,  a  citizen  of 
the  state  of  Washington ;  Martin,  deceased,  and  Andrew  and  Gerlow,  both 
residing  in  the  state  of  Washington. 

After  coming  to  Audubon  county  with  his  parents,  Tony  Rasmussen 
assisted  his  father  upon  the  farm  and  attended  the  district  school  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  farm  home.  The  young  man  was  ambitious  and  had  a 
desire  to  advance  among  his  fellows ;  consequently,  he  studied  diligently, 
preparing  himself  for  the  vocation  of  teaching,  and  taught  for  four  years  in 
the  schools  of  Audubon  county  after  he  had  attained  the  age  of  twenty-six 
years.  In  fact,  the  career  of  this  Danish-American  citizen  did  not  properly 
begin  until  after  the  time  when  most  boys  of  American  birth  are  fairly  well 
established  in  their  callings  or  professions.  Tony  Rasmussen  landed  upon 
the  shores  of  America  at  an  age  when  American-born  youth  are  almost 
through  the  high  school.  He  was  handicapped  by  not  being  able  to  speak  our 
language ;  yet,  in  spite  of  this  and  the  other  handicaps  of  being  poor  and 
having  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  this  immigrant  boy  quickly 
acquired  a  speaking  knowledge  of  the  English  language  and  educated  him- 
self while  working  in  the  fields.  His  ambition  did  not  stop  at  becoming 
proficient  in  the  art  of  teaching,  but  he  began  the  study  of  law  while  engaged 
in  his  school  work.  He  saved  his  money,  entered  Drake  University  and  was 
graduated  with  honor  from  the  law  school  of  that  excellent  institution  of 
learning  in  1904,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.  Thus  admirably 
equipped  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  at  once  began  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Exira.  Mr.  Rasmussen  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest  legal 
lights  in  the  county  and  has  met  with  gratifying  success. 

In  1906,  T.  M.  Rasmussen  was  united  in  marriage  to  ]\Iartha  E.  Nelson, 
daughter  of  Lorenz  P.  Nelson,  of  this  county,  to  which  union  two  children 
have  been  born,  Chester  Cole  and  Elsie.  ^layor  Rasmussen  was  reared  in 
the  Danish  Lutheran  faith,  but  is  not  now  a  member  of  any  religious  denom- 
ination. He  is  fraternally  connected  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  a  member  of  the  lodge  at  Exira.  He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and 
for  years  has  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  in  Audubon 


378  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

county.  He  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  mayor  of  Exira  and  it  is  said 
of  him  that  he  is  one  of  the  most  capable  and  progressive  executives  that  the 
city  has  ever  had.  Mr.  Rasmussen's  success  is  the  outcome  of  patient  pur- 
pose, backed  bv  the  exercise  of  native  abihty.  and  is  all  the  more  striking 
when  adverse  conditions  under  which  he  labored  from  the  outset  of  his 
career  in  Audubon  countv  are  taken  into  consideration. 


JOSEPH  ALEXANDER  CALDWELL. 

While  success  cannot  be  achieved  without  unflagging  industry,  the  futil- 
ity of  effort  is  often  noticeable  in  the  business  world,  resulting  from  the  fact 
that  it  is  not  combined  with  sound  judgment.  Many  a  man  who  gives  his 
life  to  earnest  and  unremitting  toil  does  not  acquire  a  competence,  but  when 
his  labors  are  well  directed,  prosperity  always  follows  him.  Mr.  Caldwell's 
work  has  been  supplemented  by  careful  management,  and  today  he  is  num- 
bered among  the  successful  men  of  Audubon  county. 

Joseph  A.  Caldwell  was  born  in  Virginia  on  November  27,  1854,  the 
son  of  Lewis  and  Julia  (Shepherd)  Caldwell,  the  former  a  native  of  West 
Virginia,  born  in  1830.  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  born 
on  November  ly,  1831.  Lewis  Caldwell  and  his  wife  were  married  in  Vir- 
ginia and  migrated  to  Illinois  when  their  son,  Joseph  A.,  was  only  six  years 
old.  Mr.  Caldwell  was  a  farmer  and  remained  in  Illinois  the  rest  of  his 
life.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  Joseph  A. 
was  the  eldest,  the  other  five  being  Mary,  Hortense,  Isaac  Franklin,  William 
and  Lewis,  Jr.  Of  these  children  Hortense  and  Lewis,  Jr.,  are  deceased. 
Lewis  Caldwell  died  in  Illinois  and  his  widow,  who  is  still  living  with  her 
son,  Joseph  A.,  is  now  eighty-four  years  of  age. 

Joseph  A.  Caldwell  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  and 
took  up  farming  in  Illinois,  which  vocation  he  followed  in  that  state  until  he 
was  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  came  to  this  county,  locating 
in  Sharon  township,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land.  Later  he  sold 
this  tract  and  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Leroy  township, 
which  he  later  sold,  purchasing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  a  different 
part  of  Lerov  township,  to  which  he  later  added  forty  acres,  still  later 
adding  another  forty,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  fine  farming  land  in  that  township. 

On  May  7,  1878,  Joseph  A.  Caldwell  v,as  married  to  Hattie  E.  Godwin, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  379 

who  was  born  on  May   lo,   1854,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Anna    (Tong) 
Godwin,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of' Canada,  but  who  was  reared 
in  Ohio.     His  wife  was  born  in  England  and  came  to  this  country  at  the  age 
of  ten  years,  her  parents  setthng  in  LaSalle  county,  Ilhnois. 

To  Joseph  A.  and  Hattie  E.  (Godwin)  Caldwell  one  child  has  been 
born,  a  son,  Chester  Arthur,  born  on  August  17,  1880.  He  married  Anna 
Anderson,  to  which  union  four  children  have  been  born,  Dick,  ]\Ierle,  !Mil- 
dred  and  Harriet. 

Joseph  A.  Caldwell  is  the  present  street  commissioner  of  Audubon. 
During  the  time  that  he  was  living  in  Leroy  township  he  served  as  trustee 
of  that  township.  Mr.  Caldwell  is  a  man  who  is  keenly  interested  in  educa- 
tion and  good  roads  and  in  public  improvements  of  all  kinds.  As  a  progres- 
sive citizen,  who  has  stood  as  a  stanch  advocate  of  improvements,  he  has 
contributed  much  to  the  development  of  Audubon  county.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can and  has  always  taken  a  keen  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  party  in  this 
county.  The  Caldwells  are  all  earnest  and  faithful  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist church,  and  are  active  in  the  affairs  of  this  church. 


KRISTIXE  M.  SOREXSEX. 

Kristine  ]\1.  Sorensen,  a  well-known  photographer  of  Audubon,  has 
made  a  remarkable  success  of  her  vocation.  It  is  customary  to  speak  of  this 
man  or  that  man  as  self-made,  and  in  this  respect  Kristine  M.  Sorensen  is 
well  entitled  to  rank  as  a  self-made  woman,  having  worked  her  way  unaided 
through  the  vicissitudes  and  adversities  of  life  to  an  admirable  and  influential 
position  in  the  business  life  of  Audubon.  Her  success  in  business  affairs 
has  been  due  to  her  steady  persistence,  her  unfailing  integrity  and  excellent 
judgment  qualities,  which  always  assure  success.  Miss  Sorensen  enjoys  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  public  to  a  marked  degree. 

Kristine  M.  Sorensen  was  born  in  Denmark  on  February  7,  1886,  daugh- 
ter of  Jeppe  and  Johanna  (Madsen)  Sorensen,  natives  of  that  splendid  little 
kingdom,  who  were  married  in  their  native  country.  Jeppe  Sorensen,  who 
now  is  practically  retired  from  the  more  arduous  duties  of  life,  was  a  farmer 
and  was  also  engaged  in  fishing,  which  vocation  he  carried  on  during  the 
summer  months.  He  also  carried  the  mail  across  to  the  mainland,  his  home 
being  on  an  island.  Jeppe  Sorensen  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  Soren  Peter,  Bodel,  Marie,  Mads,  Olie,  Kristine,  Claus,  Jens,  Christ- 


380  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

ian  and  Johanna,  all  of  whom  are  living  with  the  exception  of  Bodel  and 
Marie.  Mrs.  Johanna  (Madsen)  vSorensen  died  in  her  native  land,  while  her 
husband,  who  survives  her,  is  still  living  in  Denmark. 

Kristine  M;  Sorensen  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  her  native 
county,  and  after  leaving  school  took  up  the  profession  of  teaching,  which 
she  continued  for  seven  years  in  Denmark,  after  which  she  came  to  America, 
arriving  in  this  country  in  September,  191 3.  She  proceeded  almost  imme- 
diately to  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  where  she  remained  for  six  months,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  she  came  to  this  county,  locating  at  Audubon,  where  she 
opened  a  photograph  gallery,  and  has  been  active  as  a  photographer  since 
that  time.  No  better  work  in  photography  is  done  in  Audubon  county  than 
that  done  at  the  studio  of  Kristine  M.  Sorensen,  which  enjoys  a  large  and 
lucrative  patronage,  not  only  from  the  people  of  Audubon,  but  from  the 
people  of  the  county  and  surrounding  country  as  well.  ]Miss  Sorensen's 
brothers,  Christian,  Mads,  Olie  and  Claus,  came  to  America  some  years 
ago,  but  they  later  returned  to  Denmark.  Miss  Sorensen  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  this  denomination  in  Audu- 
bon, as  well  as  in  all  good  works  hereabout,  and  is  held  in  the  highest  regard 
in  her  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


J.  M.  GRAHAM. 


J.  M.  Graham,  a  well-known  attorney  of  Audubon,  Iowa,  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Graham  &  Grahani,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  since  1871, 
having  come  here  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  three  years,  when  they 
removed  from  Washington,  Iowa,  to  this  county.  Few  attorneys  in  this 
part  of  the  state  received  a  more  thorough  and  extensive  training  for  the 
law  than  J.  M.  Graham,  whose  ability  and  talents  were  quickly  recognized 
bv  the  people  of  this  county,  and  who,  during  a  practice  here  of  twenty 
years,  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative  law  business.  Like  so  many  lawyers 
of  the  present  generation,  Mr.  Graham  came  from  the  school  room  into  the 
court  room,  having,  after  being  graduated  from  one  of  the  leading  institu- 
tions of  learning  in  this  state,  served  two  years  as  the  principal  of  the 
Bayard  high  school. 

J.  M.  Graham  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Ohio,  on  October  25,  1868, 
the  son  of  Samuel  A.  and  Ellen  (Hunter)  Graham,  both  natives  of  that 
county,  who,  in  1870,  removed  to  Washington  county,  Iowa,  and  one  year 
later   came   to   Audubon   count  v.      Samuel    A.    Graham    was   a   well-known 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  381 

farmer  in  Ohio,  and  enjoyed  a  remarkable  success  in  farming  after  coming 
to  this  state.  He  taught  several  terms  of  school  in  his  native  state,  and  at 
one  time  was  school  commissioner  in  Monroe  county,  Ohio.  He  also  was  a 
member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  Audubon  county  for  six  years  after 
removing  to  this  state.  In  1871  he  and  his  wife  and  family  located  in  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  16,  Melville  township,  and  there  he  engaged 
in  general  farming  until  1899,  when  he  retired  and  moved  to  Audubon.  He 
owned  at  one  time  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land.  To  Samuel  A. 
and  Ellen  (Hunter)  Graham  were  born  two  sons,  J.  M.  and  John,  who  are 
now  in  partnership  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Audubon. 

j.  M.  Graham  received  his  preliminary  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Melville  township,  and  in  the  high  school  at  Audubon,  having  been  a 
member  of  the  first  class  that  was  graduated  from  the  Audubon  high  school, 
in  1887.  After  finishing  high  school  he  attended  Ames  College  and  in  1890 
was  graduated  from  that  institution,  taking  the  degree  of  Bachelor  oif 
Science.  Upon  leaving  Ames  College,  Mr.  Graham  taught  school  for  two 
years,  serving  as  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Bayard.  In  1893  he  entered 
the  law  school  of  Drake  University  at  Des  Moines,  from  which  institution 
he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Law  in  1894.  Upon  leaving  Drake 
University,  ]\Ir.  Graham  returned  to  Audubon  and  began  the  practice  of 
law.  He  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother,  John,  in  19 10,  since  which 
time  the  brothers  have  been  practicing  under  the  firm  name  of  Graham  & 
Graham  and  have  been  very  successful. 

On  July  19,  1894,  J.  ]\I.  Graham  was  married  to  Catherine  Brown, 
daughter  of  Leonard  and  Nancy  Brown,  to  which  union  six  children  have 
been  born,  Lorrain,  Ellen,  Margaret,  Maxine,  Catherine  and  Mabel,  all  of 
whom  are  living  save  the  latter. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  Graham  served  two  terms  as  county  attor- 
ney of  Audubon  county,  which  is  the  legal  limit  for  such  service  in  this  state. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  eleven  years.  Mrs.  Graham 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Graham  is  a  Mason 
and  a  Knight  Templar,  a  member  of  the  commandery  at  Audubon  and  of  the 
Shrine  at  Des  Moines.  He  also  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Maccabees  at  Audubon. 

An  earnest  and  sincere  counselor  in  the  law,  a  learned  and  capable  prac- 
titioner in  court,  Mr.  Graham  is  a  well-known  citizen  of  Audubon  county 
and  popular  with  all  classes.  His  pleasing  and  agreeable  personality  has 
been  no  small  factor  in  the  building  up  of  the  extensive  practice  which  he 
enjoys,  and  the  firm  with  which  he  is  connected  has  the  full  confidence  of 
both  bench  and  bar,  as  well  as  of  the  general  public  hereabout. 


382  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

CHARLES  L.  JOHNSON. 

It  is  not  an  easy  task  to  describe  adequately  the  man  who  has  led  an 
eminently  active  and  busy  life,  and  who  has  attained  to  a  position  of  relative 
distinction  in  the  community  with  which  his  interests  are  allied,  but  biography 
finds  its  most  perfect  justification,  nevertheless,  in  tracing  and  recording 
such  life  histories.  It  is  with  a  full  appreciation  of  all  that  is  demanded,  and 
with  the  painstaking  scrutiny  which  must  be  accorded  each  statement  that 
the  writer  has  essayed  the  task  of  touching  briefiy  upon  the  details  of  Mr. 
Johnson's  career.  Charles  L.  Johnson,  a  well-known  member  of  the  Johnson 
Grain  Company,  of  Audubon,  Iowa,  has  achieved  a  notable  success  in  life, 
and  is  one  of  the  best-known  citizens  of  this  county. 

Charles  L.  Johnson  was  born  on  October  19,  1884,  in  Dallas  county, 
Iowa,  the  son  of  'Ma.n  and  Alaria  ( Christensen)  Johnson,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  native  of  Schleswig,  Germany,  and  the  latter  of  Denmark. 
Alatt  Johnson  came  to  this  country  when  he  was  twenty-seven  years  of  age, 
and  located  first  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  where  he  was  married.  He  worked 
for  a  time  in  the  coal  mines  near  Des  Moines,  and  from  that  place  removed 
to  Dallas  county.  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty-two  acres.  This  farm  he  later  sold  for  thirty-five  dollars  an  acre,  and 
in  1 89 1  came  to  this  county,  locating  in  Audubon,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
grain  and  live-stock  business,  which  he  continued  successfully  for  twelve 
vears,  after  which  he  added  coal  to  his  business,  and  huih  up  a  large  and 
lucrative  patronage  in  grain,  live  stock  and  coal  in  Audubon  and  the  sur- 
rounding community.  Alatt  Johnson  died  on  December  26,  191 1.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  Anna,  Lena,  Mollie.  Elda.  Emma, 
Charles  L.,  May  and  Ah'a,  all  of  whom  are  living,  with  the  exception  of 
Anna  and  ^Mollie.     Mrs.  Johnson  is  still  living  in  Audubon. 

Charles  L.  Johnson  spent  one  year  in  the  public  schools  of  Dallas  county, 
Iowa,  afterwards  finishing  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Audubon  county, 
and  after  leaving  school  entered  the  grain  and  coal  business  in  Audubon 
with  his  father,  and  has  now  been  engaged  in  this  business  for  fourteen 
vears,  at  present  being  associated  with  his  brother,  Alva,  also  a  well-known 
and  progressive  business  man  of  Audubon  county. 

On  April  16,  1907,  Charles  L.  Johnson  was  married  to  Jessie  Mushruch, 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Eliza  ]\Iushruch.  The  Mushruch  familv  is  one  of 
the  oldest  in  Audubon  county,  having  come  here  when  most  of  the  farming 
land  was  a  raw  prairie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren. Rubv  and  Marv. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  383 

]^Ir.  Johnson  is  a  Re]mblican  and  was  elected  city  treasurer  of  Audubon 
several  years  ago,  and  is  now  serving  in  this  office  for  the  third  term,  this 
fact  alone  speaking  well  for  the  manner  in  which  he  has  discharged  the 
duties  of  this  responsible  office.  He  has  been  prominent  for  many  years 
in  the  councils  of  his  party  in  the  city  of  Audubon  and  in  the  county. 

The  Johnson  Grain  Company  is  well  known  throughout  Audubon 
county,  and  has  built  up  an  enviable  reputation  for  honest  and  scrupulous 
dealing,  the 'reputation  of  this  firm  being  founded  upon  the  upright  charac- 
ters of  the  two  brothers.  Charles  L.  and  Alva  Johnson,  who  have  so  suc- 
cessfully carried  out  the  sterling  business  principles  adopted  by  their  father 
when  he  established  the  business  many  years  ago. 


EDWIN  S.  VAX  GORDER. 

Edwin  S.  Van  Gorder.  now  president  of  the  First  National  Bank,  of 
Audubon,  this  county,  was  born  on  July  6,  1871,  in  Exira,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  son  of  Charles  and  Laura  J.  (Delahoyde)  Van  Gorder,  the  former  of 
whom  is  vice-president  of  the  First  National  Bank,  of  Audubon  (a  bio- 
graphical sketch  of  whom,  with  portrait,  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume),  and  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  at  Grinnell  College,  at 
Grinnell,  Iowa,  from  which  latter  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  class 
of  1893,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy.  In  1894  he  took  a 
post-graduate  course  in  Harvard  University,  and  a  short  time  later  entered 
the  banking  business,  Avith  his  father,  in  Audubon,  becoming  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  in  191 1,  having  begun  his  service  with  that  bank  as 
assistant  cashier.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the  banking  business  throughout 
his  entire  business  career,  and  is  generally  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
careful  bankers  in  this  section  of  the  state,  holding  a  high  place  in  the  regard 
of  those  connected  with  banking  circles  hereabout. 

On  June  28,  1898,  Edwin  S.  Van  Gorder  was  married  to  Helen  Get- 
chell,  of  Des  Aloines,  Iowa,  daughter  of  Charles  Getchell,  a  prominent  lum- 
berman of  that  city.  To  this  union  two  sons  have  been  born,  Edwin  S.,  Jr., 
and  Charles  G. 

Mr.  Van  Gorder  is  a  heavy  land-holder,  owning  large  tracts  in  Iowa  and 
in  the  northeastern  part  of  South  Dakota.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Audubon  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks.     In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 


384  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

FRANK  OSCAR  NIKLASON. 

The  history  of  a  county  or  state  as  well  as  that  of  a  nation,  is  chiefly 
a  chronicle  of  the  lives  and  deeds  of  those  who  have  conferred  honor  and 
dignity  upon  society.  The  world  judges  the  character  of  a  community  by 
those  of  its  representative  citizens,  and  yields  its  tribute  of  admiration  and 
respect  to  those  whose  words  and  actions  constitute  the  record  of  a  com- 
munity's prosperity  and  pride.  Among  the  prominent  citizens  of  this  county, 
who  are  known  because  of  their  success  in  its  affairs,  and  the  part  they  have 
taken  in  the  civic  life  of  Audubon  county,  is  Frank  Oscar  Niklason,  who  is 
a  well-known  horse  dealer  and  real-estate  man  of  Audubon. 

Frank  Oscar  Niklason  was  born  on  June  13,  1869,  in  Gullspong,  Sweden, 
the  son  of  Niklas  and  Matilda  (Hajlund)  Niklason,  who  were  farmers  in 
their  native  land.  Niklas  Niklason  was  a  dealer  in  live  stock,  also,  and  was 
a  very  well-to-do  man,  owning  a  fine  estate  in  Sweden. 

Frank  Oscar  Niklason  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land, 
and  when  a  little  past  fifteen  years  of  age  came  to  America,  where  he  joined 
his  uncle,  John  Swansen.  After  arriving  in  this  country  he  was  engaged  in 
farm  labor  for  one  year  on  his  uncle's  farm,  and  also  worked  for  two  years 
for  a  man  by  the  name  of  Yaggy.  Mr.  Niklason  began  farming  for  himself 
in  Douglas  township,  this  county,  where  he  rented  land  for  two  years,  after 
which  he  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  land  at  twenty  dollars  an  acre, 
and  operated  this  land  for  fourteen  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he 
bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  east  of  Audubon,  in  Leroy  township, 
where  he  lived  for  one  year.  After  owning  this  latter  farm  for  two  years 
he  disposed  of  it  and  in  the  fall  of  1903  purchased  six  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  Douglas  township.  In  the  spring  of  1914  he  bought  a  tract  of  eighty 
acres  located  east  of.  Audubon,  in  a  good  farming  community,  and  now 
owns  altogether  six  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  well-improved  land. 

Frank  O.  Niklason  moved  to  Audubon  in  the  spring  of  1905,  and  has 
been  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  horses  for  the  past  ten  years.  He  ships 
annually  something  like  one  thousand  head,  which  amounts  practically  to  a 
carload  of  horses  weekly.  Mr.  Niklason  purchased  a  fine  modern  house, 
and  has  lived  in  this  home  since  the  fall  of  191 1. 

On  February  15,  1893,  Frank  O.  Niklason  was  married  to  Martha 
Stetzel.  the  daughter  of  George  Stetzel,  an  early  settler  in  Douglas  town- 
ship, this  county,  who  is  now  deceased,  to  which  union  three  children  have 
been  born :     Clarence  Ravmond.  now  a  student  at  Leland   Stanford  Uni- 


FRANK   O.   NIKLASOX 


AUDUBOX    COUNTY,    IOWA.  385 

versity,  in  California,  and  Harold  Franklin  and  Donald  Niklas,  students  in 
the  Audubon  high  school. 

Mr.  Niklason  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party  and  has  served  in 
the  city  council  of  Audubon  for  two  terms,  but  with  that  exception  has  not 
been  especially  prominent  in  politics.  The  career  of  Mr.  Niklason  shows 
what  may  be  accomplished  by  a  young  man  of  upright  habits  and  strong 
determination.  Having  come  to  this  country  from  a  foreign  land  with  no 
resources,  Mr.  Niklason  is  now  one  of  the  wealthy  and  substantial  men  of 
Audubon  county,  and  has  accumulated  all  of  his  property  within  a  compara- 
tively few  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Niklason  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Evangelical  church,  and  Mr.  Niklason  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons  and  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 


ARTHUR  C.  HARMON. 


The  history  of  a  county  or  state,  as  well  as  that  of  a  nation,  is  chiefly  a 
chronicle  of  the  lives  and  deeds  of  those  who  have  conferred  honor  and 
dignity  upon  society.  The  world  judges  the  character  of  a  community  by 
the  enterprise  and  progress  of  its  citizens  and  yields  its  tributes  of  admiration 
and  respect  to  those  whose  words  and  actions  constitute  the  record  of  a  state's 
prosperity  and  pride.  Among  the  prominent  citizens  of  Audubon  county 
who  are  well  known  because  of  the  part  they  have  taken  in  public  affairs  and 
because  of  a  long  residence  in  the  county,  from  boyhood  to  the  present, 
Arthur  C.  Harmon,  successful  merchant  and  county  coroner,  concerning 
whose  life  this  review  is  prepared,  occupies  high  rank. 

Arthur  C.  Harmon  was  born  on  June  9,  1873,  in  Henry  county,  Mis- 
souri, son  of  George  and  Seretta  (Newell)  Harmon,  natives  of  Kentucky 
and  Ohio,  respectively.  George  Harmon  was  a  Union  soldier  who  served  in 
the  Fourteenth  Kentucky  Cavalry  for  four  long  years  during  the  Civil  War, 
in  which  ser^•ice  he  took  part  in  many  hard-fought  battles  and  engagements. 
His  command  was  part  of  the  army  under  General  Sherman  and  he  saw  the 
hardest  kind  of  fighting  under  this  brave  and  intrepid  commander,  his  last 
service  being  in  the  final  fighting  around  Richmond.  After  the  war,  George 
Harmon  migrated  to  Illinois  and  thence  to  ^Missouri.  From  Missouri  he 
came  to  Iowa,  about  the  year  1S75.  and  purchased  a  farm  near  the  town  of 
Avoca,  in  Pottawottamie  county.  In  1880  he  came  to  Audubon  county  and 
(25) 


386  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

settled  on  a  farm  three  miles  west  of  Audubon,  in  Douglas  township.  In  19 10 
he  retired  from  active  farming  operations  and  moved  to  Audubon,  the  county 
seat,  where  he  died  on  August  20,  191 2,  his  wife  having  departed  this  life 
but  few  days  before,  on  August  12,  of  that  same  year.  George  and  Seretta 
(Newell)  Harmon  were  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  as 
follow:  Arthur  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Albert  M.,  a  farmer  living 
near  Exira,  this  county;  Mrs.  Mary  Hollister,  of  Guthrie  county,  Iowa;  Mrs. 
Daisy  Fairholm,  of  Messina,  Iowa :  Mrs.  Lulu  Gray,  residing  in  Audubon, 
this  county,  and  Frank  C,  who  is  engaged  in  the  furniture  and  undertaking 
business  at  Mingo,  Iowa. 

Arthur  C.  Harmon  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Audubon 
county  and  followed  the  vocation  of  farming  until  about  three  years  after  his 
marriage,  in  1898.  In  the  year  1901  he  left  the  farm  and  moved  to  Audubon, 
where  he  has  since  resided.  For  a  period  of  eight  years  after  moving  to 
Audubon  he  was  employed  in  a  furniture  and  undertaking  establishment  and 
in  1909  engaged  in  the  furniture  business  for  himself.  In  November,  1910, 
he  moved  his  furniture  stock  into  his  present  commodious  quarters,  his  store 
occupying  a  large  brick  structure  on  South  Park  place,  twenty-five  by  ninety 
feet  in  extent,  filled  with  a  modern  stock  of  goods  suitable  for  his  extensive 
trade.  Mr.  Harmon's  store  was  visited  by  a  disastrous  fire  on  February  3, 
1913,  and  the  entire  stock  of  goods  was  destroyed.  Undaunted  by  this  dis- 
aster, the  owner  immediately  restocked  his  place  and  was  soon  doing  busi- 
ness again. 

On  January  15,  1898,  Arthur  C.  Harmon  was  married  to  Lola  B.  Cham- 
berlain, daughter  of  George  and  Rhoda  (Mallett)  Chamberlain,  natives  of 
Virginia  and  New  York,  respectively.  Mr.  Harmon  was  born  in  Powieshiek 
county,  Iowa.  In  1880  the  Chamberlain  family  settled  in  Guthrie  county, 
this  state,  where  they  resided  until  1893,  in  which  year  they  came  to  Audu- 
bon county,  Mr.  Chamberlain  still  residing  on  the  farm  he  bought  at  that 
time.  Mrs.  Chamberlain  died  in  May,  1909.  Mrs.  Harmon  is  a  member  of 
the  Pythian  Sisters  and  of  the  Eastern  Star  lodges  and  is  popular  in  the 
social  life  of  Audubon.  She  is  an  intelligent  and  capable  woman,  an  excellent 
and  faithful  helpmeet  to  her  husband.  To  Arthur  C.  and  Lola  B.  (Cham- 
berlain) Harmon  one  son  has  been  born.  Harold  George,  born  on  February 
17,  1900,  who  now  is  attending  the  public  school. 

Arthur  C.  Harmon  is  a  Progressive  in  his  political  views,  having  cast 
his  lot  with  the  Roosevelt  party  in  1912.  He  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  he  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  being  a  member  of  the  chapter  and  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  387 

commandery  of  that  order.  He  also  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Pythian  Sisters,  and  the  Fraternal  Union.  Mr.  Harmon  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  county  coroner  in  1906  and  served  continuously  for  eight  years,  his 
years  of  service  in  that  office  speaking  well  for  the  esteem  in  which  he  is 
held  in  the  community.  Mr.  Harmon's  first  official  duty  in  the  coroner's 
office  was  to  hold  an  inquest  on  the  body  of  Theodore  Martin,  and  his  last 
official  act  was  to  hold  an  inquest  on  the  body  of  William  jMartin,  son  of 
Theodore  ]\Iartin.  In  every  phase  of  life's  activities  in  which  he  has  been 
engaged,  Mr.  Harmon  has  been  true  to  every  trust  and  because  of  his  genu- 
ine worth  and  upright  character  he  has  earned  and  retains  the  sincere  regard 
of  all  who  know  him. 


LEROY  J.  OLDAKER,  D.  D.  S. 

Leroy  J.  Oldaker,  now  a  well-known  dentist  of  Exira,  who,  in  a  com- 
paratively brief  period,  has  built  up  a  large  and  flourishing  practice  in  Exira 
and  surrounding  country,  was  born  on  June  24,  1873.  in  Johnson  county, 
Iowa,  son  of  James  W.  and  Adelaide  (Crosby)  Oldaker,  and  received  his 
elementary  education  in  the  public  schools  of  that  county.  After  finishing 
the  course  prescribed  in  the  common  schools,  he  took  a  course  in  the  acad- 
emy at  Iowa  City,  after  which  he  decided  to  take  up  dentistry,  with  which 
end  in  view  he  matriculated  for  the  professional  course  in  the  Iowa  State 
University,  and  was  a  student  in  this  institution  when  the  Spanish-American 
War  broke  out.  He  enlisted  for  service  in  Company  D,  Fiftieth  Regiment, 
Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  on  June  23,  1898,  and  was  mustered  out  of  the 
service  in  November  of  the  same  year.  Returning  to  college,  he  completed 
his  course  and  was  graduated  in  1900,  immediately  thereafter  beginning  the 
active  practice  of  his  profession  in  Exira. 

On  July  13,  1904,  Dr.  Leroy  J.  Oldaker  was  married  to  ]\Iaude  Camp- 
bell, daughter  of  Silas  and  Adell  Campbell,  and  to  this  union  was  born  one 
child,  James  Phillip,  now  deceased.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Oldaker  are  members 
of  the  Congregational  church. 

Doctor  Oldaker  is  a  Republican  and  is  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party 
in  this  county.  He  has  served  as  mayor  of  Exira  and  also  as  a  member  of 
the  city  council,  and  discharged  the  important  duties  of  these  offices  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  his  fellow  townsmen.  Doctor  Oldaker  is  a  Mason  of 
high  degree  and  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  at  Des  Moines.  He  also  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias. 


388  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

FRED  REYNOLDS. 

Born  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  on  August  16,  1856,  Fred  Reynolds,  one 
of  the  older  residents  of  Audubon  county,  has  lived  in  this  county  during 
the  period  of  its  greatest  growth  and  prosperity  and  is  widely  known  and 
highly  respected.  Mr.  Reynolds  is  the  son  of  John  H.  and  Lucy  (Seamons) 
Reynolds,  natives  of  Suffolkshire,  England.  The  father  was  a  laborer  in 
the  old  country,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  the  spring  of  1856,  landing 
at  New  York  city.  He  did  not  remain  long  in  New  York,  but  started  west, 
proceeding  as  far  as  Iowa  City,  at  that  time  the  terminus  of  the  railroad. 
There  the  father  secured  work  on  the  farm  of  Samuel  J.  Kirkwood,  later 
governor  of  the  state  of  Iowa  during  the  time  of  the  Civil  War.  He  worked 
there  for  several  years  and  then,  for  a  few  years,  rented  land.  In  1867  he 
purchased  forty  acres  of  land,  on  which  the  family  lived  until  1880,  in  which 
year  they  came  to  Audubon  county,  purchasing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  in  Greeley  township,  where  John  H.  Reynolds  and  his  wife  spent  the 
rest  of  their  lives.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  who  lived  to 
maturity,  as  follow:  Fred,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  ^Marguerite,  wife  of 
George  Hoover,  of  Audubon,  and  Samuel  W.,  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Hunt,  Mrs. 
Katie  V.  Bell,  Mrs.  Esther  M.  Barrack,  Mrs.  Lillian  L.  Stonebrook  and  Ida. 

Fred  Reynolds  lived  with  his  parents  until  he  was  married.  Several 
years  before  his  marriage  he  had  purchased  eighty  acres  of  wild  prairie  land, 
without  fences  or  any  other  kind  of  improvement.  Shortly  before  his  mar- 
riage he  built  on  this  place  a  small  house,  sixteen  by  twenty-four  feet,  con- 
sisting of  three  rooms,  which  served  as  a  home  until  1912,  in  which  year  he 
built  his  present  commodious  eight-room  house.  This  house  is  entirely 
modern  in  its  construction,  except  for  the  furnace,  and  is  equipped  with  gas- 
lights, bath  and  waterworks. 

On  January  i,  1888,  Fred  Reynolds  was  married  to  Savilla  Paige,  of 
this  county,  who  was  born  on  ]March  6,  1862,  daughter  of  Jerome  B.  and 
Sarah  M.  (  Durfee)  Paige,  natives  of  Ohio,  who  moved  from  Ohio  to  Illi- 
nois, and  from  Illinois  to  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  where  their  daughter. 
Saville,  was  born.  The  family  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1864,  and  here 
Jerome  B.  Paige  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days.  They  were  the  parents 
of  nine  children,  Mrs.  Mariah  Bateman  (deceased),  George,  IMalachi,  ]Mrs. 
Ruth  Currier,  Mrs.  Sylvia  Carley,  Mrs.  Levina  McMullen.  Mrs.  Fred  Rey- 
nolds, Mrs.  Matie  Herron  and  Mrs.  Laura  Judea. 

To  Fred  and  Savilla  (Paige)  Reynolds  have  been  born  two  children. 
Lulu  L.,  born  on  August  19.  1890,  and  John  D.,  ]\Iay  12,  1892.  both  of  whom 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  389 

live  at  home  with  their  parents.  Lulu  is  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Greeley 
township,  this  county,  and  has  been  very  successful  in  her  useful  calling. 

One  of  the  organizers  of  the  Greeley  Center  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  a  charter  member  of  that  congregation,  Fred  Reynolds  has  been  quite 
prominent  in  the  ailairs  of  the  ]\Iethodist  church  in  Greeley  township.  His 
father  and  mother  also  were  charter  members  of  this  congregation.  Politi- 
cally, Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  Republican  and  for  nine  years  served  as  township 
trustee.  He  previously  had  served  for  four  years  as  township  clerk,  and  is 
now  serving  his  second  term  in  that  office.  For  twenty  years  Mr.  Reynolds 
has  been  township  committeeman  of  the  Republican  party  and  has  taken  a 
very  active  part  in  local  politics.  Long  before  the  days  of  rural  delivery, 
when  the  mail  was  carried  on  horseback  or  on  foot,  Mr.  Reynolds  was  post- 
master at  Horace,  in  Greeley  township,  serving  for  seven  years  in  that 
capacity. 

Xot  only  from  the  standpoint  of  long  residence,  but  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  many  friends  he  has  made  since  coming  to  Audubon  county, 
Fred  Reynolds  deserves  to  rank  among  the  leading  citizens  of  Greeley  town- 
ship. 


FRED  C.  HEPP. 


The  following  is  a  sketch  of  a  plain,  honest  man  of  affairs  who,  by 
correct  methods  and  a  strict  regard  for  the  interests  of  his  patrons,  has  made 
his  influence  felt  in  the  town  of  Gray,  this  county,  having  won  for  himself 
distinctive  prestige  in  the  business  circles  of  that  pleasant  village.  He  would 
be  the  last  man  to  pose  as  a  subject  for  romance  or  to  court  fanciful  encom- 
ium ;  nevertheless,  his  life  presents  much  that  is  interesting  and  valuable  and 
which  may  be  studied  with  profit  by  the  young  men  whose  careers  are  yet  to 
be  made.  Mr.  Hepp  is  one  of  those  men  whose  integrity  and  strength  of 
character  inevitably  force  them  into  an  admirable  notoriety  which  their 
modesty  never  would  seek;  who  command  the  respect  of  their  contemporaries 
and  their  posterity  and  leave  the  impress  of  their  individuality  deeply  stamped 
on  the  community  where  their  la]x)rs  have  been  performed. 

Fred  C.  Hepp  was  born  on  February  21,  i860,  in  Bureau  county,  Illi- 
nois, the  son  of  John  C.  and  Margaretta  (Sopf)  Hepp,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  1828  and  died  in  the  fall  of  1895,  and  the  latter  in  June,  1833, 
and  died  in  June,  1882,  at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years  and  nine  months.  John 
C.   Hepp   was   a  native   of   Germany,   who   immigrated   to   Bureau   county. 


390  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Illinois,  when  a  young  man,  and  was  married  there.  In  1865  he  came  to 
Iowa,  settling  in  Poweshiek  county,  where  he  bought  a  farm.  In  1872  he 
moved  to  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  where  he  farmed  until  1881,  in  which  year 
he  came  to  Audubon  county,  settling  in  Lincoln  township,  where  he  bought 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  on  which  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life. 
To  John  C.  and  Alargaretta  i^Sopf )  Hepp  were  born  eight  children,  namely: 
Fred  C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  John  E.,  a  contractor  in  Audubon,  Iowa; 
Amelia,  who  died  in  1886;  Carl,  who  died  in  Illinois;  Delia,  Charles  and 
Ida,  all  of  whom  live  on  the  home  farm  in  Lincoln  township ;  and  Ida,  who 
died  while  the  family  was  living  in  Jasper  county.  John  C.  Hepp  served  in 
the  German  army  during  the  rebellion  of  1848  and  came  to  America  after- 
ward. He  enlisted  in  the  L^nion  army  in  the  fall  of  1863,  serving  until  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War.  He  then  moved  to  Poweshiek  county  and  purchased 
land  at  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  an  acre. 

Fred  C.  Hepp  remained  on  the  home  farm  with  his  parents  until  he  had 
reached  manhood's  estate  and  then  came  to  this  county,  opening  a  black- 
smith shop  in  the  town  of  Gray  in  the  spring  of  1887.  He  established  a  hard- 
ware store  in  the  same  town  in  1909  and  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative 
business.  From  the  point  of  years  of  service,  he  is  the  oldest  blacksmith  in 
Audubon  county,  having  served  at  this  trade  for  more  than  twenty-seven 
years.  He  began  as  a  blacksmith  on  the  farm  when  a  boy,  doing  work  for 
the  neighbors.  He  has  a  large  and  complete  stock  of  hardware  and  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  successful  men  of  that  section  of  the  county. 

On  March  23,  1883,  Fred  C.  Hepp  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Staum- 
baugh,  and  to  this  union  three  sons  and  four  daughters  have  been  born,  as 
follow :  Alahlon,  a  graduate  of  Iowa  State  University,  who  is  now  principal 
of  the  manual-training  department  of  the  Minneapolis  schools;  Stella,  who 
is  the  wife  of  William  Thompson,  a  bank  cashier  of  Correctionville,  Iowa; 
Florence,  a  student  in  the  Chicago  Musical  Conservatory,  who  has  been  a 
teacher  in  the  schools  of  Audubon  county  for  several  years ;  Esther,  who  is 
a  teacher  in  the  Ross  schools ;  George,  who  is  attending  manual-training 
school  in  Minneapolis,  and  Zola  and  \^irgin,  who  are  pupils  in  the  schools  of 
Gray. 

Fred  C.  Hepp  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party  and  was  post- 
master of  Gray  during  Cleveland's  last  administration  and  served  as  mayor 
of  Gray  for  two  terms.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hepp  and  family  attend  the  United 
Brethren  church,  although  they  are  not  members.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Hepp 
is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.     Mr.  Hepp  is  widely  known  and  deservedly  popular 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  39 1 

in  that  part  of  the  county.  He  is  generous  in  his  dealings  with  his  neighbors 
and  friends,  genial  in  his  manner  and  upright  and  honorable  in  all  of  the 
relations  of  life. 


MARTIN  E.  MORTENSEN. 

The  large  Danish- American  element  of  the  population  of  Audubon 
county  is  active  in  agricultural  pursuits,  prominent  in  the  professions  and 
successful  in  the  marts  of  trade.  The  people  from  the  little  kindgom  of 
Denmark  quickly  assimilate  American  ideas  and  customs  and  become  active 
and  component  parts  of  the  body  politic  in  a  short  time  after  landing  on  the 
shores  of  this  country.  The  Danish  people  of  Audubon  county  are  noted  for 
their  progressive  attitude  toward  all  things  tending  to  improve  the  condition 
of  all  the  people  and  have  become  thoroughly  Americanized.  Not  a  few  of 
them  have  achieved  wealth  and  local  distinction  since  taking  up  their  resi- 
dence in  this  county,  and  the  individual  referred  to  at  the  head  of  this  article 
has  not  only  succeeded  in  firmly  establishing  himself  on  an  excellent  financial 
footing  in  the  land  of  his  adoption,  but  has  received  distinguished  political 
preferment  from  the  people  of  Audubon  county  and  is  now  serving  the  public 
very  acceptably  in  his  second  term  as  county  treasurer. 

Martin  E.  Mortensen  was  born  in  Schleswig,  Denmark  (now  a  German 
province),  on  February  3,  1856,  son  of  Peter  and  Bodel  Marie  (Schmidt) 
Mortensen.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land  and  was 
reared  to  perform  farm  work.  The  labor  on  the  little  farm  which  his  people 
cultivated  was  all  done  by  hand  and  was  of  the  hardest  kind.  When  he  had 
attained  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  Martin  E.  Mortensen  emigrated  to 
America  and  came  to  Iowa,  locating  at  Atlantic,  in  the  year  i88'o.  For  two 
years  after  his  arrival  at  Atlantic  he  worked  at  various  forms  of  labor  in  the 
city.  In  1882  he  came  to  Audubon  county  and  "worked  out"  at  farm  labor 
in  Lincoln  and  Cameron  townships,  being  thus  engaged  for  some  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  rented  a  farm  for  one  year.  This  venture  prosper- 
ing, in  the  year  1889  he  purchased  from  Mr.  Neff  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in 
Sharon  township,  at  a  cost  of  twenty-five  dollars  an  acre.  After  tilling  this 
farm  for  some  time  he  sold  it  and  invested  in  two  hundred  acres  of  excellent 
land  in  Hamlin  township,  which  farm  is  now  tilled  by  his  son,  Peter  E. 
Mortensen.  In  19 12  Mr.  Mortensen  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to 
the  town  of  Hamlin  and  in  the  following  autumn  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
county  treasurer  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  being  re-elected  in  19 14. 


392  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

In  1882  Martin  E.  Mortensen  was  married  to  Sine  Marie  Rattenborg, 
to  which  union  have  been  born  six  children,  two  of  whom  are  deceased,  the 
surviving  children  being  as  follow:  Mrs.  Mary  Aagaard,  of  this  county; 
Peter  E.,  who  lives  on  the  home  farm  in  Hamlin  township;  Mrs.  Inger 
Aagaard,  of  this  county,  and  Hans,  formerly  bookkeeper  in  the  Bank  of  Gray, 
this  county,  now  deputy  county  treasurer.  Mr.  Mortensen's  mother  came  to 
America  and  resided  with  her  children  until  her  death,  her  husband  having 
died  in  Denmark. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mortensen  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  is 
a  stanch  Democrat  and  for  years  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  political 
affairs  of  the  county,  being  regarded  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party, 
having  filled  various  township  offices  in  Hamlin  township  before  his  election 
as  county  treasurer.  A  perusal  of  the  foregoing  paragraphs,  which  tell  the 
story  of  the  rise  of  a  poor  Danish  immigrant  to  a  position  of  affluence  and 
standing  in  the  community,  will  convince  the  reader  that  America,  more  than 
ever,  is  the  land  of  opportunity.  The  foreign-born  citizen  will  seize  at  any 
honest  labor  in  order  to  gain  a  livelihood  during  his  first  years  of  residence 
and  this  industry  accounts  in  great  measure  for  his  success.  Mr.  Mortensen's 
striking  success  may  l^e  attributed  to  industry,  perseverance,  keen  financial 
aliilitv  and  the  inherent  frugality  which  is  a  national  attribute  of  the  people 
of  Denmark. 


CHARLES  JOHNSON. 

The  respect  which  should  always  be  accorded  to  the  brave  sons  of  the 
North  who  left  home  and  peaceful  pursuits  of  civil  life  to  give  their  services 
and  their  lives,  if  need  be,  to  preserve  the  integrity  of  the  American  Union, 
is  certainly  due  the  memory  of  the  late  Charles  Johnson,  to  a  brief  review  of 
whose  life  the  following  lines  are  devoted.  He  proved  his  love  and  loyalty 
to  the  government  on  the  long,  tiresome  marches,  in  all  kinds  of  situations, 
exposed  to  summer's  withering  sun  and  winter's  freezing  cold;  on  the  lonely 
picket  line  a  target  to  the  unseen  foe;  on  the  tented  field  and  in  the  flame 
and  smoke  of  battle,  where  the  rattle  of  musketry  mingled  with  the  terrible 
concussion  of  the  bursting  shell,  and  the  deep  diapason  of  the  cannon's  roar, 
which  made  up  the  sublime,  but  awful,  chorus  of  death.  Among  these 
valiant  defenders  of  the  Union  and  of  Old  Glory,  the  late  Charles  Johnson 
was  one. 

Charles  Johnson,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa, 


72 


o 


V. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  393 

was  born  on  February  ii,  1823,  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  When  a 
young  man  he  removed  from  Philadelphia  to  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  was  reared  to  young  manhood.  Subsequently  he  removed  to 
Princeton,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  laborer  for  the  same  man 
who  had  employed  him  in  Pennsylvania. 

The  late  Charles  Johnson  was  married  on  April  20,  1858,  to  Barbara 
Ball,  and  after  their  marriage  they  settled  in  Putnam  county,  Illinois,  where 
they  lived  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  After  the  close  of  the  war 
they  moved  to  Macon  county,  Illinois,  and  lived  there  for  eleven  years  on 
a  rented  farm.  In  1875  they  moved  to  Greene  county,  Iowa,  and  in  1882 
sold  their  fine  farm  in  Greene  county  and  came  to  Audubon  county.  Here 
Mr.  Johnson  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  raw  prairie 
land,  wholly  unbroken,  for  which  he  paid  seven  dollars  an  acre.  Here  he 
erected  a  small  house,  consisting  of  one  room  down  and  two  rooms  upstairs. 
He  later  added  five  rooms  to  this  house,  and  this  became  in  time  a  good 
house.  Subsequently,  he  erected  a  fine  barn  on  this  farm,  and  the  family 
lived  on  that  place  for  twenty-one  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time 
they  moved  to  Audubon  and  bought  a  comfortable  residence.  Mr.  Johnson 
also  became  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Guthrie 
county,  Iowa,  and  was  accounted  a  very  substantial  citizen.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Johnson  began  life  with  nothing,  and  during  all  of  their  early  struggles, 
Mrs.  Johnson  practically  supported  the  family  from  the  proceeds  of  her 
poultry  and  the  dairy.  Mrs.  Johnson  now  cultivates  three  lots  in  Audubon, 
and  is  hale  and  hearty  despite  her  seventy-seven  years. 

In  1862  the  late  Charles  Johnson  enlisted  for  service  as  a  Union  soldier 
in  the  Civil  War,  in  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  Regiment, 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  eighteen  months.  He  contracted 
lung  fever  during  his  service  and  was  not  able  to  perform  strenuous  war 
duty,  part  of  the  time  being  detailed  to  hospital  duty.  Charles  Johnson  was 
a  Republican  and  served  as  constable  while  living  in  Illinois,  discharging 
the  duties  of  this  ofifice  in  a  creditable  manner.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  were 
lifelong  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  Mrs.  Johnson  is  still  an 
active  worker  in  this  church,  in  whose  welfare  she  is  deeply  interested.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Johnson  was  a  member  of  Allison  Post,  Grand  v\rmy  of  the 
Republic.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  filled  all  the  chairs  in  that  lodge.  His  death  occurred  on  December  20, 
1910,  and  he  was  buried  on  December  22,  1910,  under  the  auspices  of  tlie 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Charles  Johnson's  widow,  Mrs.  Barbara   (Ball)   Johnson,  was  born  on 


394  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

September  9,  1837,  in  Belmont  comity,  Ohio.     She  is  a  daughter  of  Vachel 
and  Frances  (Everett)  Ball,  who  were  natives  of  Virginia  and  Ohio,  respec- 
tively.    Vachel  Ball  was  a  descendant  of  the  Ball  family  of  Virginia,  which 
was  related  to  George  Washington.     In   1849  the  family  wen^-  ^- 
to  La  Salle,  Illinois,  and  then  by  train  they  remo  /ed  to  1 
state,  and  settled  on  a  farm  four  miles  west  of  Princeton.  D, 
Vachel  Ball  removed  his  family  to  Poweshie'    comtv    Tow  nis 

death  occurred  at  the  advanced  age  of  nir 

To  Charles  Johnson  and  wife  we^  two  .^uns,   Charles,  Jr.,  and 

Eugene  M.  Charles,  who  lives  '^ear  ,^  .,  Iowa,  married  Nora  Reddy. 
and  they  have  five  living  children;,  N<.llie,  Grace,  Wilbur  and  Willie  (twins) 
and  Gerald.  Eugene  M.  lives  at  x\udubon,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  auto- 
mobile and  garage  business.  He  married  Mary  Snyder,  to  which  union 
three  children  have  been  born.  Glen,  lola  and  Charles  Leon. 

Mrs.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  both 
these  organizations. 


LOUIS  GROTELUSCHEN. 

The  success  of  men  in  business  or  in  any  vocation  depends  upon  charac- 
ter as  well  as  upon  knowledge,  it  being  a  self-evident  proposition  that  hon- 
esty is  the  best  policy.  Business  demands  confidence  and  where  that  is 
lacking  business  ceases.  In  e^'ery  community  some  men  are  known  for  their 
upright  lives,  strong  common  sense  and  moral  worth.  Their  neighbors  and 
acquaintances  respect  them,  the  younger  generation  heeds  their  example; 
and  when  they  wrap  the  draperies  of  their  couches  about  them  and  lie  down 
to  pleasant  dreams,  posterity  listens  with  reverence  to  the  story  of  their  quiet 
and  useful  lives.  Among  such  men  in  this  county,  Louis  Groteluschen, 
merchant  and  president  of  the  Farmers  Savings  Bank  of  Gray,  takes  high 
rank.  Though  Mr.  Groteluschen  has  been  successful  in  material  pursuits, 
he  is  a  man  of  modest  and  unassuming  demeanor,  a  fine  type  of  the  reliable 
self-made  American;  a  friend  of  the  poor,  charitable  to  the  faults  of  his 
neighbors  and  active  in  his  support  of  laudable  public  enterprises.  Mr. 
Groteluschen  is  proud  of  Audubon  county  and  of  the  great  state  of  Iowa, 
and  is  zealously  concerned  in  their  progress  and  prosperity,  being  a  man  who, 
in  every  respect,  merits  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  the  business 
men  and  all  the  people  of  Audubon  county. 

Louis    Groteluschen   was   born    on   April    29,    1868,    in    Platte   county, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  395 

Nebraska,   the  son  of  John  and  Anna    (Loseke)    Groteluschen,   natives   of 

Oldenburg,  Germany,  'vho  were  married  there  in  1866.     They  immigrated  to 

America,  proc^-f  'uvvnet    once  to  Nebraska,  driving  from  Omaha  to  Platte 

I  •;,     aer"^  becar       ety-three   miles,   their  journey   to   Omaha   having 

■    ^ivin  from  Pittsburgh.     Upon  reaching  Platte  county 

Vl'.^'  ection  of  land  and  for  a  time  lived  in  dug-out 

tn   prospered    from   the   start   and   eventually 

owned  sever  /aska,  becoming  quite  well-to-do.     He  died  in 

1904,  at  the  age  o.       /'  -  -  ^ars.     He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 

the   following  children:      ^OL.is,   Ida       'eceased),   Adolph,   Lena,   Elizabeth, 

Amil,  Otto,  Bertha  and  Minnie    ^^'  hom    'v'e  in  Platte  county,  Nebraska 

save  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

In  1894  Louis  Groteluschen  left  Nebraska  and  came  to  Audubon  county, 
locating  at  Gray,  where  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  business,  and  has  thus 
been  engaged  very  successfully  since  that  time.  Mr.  Groteluschen  at  first 
was  associated  with  A.  F.  Greenwalt,  who  later  became  county  auditor^  under 
the  firm  name  of  Greenwalt  &  Groteluschen ;  later  the  firm  being  known  as 
Groteluschen  &  Newell.  Since  19 10  the  firm  has  been  known  as  L.  Grotelu- 
schen &  Company,  dealers  in  hardware  and  agricultural  implements.  A.  F. 
Greenwalt,  formerly  associated  with  Mr.  Groteluschen,  is  now  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Coon  Rapids.  For  ten  years  Mr.  Groteluschen 
bought  and  shipped  live  stock  in  addition  to  his  other  business.  He  has  a 
well-stocked  store  at  Gray  and  owns  a  tract  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  land  in  Nebraska.  Mr.  Groteluschen  has  been  connected  with  the  Farm- 
ers Savings  Bank  three  years,  and  was  originally  partner  with  Mr.  Wiley. 

On  May  22,  1895,  Louis  Groteluschen  was  married  to  Anna  Ahrens, 
daughter  of  Edwin  and  Anna  (Loseke)  Ahrens,  natives  of  Oldenburg,  Ger- 
many. Edwin  Ahrens  located  in  Nebraska  in  1855.  an  early  settler  of  the 
section  in  which  he  homesteaded  a  farm.  Anna  Loseke  came  to  this  country 
in  1859  with  her  parents,  who  bought  a  team  of  oxen  when  there  was  no 
longer  opportunity  for  transportation  by  water  and  actually  walked  across 
the  state  of  Iowa,  the  party  including  the  father,  the  mother,  three  sons  and 
Anna.  Edwin  Ahrens,  now  deceased,  pro3pered  in  his  pioneer  farming  and 
became  a  very  substantial  and  well-to-do  citizen.     His  widow  is  still  living. 

To  Louis  and  Anna  (Ahrens)  Groteluschen  eight  children  have  been 
born,  Arnold  (deceased),  Elma,  Rosa,  Walter,  Carl,  Theodore,  Herbert  and 
Ruth,  all  of  whom  are  at  home  and  attending  school. 

Mr.  Groteluschen  is  independent  in  his  political  views,  supporting  meas- 
ures of  men  rather  than  parties  and  party  emblems.  He  has  never  been 
identified  with  any  lodges. 


396  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

^  EDWARD  C.  RICE. 

The  character  of  a  community  is  determined  in"  ^  ,  '  neasure  by  the 
lives  of  a  comparatively  few  of  its  members.  If  it^"^*  ^ ;a  ^and  intellectual 
status  be  good,  if  in  a  social  way  it  is  a  pleasant  pla  n  which  to  reside;  if 
its  reputation  as  to  the  integrity  of  its  citizens  has  extended  to  other  locali- 
ties, it  will  be  found  that  the  standard  set  by  the  leading  business  men  is 
high  and  their  influence  such  as  to  mold  the  character  and  shape  the  lives  of 
those  with  whom  they  mingle.  In  a  general  way,  all  this  may  be  claimed 
for  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  in  placing  Edward  C.  Rice,  the  cashier  of 
the  Farmers  Savings  Bank,  of  Gray,  Iowa,  in  the  front  ranks  of  the  citizens 
of  this  part  of  Audubon  county,  recognition  is  accorded  a  very  worthy  citi- 
zen. Although  a  quiet  and  unassuming  man  with  no  ambition  for  public 
position  or  leadership,  he  has  contributed  much  to  the  material,  civic,  moral 
and  financial  development  of  his  community.  His  admirable  qualities  of 
head  and  heart,  and  the  straightforward,  upright  course  of  his  daily  life, 
have  won  for  him  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  business  associates. 

Edward  C.  Rice,  cashier  of  the  Farmers  Savings  Bank,  of  Gray,  Iowa, 
was  born  on  November  10,  i860,  in  Port  Byron.  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  the 
son  of  Warren  C.  and  Rachel  (Marshall)  Rice,  natives  of  New  York  and 
Ohio,  respectively.  Warren  C.  Rice  came  west  when  a  young  man  and 
settled  in  Illinois.  He  emigrated  to  Iowa  in  1884  and  settled  in  Audubon 
county,  where  he  followed  the  vocation  of  a  farmer.  After  he  retired  from 
active  farm  life  he  moved  to  Audubon,  where  his  death  occurred.  Warren 
C.  and  Rachel  (Marshall)  Rice  were  the  parents  of  four  children:  Mrs. 
Emma  R.  Moore,  of  Omaha,  Nebraska;  Frank  M.,  who  is  clerk  of  the  courts 
of  Audubon  county;  Edward  C,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review,  and 
Millie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years. 

Edward  C.  Rice  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Port  Byron,  Illinois, 
and  came  to  Audubon  in  the  fall  of  1881.  He  purchased  a  tract  of  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  section  8,  Greeley  township,  for  which  he  paid  seven  dollars 
an  acre.  This  land  was  raw  prairie  and  had  never  been  touched  by  a  plow. 
Mr.  Rice  hauled  corn  to  Exira,  which  he  sold  for  fifteen  cents  a  bushel,  and 
during  a  part  of  the  time  when  this  corn,  the  product  of  his  first  farm,  was 
being  hauled  to  Exira,  the  snow  was  up  to  the  bottom  of  the  wagon  bed. 
During  this  period,  Mr.  Rice  boarded  with  his  brother,  who  lived  about  a 
half-mile  awav.  He  farmed  here  for  five  years,  and  then  for  the  following 
five  years,  he  clerked  in  a  grocery  store  in  Audubon.  Subsequently,  he 
worked  for  a  pioneer  clothing  merchant  of  Audubon,   for  twelve  months, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  397 

after  which  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Alta,  Iowa,  for  four 
years.  On  December  3,  1901,  Mr.  Rice  took  charge  of  the  Farmers 
Exchange  Bank,  owned  by  Messrs.  Leet  and  Boysen.  After  Mr.  Leet's 
death,  the  partners  became  Lida  L.  and  Helen  C.  Leet. 

The  Farmers  Savings  Bank,  of  Gray,  Iowa,  of  which  Mr.  Rice  is  the 
cashier,  was  first  established  in  1892.  It  was  founded  by  George  P.  Wiley, 
as  the  branch  bank  of  Remsen,  Iowa.  Mr.  Wiley  was  succeeded  by  Mr. 
Greglow,  of  Remsen,  Iowa,  and  later  by  Leet  and  Boysen,  and  then  by  Lida 
and  Helen  Leet.  In  191 2  it  was  organized  as  the  Farmers  Savings  Bank, 
and  Mr.  Rice  took  a  \'ery  active  part  in  the  organization  of  this  bank. 

Edward  C.  Rice  was  twice  married,  his  first  marriage  occurring  in 
February,  1883,  to  Hattie  E.  Mulhollen,  who  died  in  January,  1887.  Mr. 
Rice  was  afterwards  married,  on  July  10.  1896,  and  to  his  second  marriage 
two  children  were  born.  Homer  and  Raymond,  twins,  born  July  12,  1901. 

Mr.  Rice  is  a  Republican,  but  his  many  business  interests  do  not  permit 
of  his  taking  a  very  active  part  in  political  matters.  Fraternally,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  at  Audubon,  and  takes  an  active  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  this  organization. 


BENTON  L.  DARNOLD. 


The  gentleman  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  sketch  belongs  to 
that  class  of  men  who  wins  life's  battles  by  sheer  force  of  personality  and 
determination,  coupled  with  soundness  of  judgment  and  keen  discrimination. 
In  whatever  Mr.  Darnold  has  undertaken,  he  has  shown  himself  to  be  a  man 
of  ability  and  honor,  always  ready  to  lend  his  aid  in  promoting  principles 
affecting  the  public  good,  having  ably  and  conscientiously  served  the  city  of 
Audubon  as  marshal  and  water  commissioner,  while  in  other  phases  of  social 
and  political  life,  he  has  so  conducted  himself  as  to  win  the  uncjualified 
endorsement  and  support  of  his  neighbors  and  fellow  townsmen. 

Benton  L.  Darnold  was  born  on  January  3,  1843,  ^^^  Madison  county, 
Virginia.  He  is  the  son  of  William  and  Lucinda  (Quinn)  Darnold,  natives 
of  old  Virginia.  William  Darnold  was  born  in  1808  and  was  a  son  of 
William  Wallace  Darnold,  also  a  native  of  Virginia.  Lucinda  Quinn,  who 
married  William  Darnold,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage  and  was  born  in 
1 81 2.  The  family  came  to  Iowa  in  1858,  driving  overland,  and  located  in 
Wapello,  Louisa  county,  Iowa,  where  they  settled  on  a  farm  and  were  among 


398  AUDUBON    COUNTY.    IOWA. 

the  pioneer  settlers.  In  1878  they  went  to  Kansas  with  a  son  and  the  father 
died  in  that  state;  the  wife  dying  in  1879,  soon  after  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band. They  reared  a  family  of  twelve  children,  Joseph  A.,  who  is  a  con- 
tractor in  Kansas  City;  Richard,  who  is  a  government  contractor  in  Wash- 
ington; Donald,  who  lives  at  Villisca,  Iowa;  John  H.,  who  also  lives  at 
\^illisca;  Edward,  deceased;  Mrs.  Sarah  Lookingbill,  who  lives  in  ^lediapolis, 
Des  Moines  county,  Iowa;  two,  who  died  in  infancy;  Benton  L.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  and  Thomas  W.,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Eighth  Iowa 
Cavalry  and  later  enlisted  in  the  regular  army  under  General  ]\Iiles,  and  is 
located  in  the  W^est. 

Benton  L.  Darnold  was  thirteen  years  of  age  when  his  family  cam.e  to 
Iowa,  v^'here  he  assisted  his  father  on  the  home  farm.  He  enlisted  when 
nineteen  years  old  at  Burlington  on  January  2^,  1862,  in  Company  K,  Second 
Iowa  Cavalry,  and  served  until  the  end  of  the  war,  when  he  was  mustered 
out  at  Salem,  Alabama.  He  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Black  River,  luka 
Springs,  Shiloh.  Nashville  and  A\>st  Point.  He  was  also  in  many  minor 
engagements  and  was  wounded  at  Farmington.  Mississippi,  in  a  charge,  his 
right  wrist  being  struck  by  a  bullet  which  plowed  through  the  flesh  to  the 
shoulder.  A  brother,  Thomas  X.,  was  taken  prisoner  and  kept  in  Anderson- 
ville  for  a  short  time. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Darnold  operated  an  engine  and  a  saw- 
mill for  two  years.  He  then  farmed  for  about  ten  years  and  came  to 
Audubon  county  in  1875.  He  owned  a  farm  in  Hamlin  township,  but  moved 
to  Audubon  in  1883  and  operated  a  grain  elevator  for  three  years.  Since 
1886  he  has  been  city  marshal  and  street  commissioner  and  for  several  years 
has  been  water  commissioner  of  Audubon. 

Mr.  Darnold  was  married  in  1866  to  Martha  Barton,  who  was  the 
daughter  of  Josiah  Barton,  and  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1841  and 
died  in  October,  19 12.  She  was  left  an  orphan  early  in  life  and  was  adopted 
by  a  ]\Ir.  Sheets,  who  brought  her  to  Iowa.  Seven  children  were  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Darnold,  Nettie,  the  wife  of  Charles  Lefoy,  of  Melville  town- 
ship, Audubon  county,  who  has  four  children;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Louis 
Jones,  of  Audubon;  Mrs.  Lottie  Ralph,  of  Audubon;  Mrs.  Elsie  May  Mertz, 
of  Sioux  City;  Mrs.  Daisy  Carper,  of  Audubon;  William  Hutton  and  Anna, 
both  deceased. 

Benton  L.  Darnold  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  afiiliated  to  this  party 
during  his  entire  life.  He  is  a  member  of  Allison  Post,  No.  34,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  All  of  the  members  of  the  Darnold  family  are  con- 
scientious and  devout  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA.  399 

JAMES  M.  CARLSON. 

It  is  not  an  easy  task  to  describe  adequately  the  career  of  a  man  who 
has  led  an  eminently  active  and  busy  life,  and  who  has  attained  a  position 
of  relative  distinction  in  the  community  with  which  his  interests  are  allied. 
Biography,  however,  finds  its  most  perfect  justification  in  tracing  and  record- 
ing the  facts  of  such  a  life  history.  It  is.  therefore,  with  a  full  appreciation 
of  what  is  demanded,  and  with  the  painstaking  scrutiny  which  must  be 
accorded  each  statement,  and  yet  with  a  feeling  of  satisfaction,  that  the 
details  of  the  career  of  James  2vl.  Carlson,  a  well-known  banker  of  Exira, 
are  here  briefly  set  forth. 

James  M.  Carlson,  the  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank,  of  Exira, 
Iowa,  was  born  on  December  17,  1884,  in  Denmark,  the  son  of  Hans  P.  and 
Oline  (Petersen)  Carlson,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Denmark,  the  former 
in  1839,  and  the  latter  in  1851.  Hans  P.  Carlson  died  in  1904.  He  was  a 
farmer  in  Denmark  and  came  to  America  in  1892.  He  located  near  Elkhorn, 
Iowa,  where  he  rented  a  farm  for  ten  vears.  He  then  moved  to  a  farm  near 
Atlantic.  Iowa,  where  he  lived  for  a  short  time,  after  which  he  moved  to 
Shelby  county,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  until  his  death. 

Hans  P.  and  Oline  (Petersen)  Carlson  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren: Chris,  deceased,  was  married  to  Lena  Petersen,  who  is  also  deceased; 
Nels,  immarried,  lives  in  Canada;  Anna,  the  wife  of  Walter  E.  Potts;  James 
]\I..  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch;  Alfred,  unmarried,  lives  at  home 
with  his  mother  at  ]\Iarne,  Iowa. 

James  M.  Carlson  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Shelby 
county,  Iowa,  and  after  leaving  his  home  township  schools,  he  took  a  course 
at  the  Capital  City  Commercial  College,  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  was  grad- 
uated from  this  institution  with  the  class  of  1904.  He  then  took  a  law 
course  in  the  Lincoln-Jefiferson  LTniversity  at  Hammond,  Indiana,  and  from 
this  institution,  which  is  a  correspondence  school,  he  received  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws.  After  completing  his  law  course,  ]\Ir.  Carlson  engaged  in 
the  banking  business  at  Marne  Savings  Bank,  at  Marne,  Iowa,  where  he 
remained  for  five  years,  and -then  located  in  California  for  one  year.  He 
came  to  Exira  and  was  elected  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  in  191 1. 

Air.  Carlson  was  married  in  19 12  to  Ethel  Musselman,  the  daughter  of 
Millard  and  Dora  (Cumpston)  Musselman,  and  to  this  union  one  child,  Mar- 
jorie,  has  been  born.  Mrs.  Carlson  was  born  in  Warren  county,  Iowa,  and 
her  parents  were  also  natives  of  this  state.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  Carrie,  William,   Ethel,  John.   Scle  and  Vera.      Mrs.   Carlson  is  a 


4O0  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

member  of  the  Primitive  Baptist  church,  of  which  the   family  are  regular 
attendants. 

Mr.  Carlson  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belong- 
ing to  the  Blue  Lodge  Xo.  342,  at  Exira,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine  at  Des  Moines.  James  M.  Carlson  is  a  Republican,  and  is  at  the 
present  time  a  memljer  of  the  Exira  city  council,  and  has  made  a  splendid 
record  in  this  office.  Mr.  Carlson  has  been  very  successful  as  a  banker,  and 
much  of  the  success  of  the  First  National  Bank,  of  Exira,  Iowa,  is  partially 
due  to  b-is  efforts.  He  is  popular  with  the  patrons  of  the  bank  and  with  the 
officers  and  directors  of  the  institution  as  well.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carlson  are 
popular  socially  in  Exira,  and  well  known  to  a  large  number  of  people. 


REV.  JENS  PETER  CHRISTIANSEN. 

The  life  of  the  minister  of  the  gospel,  with  its  requirements  for  personal 
sacrifice,  does  not  attract  the  a\erage  man.  To  the  lay  mind,  it  is  some- 
times incomprehensible  that  a  man  should  voluntarily  give  up  much  of  his 
personal  freedom  in  order  that  he  may  minister  to  the  spiritual,  physical  or 
material  welfare  of  those  in  need  of  him.  Although  the  minister's  chief 
concern  is  for  the  spiritual  uplift  of  the  community  which  he  serves,  his 
duties  and  his  thought  are  not  nowadays  limited  to  this  sphere  of  life.  The 
modern  minister  must  constantly  respond  to  demands  of  which  his  prede- 
cessors knew  nothing.  Not  only  must  he  be  always  ready  with  advice  and 
encouragement  for  those  who  seem  worsted  in  life's  battle,  but  he  must  also 
render  financial  assistance  to  many  causes  and  indixiduals.  Otherwise,  he 
would,  no  doubt,  lose  his  infiuence  as  a  preacher.  Not  a  calling,  indeed,  to 
appeal  to  any  but  the  unselfish  and  altruistic.  But  here  and  there  we  find 
men  and  women  who  have  discovered  that  happiness  for  them  lies  along  this 
way,  and  to  such,  ministry  is  not  a  sacrifice,  but  a  joy.  A  stranger  in 
Audubon  county  would  not  have  to  remain  here  long  to  hear  the  name  of 
Rev.  Jens  Peter  Christiansen,  pastor  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  Church,  in  the 
town  of  Audubon.  Reverend  Christiansen  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  having 
been  born  there  on  November  17,  1876.  in  a  town  called  Ruds-\''edby. 

Rev.  Jens  Peter  Christiansen  is  the  son  of  Nels  and  Anna  Metta  (Fred- 
ericksen)  Christiansen,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  the  father  born  in  Jerslev, 
the  mother  in  Kallenborg.  The  father  was  engaged  in  farming  both  in 
Denmark  and  in  this  country,  he  having  come  here  in  1893,  settling  in  Win- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  4OI 

throp,  Iowa,  where  he  bought  a  farm,  retiring  from  active  labor  some  years 
before  his  death,  which  occurred  in  August,  1912.  Upon  retiring  from  the 
farm,  Nels  Christiansen  moved  to  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  where  his  widow  still 
resides.  Both  were  stanch  Christians  and  energetic  workers  in  the  Luth- 
eran church.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Christian 
Valdemar,  a  farmer  living  in  Cedar  Falls;  Johannes  Christiansen,  a  machin- 
ist in  Philadelphia;  Laurits  Christiansen,  who  is  also  a  machinist,  but  who 
lives  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri;  Martin  Christiansen,  who  is  employed  by 
the  Gas  and  Electric  Light  Company  at  Cedar  Falls,  and  Rev.  Peter  Chris- 
tiansen, the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Jens  Peter  Christiansen  was  graduated  from  the  schools  of  Denmark, 
and  upon  coming  to  the  United  States  attended  Trinity  Seminary  at  Blair, 
Nebraska,  from  1899  until  1906,  in  which  latter  year  he  was  graduated. 
His  first  charge  was  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  where  he  remained  from  1906 
until  1909,  coming  thence,  in  the  latter  year,  to  this  county,  in  response  to  a 
call  from  the  Danish  Lutheran  congregation  at  Audubon,  and  has  lived 
ever  since  in  that  city,  serving  very  acceptably  as  pastor  of  the  Danish  Luth- 
eran church. 

On  June  6,  1906,  the  year  of  his  graduation.  Rev.  J.  P.  Christiansen 
was  married  to  Nora  Jensen,  who  was  born  in  Kundby,  Denmark,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Jens  and  Marie  (Olsen)  Jensen,  who  came  to  America  in  1873,  locat- 
ing at  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  where  Jens  Jensen  died  on  May  4,  191 5,  his  wife 
having  preceded  him  to  the  grave  many  years,  her  death  having  occurred  on 
June  30,  1898.  Mrs.  Christiansen  is  the  sixth  child  born  to  her  parents,  the 
others  being:  Jens  S.,  who  lives  in  Kansas;  Maria,  deceased;  Christine,  of 
Cedar  Falls;  Line  J.,  also  of  Cedar  Falls;  Christian  J.,  of  Waterloo,  Iowa; 
a  daughter,  Ida,  who  is  now  dead,  and  Alfred  J.,  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa. 

It  is  only  natural  that  a  man  of  Reverend  Christiansen's  profession 
should  be  well  educated.  But  it  does  not  follow  that  he,  as  a  minister,  should 
keep  abreast  with  the  times,  as  this  is  not  an  invariable  rule.  It  is  true,  how- 
ever, in  the  present  case,  for  one  element  of  Mr.  Christiansen's  marked  suc- 
cess in  the  ministry  is  his  interest  in  modern  thought  and  modern  activities. 

To  Rev.  J.  P.  and  Nora  (Jensen)  Christiansen  three  children  have  been 
born:  Rudolf  Paulus,  born  on  June  29,  1907;  Phillip  Wilhelm,  July  17, 
.1909,  and  Noomi  Damaris,  July  9,  1912. 

Since  their  residence  in  Audubon,  the  Reverend  and  Mrs.  Christiansen 
have  become  important  factors  in  the  life  of  the  town  in  which  they  live. 
Not  only  as  a  minister  does  the  former  find  and  fill  his  place  in  the  com- 
(26) 


402  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

munity,  but  as  a  man  he  is  respected  and  admired.  Nor  is  this  respect  and 
admiration  hmited  to  the  congregation  to  which  he  ministers,  for  his  range 
of  influence  extends  beyond.  As  a  minister's  wife,  conscious  of  the  high 
calhng  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Christiansen  has  seconded  all  of  her  husband's 
efforts  in  Iniilding  up  strong  Christian  manhood  and  womanhood  in  this 
community,  and  both  would  be  greatly  missed  should  they  leave  Audubon. 


PETER  MATHISEN. 


Not  only  those  whose  lives  are  spent  in  the  teeming  cities,  and  in  the 
world's  centers  of  industry  and  commerce,  are  worthy  of  classification  among 
earth's  great  and  useful,  but  he  who  has  Ijeen  a  good  husband,  a  loving  father, 
a  true  neighbor  and  a  lo}'al  citizen  is  great  as  a  man,  e\-en  though  his  praises 
have  not  been  sung  in  press  and  pulpit.  Every  man  who  has  held  public 
office  and  who  is  honest,  has  given  to  his  community  time,  attention  and  ser- 
vice which  the  salary  paid  him  cannot  cover.  Many  are  the  demands  made 
upon  such  a  one.  and  yet  would  not  come  to  him  as  a  private  citizen  or  busi- 
ness man.  When,  therefore,  it  is  said  of  a  man  that  he  has  filled  anv  office 
with  credit,  this  may  be  taken  to  mean  that  he  has  given  the  best  that  was 
in  him  for  the  public  good. 

Peter  Mathisen,  ex-supervisor  and  retired  farmer  of  Audubon,  Iowa,  is 
a  native  of  Denmark,  having  been  born  there  on  October  21,  1845,  ""i  ^^e 
province  of  Schleswig. 

His  parents,  Peter  and  Christina  (Stephensen)  Mathisen,  also  were 
born  and  brought  up  there.  The  father,  a  farmer,  died  when  he  was  sixty 
years  of  age,  and  the  mother  came  to  this  country  in  1877,  lived  with  her 
children  in  Sharon  township,  this  county  until  her  death  in  1903.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mathisen  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Peter,  whose 
name  appears  at  the  head  of  this  brief  record,  was  the  eldest.  The  others 
were:  Catherine,  who  died  in  Davenport,  Iowa;  Carrie,  now  the  wife  of 
Jens  Werner  of  Audubon,  Iowa ;  Sophia,  who  passed  away  while  the  family 
lived  in  Davenport;  Jorgen,  a  farmer  living  in  Sharon  townshi]).  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  and  Maria,  the  youngest  daughter,  who  died  in  Denmark. 

The  eldest  son,  Peter,  was  ambitious  for  education,  and  received  his  early 
schooling  in  Denmark,  Imt  he  was  compelled  to  leave  school  for  the  farm,  and 
as  a  yoiing  man,  worked  out  on  a  farm.  Being  ambitious  to  advance,  and 
while  still  a  young  man  of  twenty-two,  he  started  for  America,  at  first  tak- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  4O3 

ing  up  the  occupation  he  had  followed  in  the  old  country,  this  time,  in  Daven- 
port, Iowa.  From  1869  until  1872,  he  lived  in  Cass  county  and  worked  on 
the  Rock  Island  railway. 

In  1870,  he  was  married  to  Sophia  Sorensen,  who  was  born  in  Denmark 
and  who  came  to  this  country  in  1869.  In  the  year  1872,  preferring  the 
farm  to  railroad  work,  Mr.  Mathisen  purchased  a  tract  of  prairie  land 
belonging  to  the  railway  company  four  miles  north  of  Atlantic,  Iowa,  and 
began  clearing  his  forty  acres.  Four  years  later  he  removed  to  Jackson 
township,  Shelby  county,  the  same  state,  bought  one  hundred  acres,  and  made 
this  his  home  for  seven  years,  living  on  the  farm  which  he  improved.  In 
1883,  Sharon  township  attracted  him,  and  he  became  the  possessor  of  a  piece 
of  unimproved  land,  a  portion  of  which  was  partially  improved,  and  after 
expending  several  thousand  dollars  for  improvements,  began  stock  raising. 
He  specialized  in  a  good  breed  of  cattle,  Poland  China  hogs,  and  draft  horses. 
For  the  two  years  following  1896,  he  lived  on  a  farm  which  he  owned  in 
Leroy  township.  Audubon  became  his  home  in  1900,  and  it  was  on  the  west 
side  of  the  town  that  he  built  his  present  home.  Besides  the  site  on  which  it 
is  situated,  he  owns  two  other  lots.  A  farm  which  he  owns  in  Cameron 
township  is  rented  to  tenants. 

Owing  to  having  held  three  prominent  county  offices,  Mr.  Mathisen  is 
unusually  well  known,  not  only  in  the  vicinity  of  his  own  home,  but  in  adjoin- 
ing neighborhoods.  For  several  years,  he  was  trustee  of  Sharon  township, 
and  a  school  director,  and  was  elected  county  supervisor  in  1891 ;  he  served 
in  this  latter  capacity  for  three  years.  An  active  politician,  he  was  a  leader 
in  the  Democratic  party,  and  his  judgment  was  relied  upon  by  other  poli- 
ticians. He  has  been  identified  all  of  his  life  with  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church.  In  matters  concerning  current  events,  Mr.  Mathisen  is  always  well 
informed,  and  his  interests  are  not  limited  to  local  subjects. 

The  children  born  are  four  in  number.  The  eldest,  Christina,  is  mar- 
ried to  Andrew  Knudsen  of  Sharon  township,  and  they  live  on  the  old  home- 
stead of  her  father.  Their  children  are  Mary,  Johanna  and  Sophia.  The 
second  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mathisen  died  in  infancy,  and  Maria,  the  next 
in  order  of  birth  passed  away  while  young.  Stephen  is  a  farmer  in  Sharon 
township.  He  married  Christina  Nelsen,  and  their  children  are  named  Anna 
Marie  and  Laura. 

These  are  the  important  facts  concerning  the  life  of  Peter  Mathisen, 
but  one  must  read  between  the  lines  to  realize  that  success  and  honor  among 
his  fellow  men  did  not  come  without  effort  and  just  cause.  Those  pioneers 
who  have  become  prosperous,  are  strong,  sturdy  characters,  undaunted  by 


404  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

conditions  which  would  dismay  less  stalwart  minds,  and  so  when  the  goal 
has  been  reached,  and  they  can  cease  the  more  strenuous  activities,  it  should 
not  be  forgotten  that  the  way  has  not  always  been  so  easy,  nor  the  conditions 
of  life  pleasant.  No  one  more  deserves  a  life  free  from  care,  comparatively 
speaking,  than  he  who  has  known  what  it  means  to  work  for  long  hard  hours, 
and  to  keep  at  it  when  the  end  seemed  far  away. 


LUDWIG  F.  MILLER. 


Ludwig  F.  Miller,  cashier  of  the  Brayton  Savings  Bank  of  Brayton, 
Iowa,  is  one  of  the  well-known  citizens  and  business  men  of  Audubon  county. 
Engaged  in  the  grain  business  in  this  community  for  many  years  and  at 
different  times  in  the  lumber  business,  he  has  many  friends  in  this  part  of 
Audubon  county,  men  who  know  him  for  his  worth  as  a  citizen  and  for  his 
honorable  and  upright  dealings  with  the  public  generally. 

Mr.  Miller  was  born  on  July  27,  1858,  in  Denmark,  the  son  of  M.  F.  and 
Maren  (Larson)  Miller,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  the  father  having  been  a 
school  teacher  and  having  taught  school  for  thirty-eight  years.  He  died  in 
1878,  his  wife  survi\ing  him  many  years,  passing  away  in  191 2.  They  had 
six  children :  Frederick,  Lawrence,  Peter,  Minnie,  Laura  and  L.  F.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 

It  was  Mr.  Miller's  good  fortune  to  have  the  opportunity  in  his  native 
land,  to  obtain  a  better  education  than  most  of  his  fellow  countrymen  who 
have  come  to  America  from  that  country.  After  finishing  the  course  given 
in  the  public  schools,  he  attended  college  and  upon  leaving  college,  spent 
eighteen  months  in  the  Danish  army. 

Coming  to  America  in  1882,  L.  F.  Miller  located  at  Brayton,  Iowa, 
where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  two  years.  Subsequently,  he  took  a 
position  with  the  D.  W.  Powers  Lumber  Company,  which  he  held  for  three 
years.  In  the  meantime,  he  also  bought  grain  and  operated  an  elevator  for 
two  years.  He  then  worked  for  the  Green  Bay  Lumber  Company  for  one 
and  a  half  years  and  finally  engaged  in  the  grain  business  himself  under  the 
firm  name  of  Worthing  &  Miller.  For  ten  years  Mr.  Miller  was  engaged 
in  the  grain  business  at  Brayton,  but  sold  out  to  the  Rothchild  Grain  Com- 
pany and  worked  for  this  company  for  two  years  at  Brayton  and  also  two 
years  at  Laura,  Iowa. 

In  1 90 1  Mr.  Miller  became  engaged  in  the  banking  business  at  Brayton, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  405 

Iowa,  in  the  bank  owned  by  Delehoyde  &  Van  Gorder  and  served  as  assistant 
cashier  of  this  bank  until  19 13,  when  it  became  a  state  bank  and  he  was 
elected  cashier.  The  Brayton  Savings  Bank  has  had  a  very  satisfactory 
growth,  and  no  small  part  of  its  prosperity  is  due  to  the  zeal,  wisdom  and 
energy  of  its  cashier. 

On  May  29,  1882,  Mr.  Miller  was  married  to  Olena  Hansen,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Hans  and  Mary  Ann  (Rasmussen)  Hansen.  Of  the  children  born  to 
this  marriage,  six  are  now  living:  Raymond,  Harry,  Einer,  Minnie,  Agnes 
and  Edna.  Raymond  married  Ina  Bisom  and  has  three  children,  Lucile, 
Cosetta  and  Carl  L. ;  Minnie  married  Reed  Walker  and  has  one  child,  John 
Dale.  The  remainder  of  the  children  are  single  and  live  at  home.  Mrs. 
Miller  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  as  were  her  parents,  and  she  came  to  America 
in  1882,  the  year  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Miller.  Her  parents  lived  and  died 
in  their  native  land.  They  had  three  children :  Olena,  Jens  R.  and  Karen 
Marie. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  of  which  he  is  now  a  past  grand.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America  at  Brayton.  In  politics,  he  has  always  been 
identified  with  the  Republican  party  since  coming  to  this  country.  As  a 
public-spirited  citizen,  Mr.  Miller  is  well  known  in  this  section  of  Audubon 
county,  not  only  for  his  wide  and  diversified  career  in  business  but  for  his 
interest  and  support  of  public  movements.  He  is  very  popular  among  the 
people  of  this  community,  being  affable  and  agreeable,  honorable  and  straight- 
forward in  all  the  relations  of  life. 


JOHN  M.  DIMICK. 


John  M.  Dimick  is  a  well-known  cattle  buyer  and  feeder  of  Exira,  Iowa, 
who,  after  farming  with  his  father  for  ten  years,  purchased  the  homestead 
farm  in  Audubon  county  and  began  life  for  himself.  Mr.  Dimick  began  life 
with  eighty  acres  of  land,  for  which  he  paid  twenty-two  and  one-half  dollars 
an  acre.  Now,  he  is  perhaps  the  most  extensive  stock  raiser  in  Audubon 
county.  He  has  increased  his  land  holdings  from  eighty  to  five  hundred  and 
thirty-five  acres  and  raises  on  an  average  five  hundred  head  of  live  stock 
every  year.  He  buys  between  twenty-five  and  thirty  thousand  bushels  of 
corn  and  feeds  from  fifteen  to  twenty  carloads  of  cattle,  and  from  five  hun- 
dred to  six  hundred  head  of  hogs  each  year.     The  immensity  of  these  opera- 


406  AUDUBON    COUNTY,  .  IOWA. 

tions  is  immediately  apparent  to  any  one  who  is  at  all  familiar  with  farming. 
Mr.  Dimick  has  the  reputation  of  feeding  prime  cattle,  which  the  Chicago 
buyers  are  always  anx'ious  to  get,  and  for  which  they  are  always  willing  to 
pay  top  prices.     He  deserves  much  credit  for  the  great  progress  he  has  made. 

John  ^I.  Dimick  was  born  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  February  27,  1869, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  J.  and  Fannie  (Mitchell)  Dimick,  both  of  whom  .were 
natives  of  Erie  county.  New  York.  John  J.  Dimick  was  born  January  24, 
1825,  and  his  wife,  who,  before  her  marriage,  was  Fannie  Mitchell,  was  born 
March  31,  1837.  John  J.  Dimick  grew  to  manhood  in  Erie  county,  Xew 
York,  and  there  lived  upon  a  farm.  Before  his  marriage  he  made  a  trip  to 
California  during  the  historic  gold-strike  of  1849-50.  He  was  farily.  suc- 
cessful in  his  cjuest  for  fortune  and  after  remaining  in  California  for  three 
years  he  returned  to  \\'isconsin,  where  he  remained  until  1858,  when  he  came 
to  Johnson  county,  Iowa.  While  living  in  Wisconsin  he  conducted  a  hotel. 
After  coming  to  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  he  first  purchased  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  Johnson  county.  Subsequently,  he  increased  his  hold- 
ings by  one-half.  After  being  well  started  in  farming,  he  engaged  in  the 
lumber  and  stock  business,  in  which  line  he  remained  for  five  years,  at  the 
expiration  of  which  time  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  in 
March,  1881,  locating  four  miles  northwest  of  Exira.  Here  he  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  was  engaged  in  general  farming 
until  1 90 1,  when  he  moved  to  Exira  and  took  up  cattle  buying,  following 
this  business  until  his  death,  January  i,  1910.  His  wife  had  died  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  century  previously,  ^larch  i,  1879. 

John  J.  and  Fannie  (]\Iitchell)  Dimick  were  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  now  living,  and  in  the  order  of  birth  were  as  follow : 
George  G..  Elvira,  Horace,  ]\Iary,  Calvin  I.,  John  i\I.,  Julia,  Jesse,  Ella  and 
one  who  died  in  infancy.  George  G.  is  living  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Ham- 
lin township  owned  by  John  ^I.  Dimick;  Elvira  is  living  in  Syracuse,  Xew 
York;  Horace  is  deceased;  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Edward  Dryden,  a  farmer 
of  Hamlin  township;  Calvin  I.  lives  in  Exira  township;  Julia  is  the  wife  of 
\\'alkup  ]\I.  Crees,  of  Hamlin  township ;  Jesse  and  Ella  live  at  Boone,  Iowa. 

John  ^I.  Dimick  entered  the  public  schools  of  Johnson  county,  Iowa, 
and  was  enabled  to  secure  a  good  education,  which  has  been  of  great  assist- 
ance to  him  in  all  of  the  business  of  his  life.  He  was  married  on  July  20, 
1 889,  to  ]\Iaretta  Cook,  the  daughter  of  Charles  Cook,  and  to  this  union  three 
children  were  born,  Clyde  J.,  Ellowene  and  Frank.  Clyde  is  manager  of  the 
Tabor  Lumber  Company,  of  ^^^infield.  Iowa,  and  is  married  to  Pearl  Sewel 
of  Henrv  countv,  Iowa ;  he  has  built  a  fine  residence  at  Winfield  at  a  cost  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY.    IOWA.  4O7 

three  thousand  dollars ;  Ellowene  is  in  attendance  at  Ames  University  and 
Frank  is  also  a  student  at  Ames  University. 

Mr.  Dimmick  has  always  been  more  or  less  acti\e  in  Republican  politics, 
and  has  ser\ed  in  se\eral  offices.  He  has  served  as  trustee  of  Hamlin  town- 
ship for  six  years,  discharging  the  duties  of  this  office  in  a  very  satisfactory 
manner  to  his  fellow  citizens.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  ]\Iaccabees.  ]\Ir.  Dimick  is  not  a  member  of  any  church, 
but  his  wife  holds  membership  in  the  Congregational  church,  in  which  she 
takes  an  active  interest,  and  of  which  the  family  are  regular  attendants. 


TOHN  SMITH  DENNIS. 


Many  elements  enter  into  the  growth  of  a  community,  or  into  the 
development  of  a  small  community  into  a  larger  one.  .A  city  does  not  just 
happen ;  it  exists  because  certain  conditions  have  brought  it  into  being.  The 
majority  of  cities  and  towns  are  located  largely  according  to  the  adaptation 
of  natural  resources  and  the  population,  an  instance  of  this  being  found  in 
the  fact  that  many  towns  have  grown  up  around  a  mill.  Assuming  this  to 
be  true,  there  are  other  causes  for  the  growth  of  cities  and  towns,  and  these 
are  found  in  the  efficiency,  enterprise  and  courage  of  its  business  men.  For 
unless  there  are  unusual  and  overwhelming  natural  advantages,  no  com- 
munity will  thrive,  unless  its  business  men  are  far-sighted,  energetic  and 
progressive.  In  Audubon,  Iowa,  there  are  a  number  of  such  men.  none  of 
whom  is  better  known  than  John  Smith  Dennis,  who  was  born  on  March  ly, 
1848'  in  Oberlin,  Ohio.  The  life  of  ]\Ir.  Dennis  has  been  more  varied  than 
that  of  the  average  man.  He  was  a  dutiful  son,  and  for  a  time  was  a  soldier, 
and  later  a  railroad  employee  and,  finally,  a  business  man  and  member  of 
various  organizations,  and  worthy,  therefore,  of  record  in  a  volume  such  as 
the  present  one. 

John  Smith  Dennis  is  the  son  of  John  and  Lucy  (Smith)  Dennis.  The 
paternal  grandfather  was  John  Dennis,  the  first  member  of  this  family  to 
come  to  America  from  Ireland.  He  and  his  wife  located  on  a  farm  in  New 
Brunswick,  where  they  passed  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Their  children 
were  two  in  number :  John,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  biographical  notice, 
and  a  daughter  who  died  in  a  fire  on  board  a  Mississippi  river  packet  boat. 
The  son  studied  dentistry  in  Oberlin,  Ohio,  and  practiced  there  until  1856, 
when  he  went  to  live  in  Muscotine.  Iowa.     After  a  residence  of  five  vears  in 


408  AUDUBON    cot; NT y,    JOWA. 

Muscotine,  he  removed  to  Irontown,  Missouri,  where  he  remained  for  one 
year.  Hearing  of  Cincinnati  as  a  growing  commercial  center,  he  started 
there  to  seek  a  suitable  location  when  he  was  stricken  with  ship  fever,  and 
died  on  the  boat.  He  had  been  a  Democrat,  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
lodge,  and  a  Catholic.  His  wife  was  Lucy  Smith,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Henry 
Smith  of  New  York  state,  her  father  being  a  Presbyterian  minister. 

The  children  born  to  Air.  and  Airs.  Dennis  were  nine  in  number.  The 
eldest  daughter,  Tillie,  is  deceased.  The  first-born  son,  Henry  Page,  enlisted 
in  the  army  in  1861,  and  served  until  1865.  He  distinguished  himself  by 
being  a  m.ember  of  Company  A,  Yates  Sharp-shooters,  later  enlisting  in 
another  company.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  went  to  work  on  the  Missouri 
Pacific  railroad,  first  as  conductor,  and  afterwards  as  yard-master  at  Kansas 
City.  His  death  in  1870  was  due  to  an  accident.  While  an  employe  of  the 
railroad,  he  was  caught  in  a  "frog,"  and  his  foot  so  badly  crushed  that  it 
resulted  in  his  death.  John  was  the  third  child  born  in  this  family.  Then 
came  Albert,  now  a  farmer  in  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  and  Bell,  widow  of  Sid- 
ney Whittmore  of  Anamossa,  Iowa.  Bird,  the  next  daughter,  married 
Charles  Damon  of  Mason  City,  Iowa.  Lucy  passed  away  in  Chicago,  and 
two  sons  died  while  young.  The  mother  passed  away  in  February,  1898,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four. 

Because  of  the  death  of  his  father,  John  had  little  opportunity  for  obtain- 
ing the  education  which  he  desired.  After  his  father's  death  in  1859,  ^^h^n 
the  boy  was  only  eleven  years  old,  he  continued  to  live  at  home  with  his 
mother,  until  his  enlistment  on  April  10,  1864.  Although  he  was  mustered 
in  at  Quincy,  Illinois,  he  enlisted  from  La  Salle  county  in  Company  K,  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-eighth  Regiment.  The  company  were  sent  first  to  Fort 
Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  later  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  but  they  rebelled,  and 
wanted  to  go  to  the  front,  but  were  sent  to  St.  Louis  barracks.  However, 
they  were  sent  out  for  a  distance  of  about  fifty  miles  on  the  Iron  Mountain 
railroad  to  guard  a  bridge.  When  the  company  was  mustered  out  later  at 
Springfield,  Illinois,  John  Dennis  obtained  employment  as  a  brakeman  on  the 
Rock  Island  railroad,  and  later  worked  for  the  Missouri  Pacific.  He  returned 
to  the  employ  of  the  Rock  Island  railroad  where  he  worked  until  1869,  when 
he  went  to  Cheyenne,  W^yoming,  to  work  for  the  Union  Pacific  railroad. 
He  remained  with  them  only  a  short  time,  going  back  to  his  former  employ- 
ers of  the  Rock  Island  road,  his  headquarters  then  being  Stuart,  Iowa.  In 
1885,  he  took  up  residence  in  Audubon,  Iowa,  and  was  conductor  between 
there  and  Atlantic,  the  same  state.  After  serving  in  this  capacity  for  three 
years,  he  bought  out  a  dray  line  and  an  ice  business,  and  since  that  time,  has 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  4O9 

been  engaged  in  these  enterprises,  together  with  his  interests  as  owner  of  a 
confectionery  and  cigar  store. 

Mr.  Dennis  became  the  husband  of  Xettie  J.  Dunham,  of  Benton  county, 
Iowa,  on  April  2,  1874.  Mrs.  Dennis,  who  was  born  on  September  20,  185 1, 
was  the  daughter  of  John  Addison  and  Lucinda  (Birdsell)  Dunham,  of  New 
York  state.  Both  were  natives  of  that  state,  and  came  of  Quaker  stock, 
arriving  in  Benton  county  in  the  pioneer  days  of  1850.  Besides  owning  and 
running  a  farm,  Air.  Dunham  kept  a  hotel  in  Iowa  City,  called  the  "half-way 
house.''  Later,  they  lived  in  Merango,  and  then  made  their  home  success- 
fully in  Grinnell.  Newton,  Desota,  Casey,  Avoca  and  Stuart.  In  these  vicin- 
ities, they  were  the  pioneer  hotel  people  of  those  days.  Their  children  were 
Ella,  widow  of  John  Ripp  of  Canyon  City,  Colorado,  and  Mrs.  Dennis.  Mr. 
Dunham  died  in  1898'.  in  Canyon  City,  Colorado,  his  wife  having  died  in 
1873  while  they  lived  in  Stuart.  Iowa. 

Since  191 3.  ^Ir.  Dennis  has  been  engaged  principally  in  looking 
after  his  confectionery  and  cigar  store,  in  which  he  is  ably  assisted  by  his 
son  Will,  and  daughter,  Mattie,  who  is  the  youngest  child  born  to  Mr.  and 
]\Irs.  Dennis. 

The  other  children  are:  Charles  H..  of  Carroll,  Iowa,  cashier  for  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  railroad ;  Robert  Page,  a  carpenter  in  Los  Angeles, 
California;  John,  the  husband  of  Abbie  Prepley.  and  who  was  drowned  July 
5,  1913;  Lucy,  who  died  while  single;  George,  agent  for  the  Great  Northern 
railroad  at  Sea  .Side.  Oregon ;  Frank  B.  who  lives  at  home,  and  who  manages 
the  transfer  and  ice  business  which  liis  father  started ;  Ella,  now  Mrs.  George 
Cummings  of  Atlantic.  Iowa. 

Evidence  of  the  trustworthiness  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  as  an 
employee,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  for  twenty-five  years,  he  has  been  on  the 
pay-roll  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  railroad  in  the  express  and  mail 
department. 

Mr.  Dennis  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Grand  Armv  of  the  Republic 
at  Audubon,  Iowa ;  a  Mason,  blue  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery ;  a  charter 
member  of  the  Modern  \\^oodmen  of  America,  and  a  strong  Republican. 
Mrs.  Dennis  is,  like  her  husband,  interested  in  patriotic  societies,  and  has 
been  for  years  an  active  worker  in  the  Relief  Corps  No.  38. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dennis  are  popular  people,  which  accounts  for  their 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances.  Both  are  remarkably  well  pre- 
served, this  being  due  perhaps  to  the  fact  that  their  interests  in  life  have  been 
varied.  They  have  been  among  those  whose  energy  and  activity  along  prac- 
tical lines  have  helped  materially  to  build  up  the  substantial  growth  of  the 
town  in  which  thev  have  made  their  home. 


4IO  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

SOREX  C.  PEDERSEN. 

Of  the  well-known  bankers  and  prominent  business  men  of  Audnbon 
county,  Iowa,  Soren  C.  Pedersen,  the  president  of  the  Kimballton-Danish 
Savings  Bank,  of  Kimballton,  Iowa,  must  not  be  overlooked.  Mr.  Pedersen 
has  been  one  of  the  influential  factors  in  the  commercial  and  financial  develop- 
ment of  this  part  of  Audubon  county,  and  associated  with  him  in  the  active 
management  of  the  bank,  is  his  brother.  Math  Nissager,  and  his  son,  Alfred 
M.,  the  former  of  whom  is  cashier  and  the  latter  is  assistant  cashier.  John 
Pedersen  is  vice-president  of  tlie  bank,  which  has  a  capital  of  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars.  Since  the  organization  of  the  bank  in  1907,  it  has  enjoyed  a 
wonderful  growth  and  now  has  a  substantial  patronage,  not  only  from  the 
business  men  of  Kimballton  and  community,  but  from  many  different  parts 
of  Audubon  county. 

Soren  C.  Pedersen,  the  president  of  this  institution,  was  born  in  Novem- 
ber, 1868,  at  Mariager,  Denmark,  and  came  to  America  in  1892,  locating  at 
Ruskin,  Nebraska,  where  he  farmed  for  about  seven  years.  In  1899  he 
located  at  Elk  Horn,  where  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  implement  busi- 
ness. Previously,  in  1892  he  had  organized  and  started  the  Elk  Horn  Bank, 
of  which  he  is  the  cashier  and  John  Pedersen  is  the  president.  Since  1907 
Mr.  Pedersen  has  divided  his  time  between  the  bank  at  Elk  Horn  and  the 
bank  at  Kimballton,  and  he  is  also  treasurer  of  the  Elk  Horn  &  Kimballton 
Lumber  Company  and  of  the  Marne  and  Elk  Horn  Telephone  Company. 
As  president  of  the  Atlantic  Northern  Railroad  Company,  he  has  had  much 
to  do  with  the  development  of  this  section.  He  is  interested  in  the  Danish 
Lutheran  College  at  Elk  Horn,  and  a  director  in  the  Dana  College  at  Blair, 
Nebraska. 

Mr.  Pedersen's  wife,  who  Ijore  him  four  children,  died  on  March  26, 
19 1 4,  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight.  She  was  a  good  woman  of  broad  and  intel- 
ligent sympathies  and  one  who  had  been  of  great  assistance  to  her  husband 
in  his  battle  for  success.  Of  their  children,  Alfred  M.,  born  December  8, 
1894,  at  Elk  Horn,  Iowa,  was  educated  at  Elk  Horn  and  at  Dana  College  at 
Blair,  Nebraska;  he  is  now  assistant  cashier  of  the  Kimballton-Danish  Sav- 
ings Bank,  which  position  he  has  occupied  since  October,  1914;  Edith  A., 
Ejnar  and  Sigurd,  the  other  three  children,  are  all  at  home. 

Mr.  Pedersen's  lirother.  Math  Nissager,  is  somewhat  older  than  Soren 
C,  haA-ing  been  born  on  November  30,  1861,  at  Mariager.  Denmark.  The 
parents  of  these  two  well-known  business  men  of  Audubon  counf\'  were 
Math  and  Anna   (Peterson)    Moller,  who  were  natives  of  Denmark.     The 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  4II 

father  was  a  carpenter  and  farmer  and  came  to  America  in  1892,  settling 
first  at  Ruskin,  Nebraska,  where  he  was  a  farmer  for  thirteen  years.  He 
then  located  at  Elkhorn,  Iowa,  and  later  returned  to  his  native  land,  remain- 
ing for  thirteen  years.  Xot  long  after  his  return  to  this  country,  he  passed 
away  quietly  at  Elkhorn  in  June.  191 1.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  Math  and 
Soren  C,  is  still  living.  They  had  one  other  child,  the  second  born,  Mrs. 
Mary  Miller,  who  is  the  wife  of  Jerry  Miller,  of  Elk  Horn. 

Math  Xissager  was  married  November  23,  1891,  to  Anna  Jensen,  of 
Skive,  Denmark.  They  have  had  two  children:  Esther  Anna,  of  Des  Moines; 
and  Freda  D.,  of  Ames,  Iowa. 

Ever  since  coming  to  America.  Soren  C.  Pedersen  and  Math  Xissager 
have  been  associated  together  in  business.  That  they  have  prospered  exceed- 
ingly in  their  adopted  country  goes  without  saying.  In  a  way  it  seems  that 
everything  to  which  they  have  turned  their  hands  has  resulted  favorably  and 
today  they  are  among  the  best  known  business  men  of  Audubon  county. 


WILLIA^I   H.   HOYMAN. 

The  life  of  the  scholarly  or  professional  man  seldom  exhibits  any  of 
those  striking  incidents  that  seize  upon  the  public  feeling  and  attract  atten- 
tion to  himself,  but  when  such  a  man  has  so  impressed  his  individuality  upon 
his  fellow  men  as  to  gain  their  confidence,  and  through  an  expression  of  that 
confidence  be  elevated  to  an  important  public  position,  he  becomes  a  con- 
spicuous figure  of  the  body  politic.  The  subject  of  this  review  is  one  of  the 
scholarly  and  able  men  who  have  made  striking  successes  in  their  work  as 
educators.  He  has  succeeded  as  an  instructor  and  executive,  and  has  kept 
abreast  of  the  times  in  educational  matters  to  such  an  extent  that  he  has 
raised  the  schools  of  Exira,  this  county,  to  a  high  and  definite  standard  of 
efficiency. 

William  H.  Hoyman.  now  superintendent  of  the  Exira  public  schools, 
was  born  on  X'ovember  27.  1883,  at  Clarence.  Cedar  county,  Iowa,  son  ot 
Henry  S.  and  Mary  (]\Ialey)  Hoyman,  the  former  a  native  of  Holmes 
county,  Ohio,  born  in  1848,  the  latter  of  Warren  county,  Illinois,  born  in 
1853.  Henry  S.  Hoyman  was  the  son  of  John  Hoyman,  born  in  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  who  migrated  to  Holmes  county,  Ohio,  where 
Henry  was  born.  John  Hovman  left  the  Buckeye  state  and  moved  to  Iowa 
in  the  earh^  fifties,  traveling  on  foot  the  greater  part  of  the  distance;  walking 


412  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

to  Fort  Dodge  and  thence  to  Des  Aloines  while  looking  over  the  country  and 
seeking  a  location.  He  had  saved  about  three  thousand  dollars,  and  this  sum 
he  invested  in  Cedar  county  land,  on  which  tract  he  erected  his  home  and 
established  the  nucleus  of  a  famous  stock  farm  which  the  son,  Henry  S.  Hoy- 
man,  developed  into  what  is  now  widely  known  as  "Stanwood  Stock  Farm." 
This  fine  farm  consists  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  is  noted  for  its 
fine  thoroughbred  Shorthorn  cattle,  Percheron  horses,  and  Duroc-Jersey 
swine.  Xot  long  ago,  Henry  S.  Hoyman  disposed  of  this  farm  and  his  live 
stock  and  retired  to  a  residence  in  the  town  of  Stanwood,  Cedar  county.  It 
was  in  Stanwood  that  Henry  S.  Hoyman  was  married,  his  wife  having  moved 
from  Warren  county,  Illinois,  to  Cedar  county,  Iowa,  with  her  parents,  S.  H. 
]Maley  and  wife,  in  the  early  sixties.  S.  H.  Maley  platted  the  town  of  Stan- 
wood in  the  fall  of  1869,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  note  that  Henry  S.  Hoyman 
hauled  the  first  load  of  stone  used  in  the  building  of  that  now  thriving  little 
city. 

•  To  Henry  S.  and  Mary  (Maley)  Hoyman  were  born  eleven  children  as 
follow:  C.  E.,  a  farmer  living  in  Stanwood,  Iowa;  Mrs.  Mary  Davidson, 
also  of  Stanwood ;  F.  S.,  a  missionary  at  the  head  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
missions  in  Egypt;  Mrs.  Joseph  O'Brien,  of  North  English,  Iowa;  Dr.  H.  J., 
of  St.  Joseph,  Missouri;  Mrs.  Henry  A.  Warmuth,  wife  of  Doctor  Warmuth, 
of  Stanwood;  Prof.  William  H.,  of  Exira,  this  county;  Mrs.  H.  H.  Hamil- 
ton, of  Stanwood,  and  Avis,  a  teacher  in  the  Tipton,  Iowa,  public  schools. 

William  H.  Hoyman  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  locality  and  studied  for  four  years  in  Monmouth  Col- 
lege. In  preparation  for  undertaking  the  profession  of  teaching,  he  com- 
pleted his  education  in  the  Iowa  State  Teachers'  College,  at  Cedar  Falls, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1909,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts, 
following  which  he  pursued  post-graduate  work  in  the  Chicago  University 
and  began  teaching  in  the  fall  of  1909,  for  two  years  serving  as  superintend- 
ent of  the  public  schools  at  Clarksville,  Iowa.  In  the  fall  of  191 1  Professor 
Hoyman  was  called  to  take  charge  of  the  Exira  public  schools  and  has  been 
verv  successful  in  the  performance  of  his  duties  as  superintendent  of  that 
excellent  educational  plant.  He  has  placed  the  schools  in  the  front  rank  of 
the  public  schools  in  the  county  and  his  administration  has  been  marked  by 
progress,  harmony  among  pupils  and  patrons,  and  the  high  class  of  the 
student  work  being  done  in  the  schools. 

In  August,  1913,  Prof.  W.  H.  Hoyman  was  married  to  Deana  Merrick, 
daughter  of  H.  N.  Merrick  of  Floyd  county,  Iowa.  Professor  and  ^vlrs. 
Hovman  are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  are  warmly 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  4I3 

interested  in  all  good  works  hereabout.  Professor  Hoyman  is  independent 
in  his  political  views,  casting  his  ballot  for  the  men  who  seem  to  be  best  fitted 
to  serve  the  people.  This  successful  educator  comes  of  an  intellectual  family, 
every  child  in  the  Hoyman  family  of  nine  members  who  grew  to  manhood  or 
womanhood  was  educated  in  the  high  school.  Four  of  the  sons  are  college 
graduates  and  three  daughters  of  the  family  were  college  students. 


CHARLES  TUNMANN. 


The  best  title  one  can  establish  to  the  high  and  generous  esteem  of  an 
intelligent  community  is  a  protracted  and  honorable  residence  therein. 
Charles  Tunmann,  one  of  the  best-known  and  most  highly  respected  farmers 
of  Audubon  county,  now  living  retired,  has  resided  in  this  locality  most  of  his 
life.  His  career  has  been  commendable  in  every  respect  and  well  deserves 
to  be  recorded  in  the  pages  of  such  a  work  as  the  one  in  hand.  He  hais 
always  been  a  man  of  well-defined  purpose  and  has  never  failed  to  carry  to 
successful  completion  any  work  or  enterprise  to  which  he  has  addressed  him- 
self. Knowing  that  Audubon  county  was  destined  to  take  high  rank  among 
the  rich  and  productive  localities  of  the  state,  Mr.  Tunmann  applied  himself 
very  closely  to  his  work  and  waited  for  the  future  to  bring  its  reward,  with 
the  result  that  today  he  is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  and  farmers  of 
Audubon  county. 

Charles  Tunmann  was  born  in  Germany  on  July  7,  1841,  the  son  of  Fred 
and  Millie  (Markvardt)  Tunmann,  natives  of  that  country,  the  former  of 
whom,  now  deceased,  was  a  laborer  on  a  big  estate  in  Germany.  Charles 
Tunmann  was  married  in  1865  and  worked  as  a  teamster  on  an  estate.  He 
saved  his  money  and  in  1869,  with  his  wife  and  two  small  sons,  came  to 
America,  landing  in  New  York  City  on  October  i,  of  that  year,  having  left 
Germany  on  September  16.  He  immediately  came  to  this  state  and  located 
in  Iowa  county,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  laborer  for  two  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  rented  a  farm  on  which  he  lived  for  seven  years,  later  pur- 
chasing one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  he  improved  and  sold  back  to 
its  former  owner.  After  again  living  on  rented  land  for  two  years,  he  came 
to  Audubon  county  and  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  raw  prairie  land  at  nine  dollars  an  acre.  On  this  farm  Mr.  Tunmann  built 
a  small  house  sixteen  by  twenty-two  feet,  which  in  1907  he  replaced  by  a  fine 
house,  twenty-eight  by  twenty-two  feet.     Mr.  Tunmann  owned  two  hundred 


414  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

and  forty  acres  at  the  time  of  his  retirement,  of  which  he  gave  eighty  acres 
to  his  son  and  still  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  section  27.  Mr. 
Tunmann  retired  to  Audubon  in  May,  1914,  after  having  spent  thirty  years 
on  the  farm. 

On  November  15,  1865,  Charles  Tunmann  was  married  to  Fredericka 
Keakbush,  who  was  born  in  Germany  on  September  18',  1838,  the  daughter 
of  John  Keakbush,  to  which  union  five  children  have  been  born,  namely : 
William,  born  on  September  i,  1866,  who  lives  on  the  home  farm;  Charles, 
October  18,  1868;  Minnie,  June  19,  1871,  who  married  Fred  Sundberg  and 
has  four  children,  Carl,  May,  Mildred  and  an  infant;  Hilary,  August  2,  1877, 
died  on  November  12,  1910,  and  John,  December  12,  1878,  who  married 
Mary  Law  and  lives  in  Melville  township. 

Charles  Tunmann  is  a  Republican  and  for  years  has  lieen  more  or  less 
active  in  the  councils  of  his  party.  For  twelve  years  he  was  trustee  of  Mel- 
ville township  and  for  ten  years  served  as  a  school  director.  He  also  served 
as  road  supervisor  for  many  years. 

Although  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tunmann  were  reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith, 
they  and  their  family  attend  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  are  promin- 
ent in  the  work  of  this  church  and  Sunday  school.  Few  men  in  this  county 
are  more  highly  respected  than  Charles  Tunmann  and  few  men,  within  the 
same  length  of  time,  have  accomplished  more. 


JENS  PETER  HYEN. 


The  occupation  of  farming,  to  which  the  major  part  of  the  active  life 
of  Jens  Peter  Hyen  has  been  devoted,  is  the  oldest  pursuit  for  a  livelihood 
known  to  mankind,  and  the  one  in  which  he  will  ever  be  most  independent. 
Mr.  Hyen  has  been  connected  with  the  general  growth  of  Audubon  county 
for  many  years,  although  he  is  a  native  of  the  little  kingdom  of  Denmark. 
He  is  a  well-known  and  popular  citizen  of  Hamlin  township,  Audubon 
countv,  Iowa.  While  primarily  attending  to  his  agricultural  interests,  his 
life  has  been  somewhat  devoted  to  his  fellow  men,  and  he  has  been  untiring 
in  his  efforts  to  inspire  a  proper  respect  for  law  and  order.  He  has  been 
ready  at  all  times  to  uplift  humanity  along  civic  and  social  lines. 

Jens  Peter  Hyen,  whose  name  in  his  native  country  was  Jens  P.  Peter- 
son, was  born  September  18,  1871,  in  the  part  of  Denmark  known  as  Ven- 
sysel,  Jylland.  He  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  ]\Iary  Ann  (Nelsen)  Paulsen,  who 
were  born  at  the  same  place  where  Jens  Peter,  their  son,  was  born.     The 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  415 

father  was  a  laborer  and  he  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  Jens  Peter  was  the  fifth. 

Jens  Peter  Hyen  received  a  good  education,  attending  school  during  the 
week  days  in  the  winter  and  during  the  summer  he  herded  cattle.  He 
took  up  farm  work  later  in  life  and  was  able  to  finish  his  education.  He  fol- 
lowed farming  until  he  came  to  America,  with  the  exception  of  one  year 
which  he  was  compelled  to  spend  in  the  army.  In  1903  Jens  Peter  Hyen 
came  to  the  United  States,  bringing  his  family  with  him.  He  landed  at 
Quebec,  Canada,  first,  and  came  from  Quebec  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa.  He 
first  worked  by  the  month  from  June  20,  1903,  when  he  arrived  in  Audubon 
county,  to  October  of  that  year.  After  this  he  purchased  a  milk  route  and 
hauled  milk  to  a  creamery  for  two  and  one-half  years.  In  the  meantime  he 
purchased  some  calves  and  pigs  and  rented  a  small  farm.  He  received  his 
first  two  pigs  for  two  days  work  in  helping  a  man  put  up  hay.  The  pigs 
were  small  and  sickly  and  he  thought  they  would  die.  That  winter  Mr. 
Hyen  killed  one  for  his  meat  and  the  other  one  he  kept  for  a  brood  sow,  and 
in  the  next  spring  he  had  eight  pigs  from  this  sow.  Mr.  Hyen  rented  land 
only  two  years  and  then  purchased  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in 
1908.  This  land  was  located  in  Hamlin  township,  and  he  was  compelled  to 
pay  a  hundred  dollars  down  as  a  first  payment.  One  year  later  he  bought 
forty  acres  more,  and  now  has  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  When  Mr.  Hyen 
left  Denmark  he  had  only  a  hundred  dollars  in  money.  He  has  lived  here 
for  twelve  years  and  done  more  in  that  period  than  most  men  do  in  forty 
years. 

On  November  8',  1898,  Mr.  Hyen  was  married  in  Denmark  to  Anna 
Kattrina  Madsen.  who  was  born  on  September  13,  1879,  in  Himmerland, 
Denmark.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Ole  and  Susanna  Mary  (Fredricksen) 
Madsen,  who  were  also  born  in  the  same  place  as  their  daughter,  whose 
father  was  a  farmer  and  shoemaker  by  trade. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jens  Peter  Hyen  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  living.  Four  of  the  children  were  born  in  Denmark.  They 
are  as  follow:  Magner.  born  on  October  20,  1899;  Olga,  September  2y, 
1901 ;  Mary,  September  26,  1902;  Pauline,  December  25,  1903,  died  iii 
infancy;  Elmer,  May  4,  1905;  Violet,  April  12,  1907;  Ester,  June  12,  1909; 
Nels  P.,  October  4,  1912;  Mamie,  February  4,  1915.  All  of  the  children 
live  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Hyen  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Farmers  Savings  Bank  at 
Hamlin  and  is  one  of  the  stockholders  of  this  bank.  He  is  also  a  stock- 
holder in  the  West  Hamlin  Creamery  Company.     Mr.   Hyeri  does  general 


41 6  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

farming  and  stock  raising.  He  owns  a  gas  engine  with  which  he  shehs  his 
corn,  saws  wood,  grinds  feed.  etc.  He  also  has  an  interest  in  the  Elkhorn 
Telephone  Company. 

Mr.  Hyne  is  a  Democrat,  though  he  has  never  been  active  in  political 
affairs  and  has  never  held  office.  The  family  are  all  members  of  the  Danish 
Lutheran  church. 


JACOB   F.   \\^\HLERT. 


Jacob  F.  W^ahlert.  for  man}-  years  a  farmer  in  Greeley  township,  and 
one  of  the  prosperous  and  highly-respected  citizens  of  Audubon  county,  was 
born  on  July  4,  1846,  in  Schleswig,  Holstein,  Germany,  the  son  of  John  and 
Arsby  (Starmann)  Wahlert,  natives  of  the  same  place.  The  father  was  a 
laborer  in  the  old  country,  who  came  to  the  United  States  some  ten  years 
after  the  arrival  of  his  wife,  and  both  spent  their  last  days  in  the  home  of 
their  son,  Jacob  F.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
Jacob  F.  was  the  fifth  child. 

Jacob  F.  Wahlert  received  but  a  limited  education,  his  attendance  at 
school  having  been  limited  to  a  few  months  during  the  winters  until  he  was 
about  fifteen  years,  after  which  he  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  until  1870. 
in  w^hich  year  he  came  to  the  United  States.  Upon  landing  at  New  York 
City,  he  proceeded  directly  to  ]\Ioline,  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  where 
his  brothers,  George  and  Fred,  previously  had  located.  On  the  day  after  his 
arrival  in  Moline  he  obtained  work  on  a  gravel  train  on  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  railroad,  and  continued  at  this  work  for  five  or  six  months, 
after  which  he  went  to  work  on  a  farm.  During  the  last  five  or  six  years 
of  his  residence  in  Rock  Island  county  he  rented  land. 

In  1 88 1  Jacob  F.  ^^'ahlert  came  to  Audubon  county  and  purchased  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  section  35,  in  Greeley  township.  Land 
was  cheap  in  those  days  and  Mr.  Wahlert  paid  Mr.  Harter,  the  owner, 
seven  to  eight  dollars  an  acre  for  it.  A  fourteen  by  twenty-four  foot  house 
and  a  lean-to-kitchen,  ten  by  twelve  feet,  was  considered  very  good  for  those 
times.  About  1902  Mr.  \\'ahlert  built  a  comfortable  seven-room  house.  In 
addition  to  this  house  he  also  erected  a  new  barn,  cribs  and  hog  houses.  As 
he  prospered  he  purchased  additional  land,  the  greater  part  of  which  he  has 
since  disposed  of  to  his  children,  and  now  retains  but  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  Since  retiring  from  active  farm  work  he  has  rented  the  remainder  of 
the  land  to  the  children. 

On  December  16,  1874,  Jacob  F.  Wahlert  was  married  in  Rock  Island 


L±^ 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  417 

county,  Illinois,  to  Ernestine  Fritche,  who  was  born  on  May  i6,  1854,  in 
Atkinson,  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  the  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Min- 
nie Fritche,  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  from  Saxony.  To  this  mar- 
riage nine  children  have  been  born,  seven  of  whom  are  living,  as  follow : 
Jacob,  who  married  Elizabeth  Bartell,  daughter  of  Fred  Bartell,  and  has 
two  children,  Mildred  and  Robert ;  Anna,  who  married  William  Porter,  and 
has  five  children,  George,  Gretchen,  Floyd,  Verla  and  Verna;  Mary,  who 
married  Howard  Shoesmith  and  has  four  children,  Stella,  Virgil,  Marvel 
and  Rollo ;  Edward,  who  married  Ida  Jacobsen  and  has  four  children,  Flor- 
ence, Ruby,  Marvin  and  Ramona ;  Sadie,  who  married  Follie  Littlefield  and 
has  three  children,  Gladys,  Kenneth  and  Zola ;  Ernestine,  who  married  Roy 
White,  and  has  two  children,  Alvin  and  Marvin ;  Fred,  who  married  Bertha 
Bartell  and  has  two  children  living,  Carl  and  Leona,  Richard  Robert  dying 
in  infancy ;  Franklin,  who  died  when  thirteen  years  old,  and  another  child 
who  died  in  infancy.  On  February  18,  1890,  the  mother  of  these  children 
passed  away,  since  which  time  Mr.  Wahlert  has  been  making  his  home  with 
his  children. 

Jacob  F.  Wahlert  is  a  Democrat,  Ijut  has  never  been  active  in  political 
affairs  and  has  held  no  offices.  He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church,  of  which  Mrs.  Wahlert  also  was  a  member,  and  their  children  were 
reared  in  that  faith.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Wahlert  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  Although  his  productive  period  now  is  past, 
Mr.  Wahlert  has  been  a  highly  successful  farmer  and  a  good  citizen,  and  in 
all  of  the  years  he  has  lived  in  Audubon  county  has  been  highly  respected 
by  his  neighbors.  Enjoying  the  satisfaction  of  ha\'ing  reared  a  large  family 
to  useful  and  honored  lives  he  may  look  back  upon  his  career  as  a  distinct 
and  unqualified  success  and  mav  also  rest  assured  of  the  warm  esteem  of  his 
neighbors,  all  of  whom  hold  him  in  the  highest  regard. 


P.  C.  PETERSEN, 


One  of  the  most  enterprising  of  the  present  generation  of  farmers  in 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is  P.  C.  Petersen,  of  Hamlin  township,  who  has 
believed  from  the  outset  of  his  career  that  the  wisdom  of  yesterday  is  some- 
times the  folly  of  today,  and  that  while  the  methods  of  our  grandfathers  in 
tilling  the  soil  were  all  right  in  their  day,  yet  in  the  twentieth  century  we  are 
compelled  to  adopt  new  methods  and  farm  along  different  lines.     He  has 

(27) 


41 8  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

been  a  close  observer  of  modern  methods;  is  a  student  at  all  times  of  what- 
ever pertains  to  the  farm  and  farm  interests,  and  has,  therefore,  met  with 
encouraging  success  all  along  the  line  and,  judging  from  his  past  record,  he 
is  entitled  to  rank  as  one  of  the  most  representative  citizens  of  Audubon 
county.  He  has  taken  his  place  among  the  leading  farmers  of  the  county, 
which  is  noted  for  its  fine  farms  and  adroit  husbandmen. 

P.  C.  Petersen  was  born  on  August  3,  1863,  in  Vensysel,  Denmark,  and 
is  a  son  of  Jens  C.  and  Elsie  (Christensen)  Petersen,  who  were  both  natives 
of  Denmark,  born  near  the  same  place  as  was  their  son,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  The  father  was  a  farmer  and  followed  that  occupation  until  his 
death.  Jens  C.  and  Elsie  (Christensen)  Petersen  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  P.  C.  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth. 

P.  C.  Petersen  attended  school  until  about  fourteen  yars  of  age,  when 
he  began  working  out  by  the  day,  doing  farm  work.  When  about  twenty- 
three  3'ears  of  age  he  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  Xew  York  city, 
and  then  coming  direct  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  where  Mr.  Petersen  had  a 
cousin  living.  He  worked  at  farm  work  for  one  year  and  then  went  to 
Omaha,  Nebraska,  where  he  was  employed  in  the  roundhouse  of  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway  Company  as  a  wiper.  After  one  year  at  this 
employment  he  decided  to  return  to  the  farm  and  removed  to  Audubon, 
where  he  purchased  a  team  and  plow  and  commenced  breaking  the  prairie 
land,  which  he  continued  for  several  months.  His  father  and  the  rest  of  the 
family  had  in  the  meantime  come  to  the  U^nited  States,  and  P.  C.  and  his 
father  farmed  together  for  about  two  years. 

Mr.  Petersen  then  rented  a  farm  for  one  year  and  then  went  to  Brayton, 
where  he  purchased  a  butcher  shop,  remaining  in  this  business  for  three 
years,  and  at  the  expiration  of  this  period,  having  been  married  in  the  mean- 
time, he  moved  to  a  farm  belonging  to  his  father-in-law  and  hauled  milk  to 
the  creamer}^  in  Hamlin  for  four  years.  He  then  rented  a  farm  of  Calvin 
Demick  for  one  year,  and  then  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Hamlin 
township.  He  lived  on  this  place  for  five  years,  and  then  rented  his  father- 
in-laws"s  farm,  until  the  latter's  death,  at  which  time  the  farm  was  inherited 
by  Mr.  Petersen's  wife. 

On  March  15.  1893,  P.  C.  Petersen  was  married  in  Brayton.  Iowa,  to 
Sophia  Petersen,  who  was  born  July  25.  1872.  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  near 
Avoca,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Nels  P.  and  Johanna  M.  (Wolf)  Petersen. 
Mrs.  Petersen's  parents  were  born  in  Schleswig.  at  that  time  a  part  of  Den- 
mark, and  came  to  the  E^nited  States  about  1869  or  1879.  the  father  coming 
first,  and  they  were  married  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa.     In  1893  "they  came  to 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  4I9 

Audubon  county,  where  they  purchased  a  farm,  and  the  site  of  this  farm  is 
the  site  of  the  present  creamery  at  Hamlin.  They  lived  on  this  farm  for 
seven  years  and  then  sold  out  and  purchased  a  general  mercantile  store  at 
Brayton.  Xels  P.  Petersen  was  in  business  in  Brayton  for  about  nine  years 
and  then  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  where  his  son-in- 
law,  P.  C.  Petersen,  now  lives.  He  lived  on  this  farm  until  1907,  when  he 
retired  from  active  farm  life  and  moved  to  Exira,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death  during  the  summer  of  19 14. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  C.  Petersen  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  Jensene 
C,  Nels  C,  John  M.,  Johanna  M.,  Jens  P.,  Henry  H.,  Carrie  M.  and  Peter, 
Jr.,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

P.  C.  Petersen  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 
He  oversees  the  operations  on  both  his  farms,  which  lie  in  sections  28  and 
22  of  Hamlin  township.  Mr.  Petersen  is  one  of  Audubon  county's  most 
progressive  citizens ;  he  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  has  never  desired  to 
hold  office.  The  Petersen  family  are  all  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church,  of  which  they  are  regular  attendants ;  are  active  in  the  work  of  this 
congregation,  and  are  liberal  contributors  to  its  support. 


GEORGE  ALBERT  MAY,  M.  D. 

George  Albert  May  was  born  on  February  21,  1884,  at  Russell,  Lucas 
county,  Iowa,  the  son  of  James  Madison  and  Mary  E.  (Werts)  May,  natives 
of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  respectively,  of  German  ancestry.  James  Madison 
May,  who  was  a  farmer,  died  in  November,  1912.  His  wife  is  still  living 
in  Lucas  county,  Iowa. 

George  Albert  May  was  educated  in  the  Russell  schools  and  spent  two 
years  at  Simpson  College  in  the  undergraduate  department.  Subsequently, 
he  was  graduated  from  Iowa  State  University  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts  and  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  191 1.  After 
graduating  from  the  medical  department  of  the  State  University,  Doctor 
May  located  at  Audubon,  Iowa;  later  he  took  a  post  graduate  course  in  the 
Xew  York  Post  Graduate  College,  specializing  on  the  eye.  ear,  nose  and 
throat.  He  completed  this  course  in  the  spring  of  1913  and  after  this 
returned  to  Audubon,  where  has  has,  in  a  comparatively  short  time,  built  up 
an  excellent  practice. 

Doctor  May  was  married  in  June,   19 13,  to  Beulah  Hayden,  of  Wall 


420  AUDUBON     COUNTY.    IOWA. 

Lake,  Iowa,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  A.  S.  Hayden.     Doctor  and  ]\Irs.  May  have 
been  the  parents  of  one  child.  Carl  Hayden. 

Doctor  May  is  a  member  of  the  Audubon  County  ^Medical  Society,  the 
Iowa  State  JMedical  Association  and  the  American  Medical  Association. 
Fraternally,  Doctor  May  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons.  He  is  a  member  of  the  chapter  at  Audubon.  Iowa,  his  home. 
Doctor  and  ^Irs.  ]\Iay  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  In  politics, 
Doctor  'Slay  is  independent. 


HANS  MADSEX, 


No  better  indication  of  the  solidity  and  permanency  of  a  city's  progress 
is  afforded  than  by  a  glance  at  the  status  of  its  financial  institutions.  Banks 
are  the  thermometers  which  register  the  rise  and  fall  of  a  city's  credit.  The 
stability  of  the  commercial  and  industrial  interests  are,  to  a  large  extent, 
dependent  upon  the  policy  and  the  condition  of  the  local  banks.  The  heart 
of  commercial  life,  they  are  also  the  avenues  of  trade,  and  the  arteries  through 
which  flows  the  financial  current  of  business.  Among  Audubon  county's 
financial  institutions  the  Landmands  National  Bank  of  Kimballton  stands  out 
prominently,  having  an  unbroken  record  of  progress  since  its  organization 
about  six  years  ago.  In  this  brief  period  the  bank  has  developed  into  financial 
strength  and  secure  position  among  the  banking  houses  of  this  section  of  the 
Hawkeye  state,  and  occupies  the  largest  banking  building  in  the  city.  The 
leading  figure  in  the  inception  of  this  prominent  institution  was  Hans  Mad- 
sen,  who  is  now  its  president,  and  who  is  one  of  the  best-known  citizens  of 
this  section. 

Hans  Madsen.  the  president  of  the  Landmands  National  Bank,  of  Kim- 
ballton, Iowa,  was  born,  August  19,  1865,  in  Aro,  Denmark,  the  son  of  C. 
P.  and  Kristine  (Albertsen)  Madsen  who  were  natives  of  Aro,  Denmark, 
where  the  former  was  a  ship  and  mill  builder.  The  father,  after  coming 
America  in  April,  1874.  located  one-half  mile  west  of  Kimballton,  Iowa,  in 
Sharon  township,  and  purchased  land  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  on 
Big  Indian  creek.  After  clearing  the  land  and  making  extensive  improve- 
ments he  lived  on  the  farm  continuously  until  his  death,  July  4,  19 14.  His 
good  wife,  the  mother  of  Hans  Madsen,  died  about  six  years  previously,  on 
January  17,  1908.  The  late  C.  P.  Madsen  was  well  known  and  highly 
respected  at  the  time  of  his  death  when  he  was  eighty-three  years  old.  His 
wife  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- four.     A  skillful  carpenter,  he  followed  his 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  421 

trade  at  odd  times  after  coming  to  Audubon  county,  did  very  much  toward 
building  up  this  part  of  the  county.  His  beloved  wife,  who  was  a  great 
church  worker,  helped  to  organize  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  at  Elk  Horn, 
Iowa,  and  was  known  for  miles  around.  In  the  early  days  the  families  who 
first  came  to  this  community  to  settle,  were  accustomed  to  make  their  homes 
with  the  JMadsen  family  until  they  could  get  a  start  in  the  world.  The  late 
C.  P.  ]\Iadsen  and  wife  started  in  life  in  a  small  way.  and  during -their  career 
made  consistent  gains  on  the  highway  of  success.  Only  once  in  his  life  was 
the  late  C.  P.  JMadsen  a  passenger  on  the  railways  of  this  country.  He  and 
his  wife  had  six  children,  of  whom  Hans,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the 
third  born.  Of  the  others,  Albert,  the  eldest,  died  in  Denmark;  'Si.  H.  owns 
the  old  home  place  in  Sharon  township;  Alaren  is  the  wife  of  Clans  T.  Peter- 
son, of  Shelby  county,  Iowa:  Albert  is  deceased;  Anna  Sophia  is  the  wife  of 
the  Rev.  J.  ]\I.  Gregersen,  of  Solvang,  California.  Reverend  Gregersen  is  a 
Danish  Lutheran  minister  and  the  founder  of  a  Danish  colony  in  that  state. 

Reared  on  his  father's  farm,  Hans  Madsen  attended  the  common  schools 
of  this  section,  and  also  the  Danish  Lutheran  sectarian  school  at  Elkhorn, 
Iowa,  in  1885  and  1886.  He  was  a  student  at  Drake  L'niversity  during 
1886  and  1887,  and  then  began  his  active  business  career  as  a  clerk  for  Emil 
Bilharz  at  Audubon,  where  he  remained  for  eight  months.  After  this  he 
was  employed  by  ^I.  X.  Esbeck  initil  January  12,  i88'8,  when  he  engaged  in 
the  harness  business  at  Shelby  and  Harlan,  Iowa,  for  a  year.  In  the  spring 
of  1 89 1  he  engaged  in  the  harness  business  at  Kimballton,  Iowa,  and  after 
following  this  business  for  eleven  years  purchased  the  general  store  owned 
by  H.  Alarquesen,  of  Kimballton.  During  the  first  administration  of 
McKinley,  and  the  succeeding  period  of  eight  years  filled  by  ]\IcKinley  and 
Roosevelt,  Air.  Madsen  was  postmaster.  In  1907  he  sold  the  store  to  Thomas 
&  Larsen,  and  on  October  3,  1907,  opened  the  Landmands  Bank  with  Charles 
Van  Gorder,  of  Audubon,  as  president,  and  himself  as  cashier.  For  two 
years  it  was  a  private  bank.  At  the  end  of  this  period,  Air.  Aladsen  bought 
out  Air.  A^an  Gorder,  and  organized  the  Landmands  National  Bank  of  Kim- 
ballton, which  opened  for  business,  September  4,  1909.  Air.  Aladsen  is 
president  and  his  daughter.  Alma,  is  cashier. 

The  bank  has  been  conducted  upon  the  soundest  and  most  conservative 
business  principles.  Its  management  is  characterized  by  sagacity,  energy 
and  ability,  coupled  with  liberality  and  honorable  methods.  Xo  other  bank 
has  been  more  closely  identified  with  the  many  movements  that  have  helped 
in  the  growth  of  Kimballton  and  its  institutions.  The  Landmands  X^ational 
Bank  has  excellent   facilities   for  giving  the  most  prompt  and  satisfactory 


422  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

service  in  all  departments.  Insurance  is  written  at  the  very  lowest  rate ; 
foreign  and  domestic  exchange  dealt  in;  steamship  tickets  sold,  and  all 
accounts,  large  or  small,  are  handled  with  equal  care.  ]*ilany  new  customers 
are  constantly  opening  accounts  at  this  bank,  on  account  of  its  well-known 
facilities ;  its  strong  financial  backing  of  wealthy  stockholders ;  its  central 
location  on  the  busiest  street ;  its  superb  system  of  protection  afforded  by  a 
strong  vault  and  insurance ;  its  policy  of  keeping  business  private,  and  the 
highly  popular  personnel  of  the  banking  force.  As  a  bank  president,  Mr. 
Madsen  is  known  as  one  of  the  most  courteous  and  affable  of  men.  and  is 
constantly  on  the  lookout  for  the  interests  of  his  customers.  His  daughter, 
Miss  Alma  Madsen,  who  has  been  the  cashier  for  five  years,  has  proven  a 
painstaking,  trustworthy  business  woman. 

On  November  27,  1887,  Mr.  Madsen  was  married  to  Johanna  Ebbesen, 
of  Jylland,  Denmark,  who  came  to  America  in  1878,  and  who  was  one  of  the 
first  Danish  school  teachers  in  America.  She  taught  school  for  three  years 
in  Elkhorn,  and  has  always  taken  a  keen  interest  in  educational  work.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Madsen  have  two  daughters.  Alma  E.  and  Lydia  L. 

In  additional  to  his  heavy  business  interests,  Mr.  Madsen  is  president 
of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  at  Kimballton  of  which  he  and  his  family  are 
members.  He  is  president  of  the  commercial  club,  and  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican. In  a  larger  way  he  is  interested  in  all  good  movements  that  has  to 
do  with  the  growtli  and  prosperity  of  Kimballton  and  vicinity. 


JOHx\  F.  LIKEN. 


Practical  industry,  wisely  and  vigorously  applied,  never  fails  to  bring 
success.  It  carries  a  man  onward  and  upward  and  brings  out  his  individual 
character  and  acts  as  a  powerful  stimulant  to  the  efforts  of  others.  The 
greatest  results  in  life  are  often  attained  by  simple  means,  by  the  exercise  of 
the  ordinary  qualities  of  common  sense  and  perseverance.  The  every-day 
life,  with  its  cares,  necessities  and  duties,  affords  ample  opportunity  for 
acquiring  experience  of  the  best  kind  and  its  most  beaten  paths  provide  a  true 
worker  with  abundant  scope  for  effort  and  self-improvement.  John  F. 
Liken,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  a  well-known  farmer  of  Gray,  Iowa.  He 
is  one  of  the  largest  farmers  in  this  section  of  the  state  and  is  well  known 
throughout  Audubon  county. 

John  F.   Liken  was  born  on  February  6,    1857,   in  Allegheny  county, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  423 

Pennsylvania.  He  is  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  Ann  (Sands)  Liken, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  Irish  parentage.  The  parents  of  both 
Thomas  and  Sarah  Ann  Liken  came  from  Ireland.  Thomas  Liken  was  born 
in  181 5  and  died  in  June,  1891.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  John  F.  Liken,  was 
born  in  18 18  and  died  in  1892.  Some  time  after  their  marriage,  they  settled 
in  Henry  county,  Illinois,  where  they  farmed  from  1865  until  their  death. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Mrs.  Florence  Huffman, 
of  Los  Angeles,  California;  Thomas  Porter  and  Samuel,  of  Geneseo,  Illi- 
nois, and  John  F.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

John  F.  Liken  farmed  in  Henry  county  until  1900,  residing  in  Geneseo, 
Illinois,  during  this  period.  He  was  the  owner  of  five  hundred  acres  in 
Henry  county.  He  began  life  on  his  own  account  when  he  had  reached  his 
majority  and  was  operating  a  great  body  of  land.  On  one  of  his  trips  to 
Kansas,  Mr.  Liken  was  married  and  in  1900  came  to  Gray,  Audubon  county, 
where  he  invested  in  fourteen  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  land  in  Cameron 
and  Lincoln  townships.  The  land  was  all  in  one  tract  and  contained  five 
sets  of  buildings.  In  19 10  Air.  Liken  moved  to  Gray  from  his  farm  home 
in  Cameron  township.  He  has  sold  two  hundred  acres  recently,  but  still  has 
twelve  hundred  and  forty  acres. 

Mr.  Liken  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  breeders  and  raisers  of  cattle 
and  hogs  in  this  section  of  Iowa.  His  annual  output  of  cattle  numbers 
approximately  one  hundred  and  fifty  and  he  raises  and  sells  each  year  more 
than  three  hundred  head  of  hogs.  Mr.  Liken  has  a  nice  home  in  Gray  and  is 
one  of  the  most  highly-respected  citizens  of  Audubon  county. 

John  F.  Liken  was  married  on  December  9,  1880,  in  Kansas,  to  Mary 
Brush,  who  was  born  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  November  27,  1856.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Baptist  and  Alary  (Spratley)  Brush,  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, who  were  early  settlers  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa.  They  were  married 
in  Burlington,  Iowa,  in  1874  and,  subsequently,  moved  to  Harvey  county, 
Kansas.  Baptist  Brush  was  born  in  1828  and  died  on  March  2,  191 2.  His 
wife,  Mary  Brush,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Liken,  was  born  in  1828  and  died  in 
1898.  .  , 

John  F.  Liken  has  always  been  identified  with  the  Republican  party 
but  he  has  never  been  active  as  a  partisan  and  has  never  cared  to  hold  politi- 
cal office.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Liken  and  their  family  attend  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Mr.  Liken  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons 
at  Geneseo,  Illinois.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  Templar  at  Rock 
Island,  Illinois,  and  also  of  the  Kaaba  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
at  Davenport,  Iowa.     Mr.  Liken  is  vice-president  of  the  Farmers  Savings 


4^4  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Bank  at  Gray  and  has  been  ver\-  prominent  in  this  business  since  moving  to 
this  place. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Liken  have  two  sons.  Thomas  FrankHn.  bom  on  August 
5.  i8S'3.  who  married  Iva  King  and  has  two  children.  Gladys  and  Llovd; 
and  John  Marvin,  bom  on  March  15.  1894. 


WALTER  SCOTLAND. 


Among  the  earnest  men  whose  enterprise  and  strength  of  character  have 
gained  a  prominent  place  for  them  in  the  community',  as  well  as  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  their  fellow  citizens,  is  Walter  Scotland,  a  well-known 
farmer  of  Hamlin  township.  Audubon  county.  Iowa.  Mr.  Scotland  is  a 
leading  farmer  and  stock  raiser  in  Hamlin  township,  where  he  resides,  and 
a  man  of  pronounced  views  and  laudable  ambitions.  His  influence,  although 
a  young  man,  has  been  exerted  for  the  advancement  of  his  vocation,  and  for 
the  development  of  an  active  and  alert  community  spirit  in  Hamlin  township. 
He  ranks  among  the  representative  farmers  of  Hamlin  township. 

Walter  Scotland  was  bom  on  February  14,  1883,  in  Denmark,  in  the 
part  of  that  country  known  as  Jylland.  He  is  a  son  of  Jens  and  Mena 
(  Christensen )  Scotland,  who  were  also  natives  of  Jylland.  The  father  was 
a  farm.er  and  a  carpenter,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Walter  was  the  fourth. 

Walter  Scotland  attended  school  in  his  native  land  until  fourteen  years 
of  age,  and  when  si.xteen  years  old  he  came  alone  to  the  United  States,  where 
he  had  som»e  friends.  He  landed  at  Xew  York  city  and  came  direct  to 
-\udubon  county,  locating  near  Exira.  where  he  has  since  lived. 

Mr.  Scotland  began  by  working  out  by  the  month,  and  continued  at  this 
for  four  or  five  years,  afterwards  taking  up  ditching  and  tile  laying,  and  fol- 
lowed these  vocations  for  about  four  years.  In  1907  Mr.  Scotland  rented 
a  farm  and  in  1909  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Hamlin  township. 
He  never  lived  on  that  farm,  renting  it  to  others,  and  in  the  meantime  renting 
land  for  himself.  In  February,  19 14,  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  section  2"/,  of  Hamlin  township,  and  here  he  makes  his  home 
at  the  present  time. 

On  November  4,  19C9.  Walter  Scotland  was  married  at  Audubon  to 
Sophia  Johnson,  who  was  bom  April  21,  1887.  in  Sjaelland.  Denmark,  the 
daughter  of  Jens  C.  and  Christina   (Hansen)   Johnson,   her  parents  being 


AUDUBOX    COUXTY,    IOWA.  425 

farmers  in  their  native  land  and  she  was  one  of  nine  children.  Her  father 
died  when  she  was  about  seven  years  old,  and  her  mother  married  again 
just  before  coming  to  the  United  States  in  1896. 

Mr.  and  ]Mrs.  Scotland  are  the  parents  of  three  children :  \'ema,  born 
September  19,  1910;  Francis  A.,  born  October  18,  191 1,  and  Olive  L.,  born 
on  April  7.  1913. 

Walter  Scotland  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  Mrs. 
Scotland  has  been  a  great  help  to  her  husband  and  has  been  a  loving  wife  and 
devoted  mother.  Her  mother  and  step-father.  Chris  Sorensen.  are  residents 
of  Audubon  count}'  at  present,  having  located  here  after  coming  to  America 
in  1896. 

Walter  Scotland  is  a  Republican,  but  he  is  not  active  in  political  affairs, 
and  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office.  The  fam.ily  are  all  members  of  the 
Seventh  Day  Adventist  church,  and  are  active  in  the  affairs  of  this  denomina- 
tion, and  Mr.  Scotland  is  a  liberal  contributor  to  its  support. 


REN  PHELPS. 


It  is  interesting  to  note  from  the  beginning  the  growth  and  development 
of  a  community:  to  note  the  lines  along  which  progress  has  been  made,  and 
take  cognizance  of  those  whose  industrj-  and  leadership  in  the  work  of 
advancement  have  rendered  possible  the  present  prosperity  of  the  localit}- 
imder  consideration.  Ren  Phelps,  the  manager  of  tlie  Cedar  Rapids  Oil 
Company  at  Audubon,  and  the  proprietor  of  a  popular  garage  in  this  city, 
is  one  of  the  strong,  sturdy  individuals  who  has  contributed  largely  to  the 
material  welfare  of  the  cit}'  of  Audubon  where  he  resides.  He  is  an  up-to- 
date  business  m.an.  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  progressive  in  all  that  the 
term  implies. 

Ren  Phelps  was  born  on  August  23,  1879,  at  Atlantic,  Iowa.  He  is  the 
son  of  Alvin  and  Sarah  (Usher")  Phelps,  natives  of  near  Cedar  Rapids, 
Iowa,  where  they  lived  upon  a  farm.  The  ancestors  of  Alvin  and  Sarah 
Phelps  were  old  settlers  in  the  vicinit\-  of  Cedar  Rapids.  Alvin  was  born 
in  1843  and  died  in  1907.  and  throughout  his  life  was  engaged  in  farming, 
and  owTied  a  great  deal  of  real  estate  and  was  knoA\-n  as  a  capitalist  in  his 
later  years.  He  came  to  Cass  county,  Iowa,  in  1872  and  became  a  well-to- 
do  citizen.  During  the  last  seven  years  of  his  life,  he  was  ill  practically  all 
of  the  time.     His  widow  is  still  living  in  Atlantic.     They  had  seven  children. 


426  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Mildred,  deceased;  Loretta,  the  wife  of  Francis  Kreamer,  of  Atlantic;  Eliza- 
beth, the  wife  of  Charles  Whitcomb,  of  ^lason  City,  Iowa;  John,  deceased; 
Ernest  and  Alvin,  both  of  whom  live  in  Atlantic,  and  Ren,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Ren  Phelps  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Atlantic  and  finished 
his  education  in  the  Atlantic  high  school.  After  leaving  high  school,  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  one  year  and  was  then  connected  with  various  occu- 
pations. He  was  later  in  the  oil  business  for  two  years  and  came  to  Audubon 
in  October,  i'9i3.  However,  he  had  first  come  to  Audubon  in  1903  and  had 
worked  in  the  Bilharz  store  three  years.  During  part  of  this  period  he  was 
also  retailing  oil.  He  also  operated  a  moving  picture  show.  Air.  Phelps 
returned  to  Atlantic  in  1910  and  after  living  there  for  three  years,  returned 
permanently  to  Audubon  and  purchased  the  garage  in  Alarch,  19 14.  He  has 
been  engaged  in  the  retail  oil  business  and  in  the  operation  of  the  garage 
since  that  time. 

]\Ir.  Phelps  was  married  on  April  i,  1901,  to  Daisy  Johnson,  the  daugh- 
ter of  L.  C.  Johnson,  an  old  resident  of  Audubon,  who  has  operated  a  dray 
in  this  city  for  thirty  years.  To  Mr.  and  Airs.  Phelps,  one  child,  Lefevre, 
aged  eight  years,  has  been  born. 

In  politics,  Ren  Phelps  is  independent.  He  votes  for  measures  and  men 
rather  than  for  parties  and  party  emblems. 


JOHN  BALLAIAN. 


One  of  the  best-remembered  men  of  the  past  generation  of  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  is  John  Ballman,  who  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  living 
retired  in  Audubon  on  nine  acres  of  land.  Of  Air.  Ballman  personally,  it 
may  be  said  that  he  was  a  man  of  strong  and  active  sympathies,  his  tem- 
perament was  warm  and  ardent,  his  feelings  deep  and  intense.  These  and 
other  attractive  characteristics  unconsciously  drew  him  an  unusual  number 
of  devoted  friends,  upon  whom,  under  all  circumstances,  he  could  rely  and 
who,  now  that  he  has  past  from  all  earthly  scenes,  revere  his  memory.  He 
was  a  close  student  of  human  nature  and  comprehended  with  little  effort  the 
motives  and  purposes  of  men.  He  was  a  lover  of  truth  and  honesty;  in 
brief,  is  remembered  as  a  manly  man  of  pleasing  but  dignified  presence,  a 
student  of  many  subjects  and  an  influential  man  in  the  circles  in  which  he 
moved.     Of  sound  character  and  unflagging  energy,  he  stood  as  a  conspicu- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  427 

ous  example  of  symmetrically-developed  manhood  and  his  position  as  one  of 
the  community's  representative  citizens  was  conceded  by  all. 

The  late  John  Ballman  was  born  on  August  22,  1836,  in  Germany  and 
died  in  October,  1900.  John  Ballman  came  to  America  in  1868'  and  located 
first  in  Chicago.  Illinois,  where  he  kept  a  boarding  house  and  a  restaurant. 
He  was  married  in  Chicago,  JNIay  18,  1868,  to  Elizabeth  Bobet,  who  was 
born  on  June  23,  1844,  in  Germany,  and  who  came  to  America  in  1868. 

After  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ballman,  they  moved  to  Fond  du 
Lac,  Wisconsin,  where  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  for  three  or  four 
years.  They  then  located  in  Pottawatomie  county,  where  he  taught  school. 
Mr.  Ballman  then  bought  a  farm  in  Shelby  county  and  lived  here  for  five 
years.  At  the  end  of  this  period  he  sold  the  farm  and  moved  to  Fonda,  in 
Pocahontas  county,  and  after  one  year  there,  came  to  Audubon  county  in 
1885.     Mr.  Ballman  lived  retired  in  Audubon  county  on  nine  acres  of  land. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ballman  had  twelve  children,  only  five  of  whom  are  living, 
Mrs.  Mary  Plaehn,  who  lives  in  Audubon ;  Mrs.  Anna  Coleman,  who  lives  at 
Bridgeport,  Nebraska ;  Paul,  who  lives  in  Chicago ;  Michael,  who  lives  at 
North  Branch;  Mrs.  Sophia  MacNair,  who  lives  in  Omaha,  Nebraska.  The 
deceased  children  are  Katie,  Peter,  Lena,  John,  and  three  others  who  died  in 
infancy. 

The  late  John  Ballman  served  three  years  and  eight  months  in  the 
Danish  War  of  1866,  then  came,  in  1868,  to  America,  where  he  remained  for 
one  year  and  a  half.  He  went  back  to  Germany  for  one  month  when  the 
Franco-Prussian  War  broke  out  and  he  returned  to  American  to  escape 
service. 

He  was  well  known  in  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  especially  in  Audu- 
bon and  vicinity.  Mrs.  Ballman,  who  lives  on  the  home  place,  is  a  refined 
woman  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  the  welfare  of  Audubon  county  and  who 
is  admired  and  respected  by  all  of  her  neighbors. 


GEORGE  W.  PRESTON. 


It  is  generally  considered  by  those  in  the  habit  of  superficial  thinking, 
that  the  history  of  so-called  great  men  only  is  worthy  of  preservation,  and 
that  little  merit  exists  among  the  masses  to  call  forth  the  praises  of  the 
historian,  or  the  appreciation  and  plaudits  of  mankind.  A  greater  mistake 
never  was  made.  No  man  is  great  in  all  things.  Many,  by  a  lucky  stroke, 
achieve  lasting  fame,  who  before  that  had  no  reputation  beyond  the  limits  of 


428  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

their  immediate  neighborhood.  It  is  not  a  histor)^  of  a  hicky  stroke  which 
benefits  humanity  most,  but  the  long,  steady  effort  which  made  the  kicky 
stroke  possible.  It  is  the  preliminary  work,  the  method,  which  serves  as  a 
guide  to  the  success  of  others.  One  of  the  citizens  of  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  who  has  achieved  success  by  conscientious  and  persistent  effort,  is 
George  W.  Preston,  the  well-known  merchant  of  Audubon. 

George  W.  Preston  was  born  on  March  12,  i860,  at  Atalissa.  Muscatine 
county,  Iowa,  the  son  of  Charles  N.  and  Mary  (W'orrall)  Preston,  natives 
of  New  York  and  Iowa,  respectively.  Charles  N.  Preston,  the  father  of 
George  W.,  was  an  early  settler  in  Iowa,  emigrating  to  this  state  in  1854, 
and  was  a  harness  maker  by  trade.  In  1870  he  moved  to  Villisca,  in  Mont- 
gomery countv,  Iowa,  where  he  operated  a  grocery  store  for  some  years,  and 
died  there  in  1908.  George  W.  Preston's  mother  died  in  1865,  when  he  was 
but  five  years  of  age.  He  was  one  of  three  children,  the  others  being  Will- 
ard,  deceased,  and  William,  a  farmer  in  northern  Iowa.  Willard  and  Will- 
iam were  twins.  Charles  M.  Preston  was  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons. 

George  W.  Preston  was  a  resident  of  Villisca.  Montgomery  county, 
until  thirty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
place  and  assisted  his  father  in  his  Inisiness  for  three  years.  Mr.  Preston 
came  to  Audubon  in  March,  1891.  and  here  established  a  grocery.  In  June, 
1894,  he  moved  to  his  present  location,  where  he  has  a  large  room  twenty- 
five  by  eighty-five  feet,  and  a  basement.  He  carries  a  complete  stock  of 
standard  groceries  and  has  a  large  trade  in  Audubon  and  vicinity ;  he  employs 
three  assistants  in  his  store,  which  is  one  of  the  best  of  its  kind  in  the  county. 

George  W.  Preston  was  married  on  September  13,  1883,  to  Lucinda  C. 
Spargur,  of  Villisca.  the  daughter  of  Henry  \\\  Spargur.  and  to  this  union 
ten  children  have  been  born:  Donald  J.,  who  is  assisting  his  father  in  the 
store;  John  A.  and  Edwin  Lee.  also  assisting  their  father  in  the  store;  Mary 
E.,  the  wife  of  D.  C.  Bell,  of  Anita.  Iowa;  Ruth,  living  at  home  with  her 
parents,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Audubon  high  school;  Henry,  Helen  and 
George,  Jr.,  are  students  in  the  high  school;  Harold  and  Louwene  are  living 
at  home. 

Mr.  Preston  is  a  Republican,  but  his  large  business  interests  have  pre- 
vented his  taking  a  very  active  part  in  political  matters.  He  and  his  family 
are  earnest  and  devoted  meml^ers  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  they 
take  an  active  interest,  and  to  the  support  of  which  they  are  liberal  contribu- 
tors. George  W.  Preston  is  popular  in  .\udubon  among  all  classes  of  people. 
He  is  a  man  of  genial  manner,  courteous,  affable  and  sincere  in  his  dealings 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  429 

with  men.  and  naturally,  he  is  a  man  who  is  well  liked.  Mr.  Preston  is  a 
member  of  the  bine  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery  at  Audubon;  also  of 
Amity  chapter,  Godfrey  commandery,  Za-ga-zig  temple.  Mystic  Shrine,  at 
Des  Moines. 


FRANK  D.  THOMSEN. 


The  Kimballton  Drug  Company,  of  Kimballton,  Iowa,  of  which  Frank 
D.  Thomsen  and  Thomas  Jorgensen  are  the  proprietors,  is  one  of  the  leading 
mercantile  institutions  of  this  section  of  Audubon  county.  In  the  latter  part 
of  19 12  this  store  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Thomsen,  Mr.  Jorgensen  and  Chris 
Larsen.  Ten  months  later,  however,  Mr.  Larsen  sold  out  his  interest,  and 
the  store  is  now  operated  by  two  of  the  original  owners.  The  company  car- 
ries a  large  and  complete  stock  of  drugs,  paints,  wall  paper,  school  books, 
cigars  and  tobacco,  and  has  an  enormous  trade  in  this  section,  a  trade  which 
is  due  somewhat  to  the  splendid  personal  attainments  of  Mr.  Thomsen,  who 
is  a  fine  man  to  meet,  clean  in  his  morals,  up-to-date  in  his  business  methods, 
and  who  for  all  of  these  reasons  has  made  many  warm  friends  since  coming 
to  this  city.  Mr.  Thomsen  has  also  just  begun  a  term  as  postmaster  of  this 
town. 

Frank  D.  Thomsen,  postmaster  and  druggist  of  Kimballton,  Iowa,  was 
born,  March  28,  1889,  the  son  of  Christian  and  Hanna  Andersen,  natives  of 
Denmark,  who  came  to  America  in  1882,  and  settled  at  Rockville,  Nebraska, 
where  the  father  took  up  a  homestead,  which  he  later  lost.  Subsequently, 
he  purchased  a  farm,  improved  it,  and  operated  it  until  his  death.  May  11. 
1904,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  His  beloved  wife  who  survived  him 
is  now  living  at  Rockville,  Nebraska.  An  ardent  Democrat,  he  was  also  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  and  his  wife  had  twelve  children,  nine 
of  whom  are  now  living,  as  follow :  Thomas,  a  farmer  of  Rockville. 
Nebraska;  Anders,  a  farmer  of  Loop  City,  Nebraska;  Nels,  a  ranchman  of 
Big  Creek,  Nebraska;  Mary,  who  married  Frank  Thomsen,  at  Big  Creek, 
Nebraska;  Andrew,  of  Reno,  Nevada,  and  foreman  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
railroad ;  Chris  Jens,  a  farmer  of  Loop  City,  Nebraska ;  Elva,  who  married 
Walter  Lange,  of  Cherry  county,  Nebraska;  and  Frank  D.,  the  youngest  and 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Nebraska,  Mr.  Thomsen  spent 
three  years  at  the  Kearney,  Nebraska,  Normal  School,  and  two  years  at 
Creighton  College  of  Pharmacv  at  Omaha,  graduating  from  this  institution 


430  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

with  the  class  of  19 12.  In  that  year  he  located  at  Elkhorn,  Iowa,  where  he 
worked  for  nine  months  for  the  Larsen  Drug  Company.  At  the  end  of  this 
period  he  came  to  Kimballton,  and  in  association  with  Chris  Larsen  and 
Thomas  Jorgensen,  as  heretofore  noted,  purchased  the  drug  store  now  oper- 
ated under  the  name  of  the  Kimballton  Drug  Company. 

Earlier  in  his  life  Mr.  Thomsen  worked  for  one  year  as  a  clerk  for  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad  at  Sparks,  Nevada.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  he  has 
always  taken  an  active  interest  in  this  party's  welfare,  and  having  been 
appointed  postmaster  at  Kimballton,  Iowa,  took  that  office,  January  i,  1915. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Kimballton  band  and  plays  alto,  also  a  member  of  the 
Kimballton  volunteer  fire  department,  and  formerly  was  assistant  chief. 

A  man  of  most  gracious  and  pleasing  personality  and,  unless  present 
signs  are  wrong,  Frank  D.  Thomsen  will  in  time  become  one  of  the  most 
influential  business  men  of  Audubon  county.  He  is  already  well  started  in 
life,  and  with  the  momentum  in  business  which  he  already  has  acquired 
should  achieve  even  new  and  greater  success. 


MELVIN  1.  MASTERSON. 

This  sketch  concerns  a  man  who,  though  not  seeking  for,  nor  aspiring 
to,  worldly  honors,  has  lived  among  his  family  and  neighbors  as  a  quiet, 
honorable.  Godfearing  man,  doing  his  work  conscientiously,  and  achieving 
such  success  in  business  enterprises  as  any  man  might  envy.  It  may  be  that 
for  some  of  the  hardihood  of  his  nature  he  is  indebted  to  his  father,  who 
possessed  the  stalwart  qualities  found  in  pioneers ;  but  assuming  this  to  be 
true,  there  still  remain  many  admirable  characteristics  which  could  have  been 
developed,  it  is  believed,  only  through  "overcoming  obstacles,  and  keeping  ever 
in  mind  the  goal  to  be  reached. 

]\Ielv!n  I.  ]\Iasterson  is  a  well-known  farmer  of  Leroy  township,  this 
county,  who  was  born  on  February  24,  1872,  at  Oil  City,  Pennsylvania,  son 
of  \Mlliam  and  Mary  A.  ( Carter)  Masterson,  both  natives  of  Venango 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  grew  up  and  married.  William  was  per- 
mitted to  acquire  only  a  limited  education,  and  was  but  a  young  man  when 
he  liecame  a  driller  in  the  oil  fields  of  his  native  state.  Like  so  many  other 
young  men  of  his  time,  however,  the  West  and  its  promise  of  opportunity 
attracted  him  with  irresistible  force,  and  in  1879  he  came  to  Iowa  and 
located  in  Greeley  township,  this  counly.  He  bought  an  eighty-acre  tract  from 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  43 1 

the  railroad  company  and  went  to  work  to  build  a  home.  He  gradually- 
added  to  this  land,  as  he  prospered,  until  he  had,  in  all,  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  as  good  land  as  there  is  in  the  county.  Besides  his  agricul- 
tural activities,  William  Masterson  raised  many  cattle  and  hogs.  As  a 
Republican,  he  held  several  township  offices,  and  was  a  Mason,  belonging 
to  the  lodge  at  Exira.  Well  known  and  respected,  he  died  on  November  i8, 
191 1,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  His  wife  died  on  July  13,  1901,  aged  fifty- 
three.  One  of  the  enterprises  with  which  William  Masterson's  name  is  still 
connected  is  the  /\udubon  County  Telephone  Company,  which  he  helped  to 
organize.  The  four  children  born  to  William  and  Alary  A.  (Carter)  Mas- 
terson were  Melvin  I.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Stella  L.,  born  on  October 
26,  1 88 1,  now  Mrs.  B.  S.  Huston,  of  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  and  the  mother 
of  three  children,  Helen,  Hubert  and  Lucile ;  Earl,  April  18,  1884,  died  on 
October  17,  1900;  Vida,  April  25,  1889,  married  C.  J.  McCall,  of  Coon 
Rapids,  Iowa. 

Melvin  I.  Masterson  attended  the  schools  of  Audubon  county,  and  then 
for  one  year  attended  the  Iowa  Commercial  College  at  Highland  Park,  On 
January  13,  1897,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Flora  A.  Shoesmith,  of 
North  Branch,  Iowa,  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  J.  (Lawhorn)  Shoe- 
smith,  the  former  a  native  of  London,  England,  and  the  latter  of  Kentucky. 
James  Shoesmith  came  to  America  with  his  parents  when  only  five  years  of 
age,  and  was  reared  in  Illinois.  Later  he  went  to  Guthrie  county,  Iowa, 
being  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  section  in  which  he  located,  and  is  still 
living  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  His  wife  passed  away  in  1895.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely:  William,  a  farmer  at  Hartman, 
Colorado;  Reuben,  a  farmer  at  North  Branch,  Iowa;  Fred,  a  ranchman  at 
Nampha,  Idaho;  Flora  A.,  the  wife  of  Melvin  I.  Masterson;  Arthur,  a 
farmer  at  North  Branch,  Iowa,  and  Olive  E.,  wife  of  Ernest  Hawley,  who 
died  in  1903.  To  Melvin  I.  and  Flora  A.  (Shoesmith)  Masterson  two  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  Harold  O.,  born  on  November  i,  1897,  and  Wynona 
M.,  May  7,  1905. 

After  his  marriage,  Melvin  I.  Alasterson  bought  eighty  acres  of  par- 
tially-improved land  in  Greeley  township,  this  county,  lived  there  for  five 
years,  and  then  sold  it  and  removed  to  Guthrie  county,  where  he  bought 
three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  remained  for  eight  years.  Selling  this 
property,  he  then  bought  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  section  35,  Leroy 
township,  this  county,  three  miles  south  of  Audubon,  on  which  he  now  lives. 
He  also  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  near  Redfield,  Spink  county, 
South  Dakota. 


432  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Masterson  now  live  in  a  splendid  modern  house,  erected 
in  191 1.  All  of  its  eleven  rooms  are  lighted  with  electricity,  and  have  fur- 
nace heat.  The  farm  has  had  over  nine  thousand  dollars"  worth  of  improve- 
ments placed  upon  it.  The  barn,  built  in  1909,  is  fifty-six  by  sixty  feet  in 
dimensions.  The  hog-house,  which  is  twenty  by  forty-eight  feet,  is  equipped 
with  a  cement  floor  and  running  water.  A  modern  ice-house  is  one  of  the 
latest  additions  to  this  attractive  farm.  Among  the  possessions  of  which 
Mr.  Masterson  is  very  proud  are  twenty-fi\'e  head  of  registered  Hereford 
cattle,  as  well  as  graded  stock,  and  Poland-China  hogs.  He  ships  three  car 
loads  of  live  stock  annually  and  has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  Belgian 
horses,  the  average  number  kept  on  the  farm  being  twenty  head.  The  splen- 
did condition  in  which  this  expert  in  agriculture  has  kept  his  farm,  as  well 
as  his  progressive  policy  of  administration,  are  evidence  of  the  fact  that  the 
owner  lives  a  very  busy  life. 

Mr.  Masterson  is  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Audubon.  Socially  they  are  very  well  known 
and  highlv  esteemed,  and  their  home  is  one  of  the  most  hospitable  in  the 
neighborhood. 


HANS  P.  PETERSEN. 


The  following  paragraph  contains  briefly  the  salient  facts  of  the  life 
of  a  plain,  honest  man  of  affairs,  Hans  P.  Petersen,  the  proprietor  of  a 
well-known  mercantile  establishment  at  Exira,  this  county,  who,  by  correct 
methods  and  a  strict  regard  for  the  interests  of  his  patrons,  has  made  his 
influence  felt  in  that  section  of  Audubon  county,  having  won  for  himself 
distinctive  prestige  in  the  business  circles  of  this  community.  Hans  P.  Peter- 
sen would  be  the  last  man  to  l)ecome  the  subject  of  fulsome  eulogy.  Ne\'er- 
theless  his  life  presents  much  that  is  interesting  from  the  biographer's  view- 
point, and  which  may  be  studied  with  profit  by  the  }'oung  men  whose  careers 
are  yet  to  be  achieved,  i\Ir.  Petersen  himself  being  a  comparatively  young 
man,  whose  integrity  and  strength  of  character  call  for  public  notice  which 
his  modesty  never  would  seek.  Mr.  Petersen  commands  the  respect  of  hi?, 
contemporaries  and  has  left  his  individuality  deeply  stamped  upon  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives. 

Hans  P.  Petersen  was  born  in  Denmark  on  December  16,  1871,  the  son 
of  K.  S.  and  Carrie  (Sorenson)  Petersen,  both  natives  of  that  country,  the 
latter  of  whom  died  in  1879  and  the  former  in  1886.     K.  S.  Petersen  was 


IIAXS  I'.   I'lrrKKSEX 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  433 

a  farmer  in  Denmark  and  farmed  there  all  his  life.  He  served  throughout 
the  Danish-Prussian  War  in  1864.  At  the  time  the  war  broke  out  he  was 
living  near  the  Danish-Prussian  border.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living,  Peter  K.,  Christena,  Mar- 
garet, Soren,  Hans  P.,  Minnie  and  Chris.  All  of  these  children  are  living 
in  America  except  Christena  and  Minnie,  who  still  live  in  Denmark. 

Hans  P.  Petersen  attended  school  in  Denmark  until  he  was  fifteen 
years  old,  after  which  he  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand,  receiving  a  very  small 
amount  of  money  for  wages,  just  about  enough  to  clothe  himself.  In  1889 
he  came  to  America  and  located  near  Minden,  Nebraska,  on  a  farm.  He 
worked  there  for  ten  dollars  a  month  during  the  first  summer  and  the  fol- 
lowing summer  he  received  thirteen  dollars.  After  working  there  for  a 
year  and  a  half,  he  went  to  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  and  took  a  course  in  the 
Danish  Lutheran  College  at  Elkhorn.  After  completing  that  course,  he 
engaged  in  the  creamery  business  at  West  Hamlin,  Iowa,  where  he  worked 
for  sixteen  months,  and  then  removed  to  Marne,  Iowa,  where  he  operated 
a  creamery  for  a  short  time,  after  which  he  returned  to  West  Hamlin  and 
about  one  year  later  took  charge  of  the  Elkhorn  creamery.  Later,  returning 
to  West  Hamlin,  he  managed  the  creamery  there  for  three  years  and  then 
took  charge  of  the  Audubon  township  creamery,  of  w^hich  he  was  manager 
until  1901.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  Exira  and  engaged  in  the  implement 
business  with  H.  P.  Hansen,  being  thus  engaged  for  a  year  and  a  half,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  bought  one-third  interest  in  the  Hansen-Lohmer 
Company,  dealers  in  general  merchandise,  and  in  February,  1910,  took  over 
the  entire  business.  Mr.  Petersen  handles  a  complete  line  of  general  mer- 
chandise, occupying  three  storerooms  on  the  north  side  of  Washington 
street,  at  Exira,  and  has  built  up  a  large  and  flourishing  business. 

On  December  7,  1895,  Hans  P.  Petersen  was  married  to  Catherine 
Jessen,  daughter  of  Peter  A.  and  Maren  (Jessen)  Jessen,  to  which  union 
three  children  have  been  born,  Henry,  Carrie  and  Milo,  all  of  whom  are 
living  at  home.  Mrs.  Petersen  was  born  in  Schleswig,  Germany,  and  her 
parents  also  are  natives  of  that  country.  They  came  to  America  in  1893 
and  after  a  time  located  in  Audubon  county,  where  they  took  up  farming, 
which  they  followed  until  1904,  in  which  year  they  retired  and  moved  to 
Exira.  They  are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  Jens,  Peter,  Marten,  Chris, 
Mary,  Katherine,  Lena,  Andrew  and  Nis. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Petersen  and  family  are  members  of  the  Danish  Luth- 
eran church.     At  one  time  Mr.  Petersen  served  as  councilman  at  Exira.     He 
(28) 


434  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

is  independent  in  politics,  having  lost  all  faith  in  the  promises  of  political 
parties.  Mr.  Petersen  believes  in  supporting  men  for  what  they  are  and  for 
what  they  have  done,  rather  than  voting  in  a  blind,  partisan  sense.  Since 
coming  to  this  country,  Hans  P.  Petersen  has  worthily  discharged  his  duties 
as  an  American  citizen  and  has  become  a  potent  factor  in  the  civic  life  of 
Exira  township. 


JASPER  XORTHUP. 

Jasper  Xorthup  is  generally  recognized  as  one  of  the  energetic  and 
well-known  business  men  of  Audubon  county,  w^ho,  by  his  enterprise  and 
progressive  methods,  has  contributed  in  a  material  way  to  the  commercial 
advancement  of  the  locality  where  he  lives.  In  the  course  of  an  honorable 
career  he  has  been  successful  in  the  manifold  lines  to  which  his  efforts  have 
been  directed,  and  enjoying,  as  he  does,  distinct  prestige  among  the  repre- 
sentative business  men  of  his  community,  it  is  proper  that  attention  be  called 
to  his  achievements  and  due  credit  be  accorded  to  his  worth  as  an  enterpris- 
ing citizen  of  this  great  county. 

Jasper  Xorthup,  a  well-known  building  contractor  of  Audubon,  Iowa, 
was  born  on  March  i8,  1873,  in  Johnson  county,  X^ebraska.  He  is  the  son 
of  Xathan  and  Harriet  (Sherlock)  Xorthup,  early  settlers  of  Audubon 
county.  Jasper  Xorthup  resided  in  X^braska  with  his  parents  until  1877, 
and  then  came  witli  them  to  Iowa  county,  Iowa.  In  1882  he  came  to 
Audubon  county  and  settled  in  Douglas  township,  where  he  was  reared  and 
attended  school.  Since  his  boyhood,  Mr.  X^orthup  has  worked  at  the  brick- 
and  stonemason's  trade.  He  learned  the  trade  early  in  life  and  in  1899 
began  contracting  on  his  own  account.  In  1903  Mr.  Xorthup  went  west  and 
located  in  X'^ebraska.  Here  he  followed  construction  and  building  for  six 
years  and  worked  principally  in  ]\IcCook,  where  he  erected  several  brick 
business  blocks.  Mr.  Xorthup  also  did  extensive  work  in  towns  not  far  from 
McCook.  In  1909  he  was  engaged  in  construction  work  in  Denver  and 
along  the  Pacific  coast,  in  \\'ashington  and  in  Idaho.  He  returned  to  Iowa 
in  the  fall  of  191 2,  and  resumed  his  trade  in  this  state.  In  the  spring  of 
1914,  Mr.  X^orthup  engaged  in  some  construction  work  for  Audubon  county 
and  is  now  engaged  actively  in  the  erection  of  concrete  bridges. 

Jasper  Xorthup  was  married,  June  7.  1892,  to  Elizabeth  Quinn.  of 
Johnson  county,  Iowa.  To  this  happy  union  four  children  have  been  born, 
Edna,  the  wife  of  William  Liberty,  of  Denver,  Colorado.     They  have  one 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  435 

child,  Richard  Francis;  Roy  is  at  home;  Elsie  is  the  wife  of  Benjamin 
Liberty,  of  Denver,  Colorado,  and  they  have  one  child;  George  lives  at 
home. 

Mr.  Northnp  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  but  although  he 
supports  the  candidate  for  the  Democratic  party  in  national  politics,  he  is 
more  or  less  independent  in  local  affairs.  Jasper  Northup  is  a  man  who  is 
well  known  in  Audubon  county.  He  is  a  progressive,  wide-awake,  up-to- 
date  business  man  who  believes  in  twentieth-century  methods.  He  is  genial 
in  his  manner  and  is  highly  esteemed  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and 
acquaintances. 


WILLIAM  A.  CLARK. 


^^'hatever  may  be  their  circumstances  or  conditions  in  life,  the  widow 
and  children  of  a  war  veteran  have  a  noble  heritage  which  the  wealth  of  a 
king  cannot  buy.  The  man  who  has  made  the  supreme  sacrifice,  willingness 
to  give  his  life  for  a  great  cause,  and  the  woman  who  has  shared  the  sorrow 
and  the  suffering  necessary  to  such  a  sacrifice,  have  experienced  an  exaltation 
that  only  those  capable  of  heroism  can  know  or  understand.  He  who  has 
fought  a  single  battle  when  that  battle  has  been  in  the  cause  of  right,  is 
indeed,  worthy  of  a  crown  of  laurels.  What,  then,  shall  be  the  tribute  worthy 
of  the  man  who  has  offered  his  life  in  sixteen  battles?  Great  and  sublime 
must  be  the  courage  of  the  man  who  can  say,  not  once,  but  many  times.  "If 
my  country  needs  my  life,  here  it  is.'  The  biographer  regards  it  as  an  honor 
to  record  even  briefly  the  chief  events  in  the  life  of  such  a  man,  for  in  doing 
so,  not  only  is  that  life  commemorated  but  it  is  held  up  as  an  inspiration  to 
high  and  patriotic  endeavor. 

William  A.  Clark  was  born  in  New  Jersey  on  January  20,  1842,  the  son 
of  John  and  Mary  (Allen)  Clark,  who  migrated  to  Illinois  at  an  early  date, 
and  later  made  their  home  in  Poweshiek  county,  Iowa,  where  William  A. 
Clark  was  living  when,  in  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Tenth  Regiment 
Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  at  Victor,  Iowa,  for  service  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Civil  War,  and  for  three  years  and  three  months  this  young 
patriot  saw  service  in  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  Many  are  the  interest- 
ing stories  Mr.  Clark  used  to  relate  concerning  the  sixteen  battles  in  which 
he  took  part,  the  most  tragic  of  which  was  the  battle  of  Vicksburg,  where 
he  had  a  narrow  escape  from  death. 

For  a  while  after  the  war,   William   A.   Clark  located   in   Poweshiek 


436  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

county,  Iowa,  and  then  went  with  his  family  to  Kansas,  where  they  liyed 
three  years.  The  journey  was  made  in  a  wagon  drawn  by  oxen,  and  it 
required  three  weeks  to  coyer  the  distance.  Part  of  the  worldly  wealth 
which  Mr.  Clark  transported  West  were  several  horses  and  six  cows.  Locat- 
ing in  Republic  county,  the  family  were  carrying  out  plans  for  a  permanent 
home  there  when  they  were  overtaken  by  a  serious  drought  which  drove  them 
back  to  the  state  they  had  previously  left.  After  living  near  Avoca,  Iowa, 
for  a  period  of  five  years,  and  in  Carroll  county  for  three  years,  Mr.  Clark 
obtained  eighty  acres  in  Leroy  township,  this  county,  and  here  the  family 
home  has  been  established  for  the  past  thirty  years.  After  his  service  in  the 
war,  the  veteran  chose  farming  as  his  occupation,  and  this  engaged  his 
attention  the  remainder  of  his  life,  during  the  last  eleven  years  of  which  he 
was  an  invalid. 

On  December  25,  1879,  William  A.  Clark  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Jane  M.  Greenlee,  who  was  born  in  A^enango  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
November  7,  1849,  ^^'^^  "^^'ho  came  to  Iowa  with  her  parents  when  a  girl,  the 
family  locating  in  Poweshiek  county.  To  this  union  ten  children  were  born, 
namely :  ^lay,  who  married  Austin  Linn  and  lives  in  Gray,  Iowa ;  Wilburn, 
a  farmer  in  Leroy  township,  this  county,  married  Clara  Freese;  Robert,  a 
cement  worker  in  Ontario,  California;  Charles,  deceased;  Alary,  who  mar- 
ried William  Thomas  and  also  went  to  Ontario,  California,  to  live ;  Jennie, 
who  married  Henry  Leighty,  of  Leroy  township;  John  and  Nellie,  who  live 
at  home,  the  former  giving  his  time  to  agriculture;  Lois,  who  married  Earl 
Terry,  a  well-known  farmer  of  this  township;  Sarah,  the  youngest  child,  has 
remained  at  home.  All  of  these  children  were  educated  in  the  home  schools. 
After  finishing  her  education.  May  became  a  teacher  and  is  very  popular 
among  her  associates,  both  pupils  and  teachers.  The  father  of  these  children 
died  on  January  7,  1906,  and  was  widely  mourned,  for  he  was  a  good  man. 
His  widow  is  still  living  in  her  pleasant  home  in  Leroy  township. 

Few  residents  of  Audubon  county  were  better  known  or  more  respected 
than  was  William  jV.  Clark,  and  few  have  left  a  more  highly  honored 
memory.  Knowing  something  of  Mr.  Clark's  patriotism,  or  at  least,  of  its 
expression,  it  is  not  surprising  to  learn  that  after  the  war  his  interest  in  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  never  abated.  In 
fact,  it  grew  stronger  with  the  years,  although  in  the  later  years  of  his  life 
ill  health  prevented  his  former  activity  in  the  affairs  of  the  post  to  which 
he  was  attached  at  Audubon.  Mr.  Clark  was  a  life-long  Republican,  and  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church.  It  is  difficult  to  close  a  sketch,  even  as 
brief  as  this,  without  paying  a  tribute  to  the  patriotism  of  such  a  man  as  Mr. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  437 

Clark.  But  where  are  the  words  to  express  what  one  really  feels  when  one 
contemplates  the  meaning  of  such  self-abnegation  as  his?  He  was  living  a 
quiet,  useful  life  when  the  war  broke  out.  Then  the  nation  had  need  of  that 
life.  The  supreme  test  came  when  volunteers  were  asked  for.  And  without 
hesitation,  this  brave  man  took  leave  of  his  family,  and  started  upon  a  jour- 
ney, the  destination  of  which  he  did  not  know.  Fortunately  for  those  who 
loved  him,  and  whom  he  loved,  he  returned,  but  with  impaired  health. 
Equally  strong  and  unselfish  in  peace  and  in  war,  can  we  honor  too  much  the 
memorv  of  a  man  like  William  A.  Clark? 


FRANKLIN  L.  MAY. 


The  late  Franklin  L.  May,  formerly  one  of  the  best-known  residents  of 
Greeley  township,  this  county,  was  one  of  the  men  who  did  well  his  part  in 
the  upbuilding  of  Audubon  county,  and  it  is  but  fitting  that  in  a  review  of  the 
lives  of  the  men  who  wrought  so  well,  his  name  should  be  given  a  place. 

Franklin  L.  May  (deceased)  was  born  in  West  Virginia  on  February 
1 6,  1 85 1,  the  son  of  Valentine  and  Elizabeth  (Esbeck)  May,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Schluechtern,  Germany,  who  came  to  the  United  States, 
landing  at  Baltimore  in  1840  and  located  in  West  Virginia,  where  they 
remained  until  1852,  in  which  year  the  family  came  West,  locating  near 
Anamosa,  Jones  county,  this  state,  where  the  parents  spent  the  rest  of  their 
lives.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children :  Mrs.  Martha  Canfield, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Burns,  Mrs.  Marguerite  Heitchen,  ]\Irs.  Mary  Wagoner, 
Nicholas,  William  Charles,  Franklin  L.,  James,  Mrs.  Parthenia  W^agoner 
and  Henry.  Charles  May  came  to  this  county  in  1877,  and  in  1880  Franklin 
L.  Alay  came  with  his  family,  buying  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land 
in  sections  9  and  16  of  Greeley  township,  on  which  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  October,  1889.  For  the  land  which  he 
bought  he  paid  eight  dollars  an  acre  and  it  now  is  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the 
county. 

On  January  8,  1874,  in  Jones  county,  Iowa,  Franklin  I.  May  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mary  L.  Howland,  who  was  born  in  Brown  county,  Ohio, 
April  17,  1855,  the  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Clarinda  (Hall)  Howland, 
natives  of  Ohio,  who  came  to  Iowa  in  1868,  locating  in  Linn  county,  later 
going  to  Texas,  in  which  state  the  father  and  two  children  died  within  less 
than  a  vear,  after  which  the  mother  returned  to  Iowa  and  made  her  home 


438  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

with  her  daughter,  Mrs.  May,  the  rest  of  her  life.  The  Howlands  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  May  was  the  eldest,  the  others  being 
Albert,  Mrs.  Ellen  Kelsey,  Rufus,  Louisa  and  Henry. 

To  Franklin  L.  and  Mary  L.  (Howland)  May  were  born  six  children, 
five  of  whom  are  living:  Jennie,  born  on  June  6,  1877,  married  Frank 
Myers,  and  has  three  children,  Donald,  Bernard  and  Albert  L. ;  Albert,  born 
on  November  22i,  1879,  married  Emma  Myers  and  has  six  children,  Gerald, 
Ellowene,  Frank,  Arnold,  Oralees  and  Chester;  Roxie,  born  on  November 
21,  1 88 1,  married  Ralph  Stanley  and  has  four  children,  Dolliver,  Wyman, 
Evelyn  and  Merlin;  Marguerite,  born  on  February  12,  1884,  married  Homer 
Beers  and  has  one  child,  Bernice  M.,  and  Muriel,  born  on  December  25,  1887, 
who  married  Orin  Colee  and  has  one  child,  Maxine. 

Mr.  May  was  a  Democrat  and  took  an  earnest  interest  in  local  politics. 
For  several  years  he  served  as  township  trustee  and  was  instrumental  in 
making  many  improvements  during  his  administration.  His  widow  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church  and  is  a  woman  who  is  held  in  the  highest 
regard  among  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances  in  her  neighborhood.  Her  late 
husband  was  a  good  citizen  and  his  community  suffered  a  real  loss  at  his 
death. 


CARL  D.  FORSBECK. 


It  is  proper  to  judge  the  success  of  a  man's  life  by  the  estimation  in 
which  he  is  held  by  his  fellow  citizens.  They  see  him  at  his  work,  in  his 
family  circle,  in  church,  and  hear  his  views  on  public  questions,  observe  his 
morals  and  witness  how  he  conducts  himself  in  all  the  relations  of  society  and 
civilization.  They  are,  therefore,  competent  to  judge  of  his  merits  and 
demerits.  After  a  long  course  of  years  of  daily  observation,  it  would  be  out 
of  the  question  for  a  man's  neighbors  not  to  know  his  worth.  In  this  con- 
nection it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  Carl  D.  Forsbeck  has  passed  a  life  of 
great  service  to  the  people  of  Audubon  county.  That  he  has  been  industrious 
and  has  the  confidence  of  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  his  friendship  cannot 
be  denied.  Mr.  Forsbeck  has  been  honored  by  the  people  of  Audubon  county 
with  appointment  to  the  responsible  position  of  county  engineer. 

Carl  D.  Forsbeck  was  born  on  May  3,  1883,  on  a  farm  near  Gray, 
Iowa.  He  is  a  son  of  Andrew  G.  and  Mary  (Aikman)  Forsbeck,  natives  of 
S^^■eden  and  Lyons,  Iowa,  respectively.  Andrew  G.  Forsbeck  Avas  born  in 
1846  in  Sweden  and  came  from  that  country  when  twenty-five  years  of  age 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  439 

to  America.  He  was  a  sailor  from  boyhood  and  crossed  the  ocean  several 
times  from  Liverpool  to  New  York.  He  made  several  voyages,  in  fact,  to 
New  York  city  and  to  southern  ports,  and  also  to  southern  European  ports. 
He  settled  in  Illinois  in  about  1874  and  there  married.  In  1880  he  came  to 
Lincoln  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  settled  on  prairie  land.  He 
purchased  land  from  the  Rock  Island  railroad  and  was  successful  in  develop- 
ing a  fine  farm.  Since  191 1  he  has  been  living  in  Gray.  During  his  active 
life  he  was  an  extensive  dealer  in  live  stock.  Andrew  G.  and  Mary  (Aik- 
man)  Forsbeck  had  three  children;  Ella,  the  wife  of  Lou  Hansen,  of  Gray; 
Sadie,  the  wife  of  Chris  Christensen,  a  farmer  near  Gray;  and  Carl  D.,  the 
third  child. 

Carl  D.  Forsbeck  was  educated  in  the  Gray  and  Audubon  schools  and 
in  Iowa  State  College.  After  attending  the  latter  institution  five  years  he 
received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  in  1908,  and  was  graduated  as  a 
civil  engineer.  Subsequently,  he  took  a  post  graduate  course  at  the  Armour 
Institute  of  Technology  in  Chicago.  He  is  now  working  for  his  Master's 
degree  in  this  institution.  For  some  years  Mr.  Forsbeck  was  civil  engineer 
for  the  Rock  Island  railroad  and  was  connected  with  the  maintenance  work 
on  the  Iowa  division.  While  attending  college  he  worked  for  the  Des  Moines 
and  Iowa  Falls  railroad;  also  the  Ft.  Dodge  and  Southern  railroad  during 
his  vacations.  After  his  graduation  he  went  to  New  Mexico,  where  he  had 
charge  of  forty  thousand  acres  of  land  and  made  a  survey  which  required 
one  year.  Mr.  Forsbeck  was  employed  by  the  Santa  Fe  railroad  for  about 
one  year  in  New  Mexico,  Texas  and  Colorado  on  maintenance  and  construc- 
tion work.  He  then  worked  for  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad  and  was 
located  in  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  Colorado  for  seven  months  on  locating 
a  new-  line  across  the  Navazo  Reservation  from  Gallup,  New  Mexico,  to 
Durango,  Colorado.  After  this  he  returned  to  Iowa  and  did  valuation  work 
for  the  LTnion  Pacific  for  nearly  two  months.  At  Waterloo,  Mr.  Forsbeck 
maintained  a  private  office  as  consulting  engineer  until  June,  1913,  when 
he  came  to  Audubon  and  took  charge  of  the  county  work  on  January  i, 
1 9 14.  Previously,  Mr.  Forsbeck  had  twice  been  elected  county  surveyor  of 
Audubon  county.  He  also  had  been  appointed  once.  He  has  been  in  charge 
of  the  engineering  work  in  Audubon  county  for  the  past  eight  years. 

Mr.  Forsbeck  designed  and  constructed  the  Kimballton  waterworks 
system.  He  also  designed  the  first  steel  bridge,  with  concrete  floors  and 
concrete  abutments  that  was  ever  erected  in  Audubon  county.  In  fact,  Mr. 
Forsbeck  was  the  first  engineer  appointed  in  Audubon  county. 

Politically,  Mr.  Forsbeck  is  an  independent  Republican  and  votes  for 


440  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

men  rather  than  party  emblems.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
the  blue  lodge  and  the  chapter,  and  he  is  also  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Mr.  Forsbeck  is  a  member  of  the  Iowa  Engineering 
Society  and  a  member  of  the  Delta  Upsilon  national  Greek  letter  college 
fraternity. 


CHRISTOFFER  HANSEN. 

One  of  the  best  known  members  of  the  large  Danish  colony  in  Audubon 
county,  Christoffer  Hansen,  came  to  this  country  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
and  by  diligence  and  faithful  attention  to  the  duties  in  hand,  has  established 
himself  in  a  very  comfortable  home  in  this  county  and  is  held  as  among  the 
most  substantial  men  in  his  section  of  the  county. 

Christoffer  Hansen  was  bom  in  Sjealand,  Denmark.  April  20.  1872,  the 
son  of  Peter  and  Dorothea  (Christophersen)  Hansen,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  the  same  district,  landowners  and  farmers,  and  parents  of  six 
children,  four  of  whom  are  still  living,  Mrs.  Marie  (Nelson)  Petersen, 
Christoffer,  Hans  L.  and  Lars,  Hans  L.  and  Christopher  being  the  only 
members  of  the  family  to  come  to  this  country.  Until  he  was  fourteen  years 
of  age,  Christoffer  Hansen  attended  the  schools  of  his  native  district,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  farm  work  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  farm  until  March 
of  the  year  1891,  at  which  time  he  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  New 
York  and  proceeding  directly  to  Oakfield,  Iowa,  where  his  uncle,  Jens  P. 
Christoffersen.  made  his  home.  He  remained  there  for  about  six  years, 
working  on  farms,  and  then,  in  1896,  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  near  Poplar,  in  Shelby  county.  After  a  year's  residence  there 
he  sold  his  farm  and  bought  eighty  acres  in  section  8  of  Hamlin  township, 
this  county,  where  he  lived  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold 
that  place  and  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  section  9  of  Greeley 
township,  where  he  since  has  made  his  home.  To  this  farm  he  has  added, 
since  he  bought  it.  forty  acres  more  in  section  9  and  forty  acres  in  section 
10,  making,  in  all,  a  fine  farm,  which  he  has  brought  to  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation. 

On  December  7.  1903.  in  the  city  of  Audubon,  Christoffer  Hansen  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mrs.  Tena  (Nelson)  Christiansen,  who  was  born  in 
Jylland,  Denmark,  November  i.  1873,  the  only  daughter  of  Jasper  C.  and 
Anna  C.   (Thomsen)   Nelson,  whose  father  died  when  she  was  quite  small 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  44I 

and  her  mother,  marrying  a  second  time,  came  to  America  in  1889.  By  her 
first  marriage,  Mrs.  Hansen  had  two  children,  John  T.,  born  August  13, 
1894,  and  Matilda  C,  born  July  26,  1896. 

To  Christoffer  and  Tena  (Nelson)  Hansen  have  been  born  five  chil- 
dren, Peter  C,  born  on  September  30,  1904;  Dorothea  C,  born  on  May  i, 
1906;  Louie  J.,  born  on  June  17,  1908;  Oscar  F.,  born  on  September  27, 
191 1,  and  Walter  M.,  born  on  August  26,  1913,  a  lively  set  of  youngsters 
who  make  merry  the  happy  home  of  the  Hansens. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansen  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  in 
the  various  beneficences  of  which  they  are  actively  interested  and  are 
regarded  as  among  the  leaders  in  the  community  in  which  they  live.  Mr. 
Hansen  is  a  Democrat  and  gives  such  attention  to  political  affairs  as  a  good 
citizen  owes  to  his  commonwealth.  He  is  public-spirited  and  enterprising,  a 
good  farmer  and  neighbor  and  he  and  his  good  wife  are  held  in  the  highest 
regard  by  all  who  know  them. 


ROBERT  RUTHERFORD. 

This  biography  records  the  chief  facts  in  the  life  of  a  man,  who,  in 
earl}^  manhood,  tired  of  living  where  populations  were  large  and  incomes 
small,  turned  his  eyes  toward  America  in  the  hope  that  he  might  reach  above 
the  general  level.  There  is  something  almost  pathetic  in  the  trustfulness  and 
confidence  with  which  the  youth  of  the  Old  World  look  toward  the  newer 
civilizations  as  affording  ample  opportunity  for  the  prosperity  of  all  who 
may  seek  their  shores ;  and  the  fact  that  an  Iowa  foreign-born  farmer  is 
able  to  retire  from  active  business  before  he  becomes  aged,  is  evidence  that 
much  of  this  youthful  trust  is  not  misplaced. 

Robert  Rutherford,  now  one  of  the  well-known  retired  farmers  of 
Ross,  Iowa,  was  born  on  December  24,  1833,  in  County  Down.  Ireland,  son 
of  Thomas  and  Fannie  (Simpson)  Rutherford,  farmers  and  weavers,  to 
whom  were  born,  in  the  order  of  their  birth,  the  following  children :  Will- 
iam, Thomas,  Jennie,  James,  John,  Robert,  Alexander,  Eliza  and  Adam,  of 
whom  Robert,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  now  the  sole  survivor.  Thomas 
Rutherford  and  his  wife  were  Presbyterians  and  their  children  were  reared 
in  that  faith. 

It  was  when  Robert  Rutherford  was  a  young  man  of  nineteen  that  he 
and  his  brother,  Alexander,  started  for  America  in  a  sailing  vessel  called 


442  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

''Guiding  Star."  It  seems  that  the  youthful  travelers  were  not  guided  very 
rapidly,  for  it  took  them  seven  weeks  to  go  from  Liverpool  to  New  Orleans. 
Landing  on  the  Southern  coast,  they  boarded  a  river  steamer  for  St.  Louis, 
and  somewhere  in  the  \-icinity  of  that  city  the  brothers  engaged  in  farming 
for  one  year.  Robert  Rutherford's  next  home  was  Rock  Island,  Illinois, 
and  there  he  lived  for  seventeen  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  removed 
to  Poweshiek  county,  Iowa. 

In  June,  1861,  Robert  Rutherford  married  May  Campbell,  an  interest- 
ing fact  concerning  the  marriage  l^eing  that  although  both  bride  and  groom 
lived  in  the  same  county  in  this  country,  both  were  born  in  the  same  county 
in  Ireland.  At  the  time  of  their  marriage,  May  Campbell  was  living  with 
her  parents,  John  and  Margaret  (jNIcOuaid)  Campbell,  who  had  come  to 
thsi  country  from  County  Down,  Ireland,  and  in  1850  had  located  in  Rock 
Island  county,  Illinois,  where  the}-  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  May 
CamplDcll  was  born  on  April  9,  1840.  Her  father,  John 'Campbell,  was  born 
on  February  11,  1806.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
cluirch.  His  first  wife  was  a  Miss  \\'arnick,  and  by  this  marriage  there  were 
two  children,  Ann  Jane  and  Hugh,  both  of  whom  are  dead.  His  children 
by  his  second  wife  were  ]\Iay,  who  married  Mr.  Rutherford;  Margaret,  born 
on  December  22,  1844,  deceased:  Robert,  January  17,  1848,  deceased,  and 
the  Hon.  Thomas  Campbell.  January  9,  1842,  who  lives  in  Rock  Island 
county,  Illinois,  having  permanently  located  there  after  coming  to  America 
with  his  parents  in  1850.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  county  and 
was  brought  up  by  a  man  named  John  Bo3'er.  Before  the  Civil  War,  he  was 
a  farmer.  During  his  ser\-ice  in  the  army,  he  was  shot  through  the  right 
leg,  the  injured  member  afterwards  being  amputated.  The  Hon.  Thomas 
Campbell,  in  19 14,  was  re-elected  to  the  Illinois  Legislature  on  the  Republi- 
can ticket.  He  also  has  been  county  treaesurer  of  Rock  Island  county,  Illi- 
nois.    His  wife  was,  before  her  marriage.  May  Carson. 

After  the  marriage  of  Robert  Rutherford,  he  and  his  wife  lived  on  a 
farm  in  Rock  Island  county  for  a  number  of  years.  Then  they  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Poweshiek  county,  Iowa,  where  they 
lived  until  March,  1881.  Then  they  sold  out,  came  to  Audubon  county  and 
bought  an  equal  number  of  acres  one  mile  north  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east 
of  Ross,  in  Cameron  township.  To  this  farm  another  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  presently  were  added,  and  still  later,  forty  acres  more,  so  that  he  now 
has  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  well-improved  land,  which  is  valuable 
in  itself  as  well  as  because  of  the  improvements  made  by  the  owner. 

Mr.    Rutherford   carried   on   general    farming  and   stock   raising   from 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  443 

that  time  until  1901,  in  which  year  he  retired  from  business  and  moved  to 
the  village  of  Ross,  building  his  home  there  on  a  piece  of  land  consisting  of 
two  and  three-fourths  acres.  Other  valuable  property  is  owned  by  Mr. 
Rutherford  in  his  home  town.  Mr.  Rutherford  was  at  one  time  school 
director  in  Cameron  township.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  has  always  taken  an 
interest  in  politics. 

The  chief  joy  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rutherford  during  their  declining  years  is 
the  pleasure  they  derive  from  the  visits  of  their  children  and  grandchildren. 
The  eldest  child  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rutherford  was  Margaret  Jane,  born 
on  March  24.  1862,  who  married  John  McKage,  of  Brunnell,  Iowa.  Their 
children  are  James,  Lizzie,  Jane  and  Sarah.  Mary  Rutherford,  the  second 
child,  born  on  October  27,  1863,  now  deceased,  married  Hugh  McGill,  and 
by  this  marriage  became  the  mother  of  Florence,  Robert,  Fannie  and  Thomas. 
The  third  child,  Fannie,  born  on  April  6,  1866,  married  Isaac  Stewart,  of 
Sanborn  county.  South  Dakota,  and  their  children  are  Mary,  John,  James, 
Stella,  Albert,  Lulu.  Thomas,  of  Cameron  township,  this  county,  born  on 
February  14,  1869,  married  Belle  Hunt,  and  to  them  have  been  born  Vera, 
Clark,  Inez  and  Alice.  John  Rutherford,  born  on  February  14,  1871,  mar- 
ried Nellie  Quinby  and  makes  his  home  in  Emmett  county,  Iowa.  Their 
children  are  Merrill,  Lucile,  Jack,  Edna,  Mary  and  Emmett.  Jane,  now  Mrs. 
George  Rutherford,  was  born  on  February  17,  1873.  She  and  her  husband 
and  their  three  children,  Lester,  Nellie  and  Charlie,  live  in  Hastings, 
Nebraska.  Essie,  born  on  April  6,  1875,  is  now  deceased.  Of  this  entire 
family,  Nancy,  born  on  December  24,  1877,  who  clerks  in  a  store  in  Ross,  is 
the  only  child  living  at  home.  The  youngest  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rutherford 
is  Robert  J.,  born  on  March  ig,  i8'8i,  who,  with  his  wife  and  three  children, 
Harold,  Glenn  and  Howard,  lives  in  Cameron  township. 

The  man  whose  name  forms  the  title  of  this  short  biography,  is  now 
enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  life  of  industry  and  thrift,  his  companion,  the  wife 
who  has  shared  all  the  hardships  and  joys  of  the  larger  part  of  his  years, 
sharing  also  the  peace  and  quiet  of  the  present  years.  Both  were  willing 
to  start  life  in  a  small  way,  and  to  climb  the  ladder  by  degrees,  often  by  very 
slow  degrees.  Somewhere  among  his  reminiscences  is  the  memory  of  a 
period  of  eight  years  during  which  he  worked  for  fourteen  dollars  a  month, 
and,  not  to  be  surpassed  by  her  husband  in  the  matter  of  memories,  Mrs. 
Rutherford  recalls  the  time  when  she  worked  for  a  dollar  and  fifty  cents  a 
week.  These  facts  are  quoted  merely  to  indicate,  in  a  very  imperfect  way, 
the  strong  will  power  and  almost  unlimited  capacity  for  work  which  this 
couple  possessed.     And  it  is  gratifying  to  know  that  they  are  permitted  to 


444  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

enjoy  together  their  declining  years  in  the  companionship  which  made  their 
younger  days  happy.  Their  presence  is  an  inspiration  to  their  children  and 
friends. 


SAMUEL  BEERS. 


The  proprietor  of  "Forest  Home  Farm,"  in  Greeley  township,  this 
county,  Samuel  Beers,  is  a  native  son  of  Audubon  county  and  is  one  of  the 
substantial  and  progressive  men  who  have  done  so  much  to  estabHsh  the 
present  excellent  conditions  of  living  in  this  section  of  the  proud  state  of 
Iowa. 

Samuel  Beers  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the  site  of  what  later  became  the 
old  town  of  Hamlin,  in  Hamlin  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  March  24, 
1859.  the  son  of  Bradley  and  Hannah  G.  (Eles)  Beers,  natives  of  New  York 
state,  who  came  to  this  county  from  Delaware  county,  that  state,  and  who 
spent  the  rest  of  their  lives  here,  the  former  dying  in  March,  1878,  and  the 
latter  on  October  23,  1902. 

Bradley  Beers,  who  in  his  day  was  one  of  the  best-known  and  most 
influential  residents  of  Hamlin  township,  came  to  Audubon  county  about  the 
first  of  the  year  1856  and  bought  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  virgin 
land  in  Hamlin  township,  where  the  town  of  Hamlin  later  sprang  up,  giving 
for  the  same  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  an  acre.  After  erecting  a  house 
and  a  barn  here.  Mr.  Beers  returned  to  New  York  and  brought  back  with 
him  to  their  new  home  on  the  prairie,  his  wife  and  their  child,  Frank,  the 
two  other  children,  Samuel  and  Clara,  the  latter  of  whom  married  Edward 
Young,  being  born  after  the  parents  arrived  here.  On  account  of  the  dis- 
tance from  his  home  to  a  school  house,  Samuel  Beers  did  not  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  attending  school  until  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  after  which  he 
attended  two  or  three  terms  of  district  school  and  one  or  two  terms  at  Exira. 
His  father  dying  when  Samuel  was  but  nineteen  years  of  age.  much  of  the 
responsibility  of  keeping  up  the  farm  was  thrown  upon  the  latter,  who,  upon 
his  marriage,  brought  his  wife  to  the  home  farm,  which  his  father  had  pur- 
chased in  Greeley  township  about  three  years  before  his  death,  and  where 
his  mother  spent  her  last  days. 

On  September  11,  1881.  in  the  town  of  Exira.  this  county.  Samuel 
Beers  was  united  in  marriage  with  Ora  D.  Herrick,  who  was  born  in  Exira 
on  October  28.  1863.  the  daughter  of  Urbane  and  Charlotte  (Spurling) 
Herrick,  natives  of  Wisconsin,  who  came  to  Audubon  county  in   1853  and 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  445 

settled  on  a  farm  where  the  town  of  Exira  now  stands.  Urbane  Herrick 
donated  one  acre  of  land  to  the  town  of  Exira  for  a  school  building,  one  acre 
to  the  first  minister  who  arrived  in  the  place  for  parsonage  grounds  and  also 
donated  a  tract  of  land  for  cemetery  purposes.  By  his  first  marriage  Urbane 
Herrick  had  four  children,  Scott,  Ora  D.,  Lorinda  and  Rose.  Upon  the 
death  of  the  mother  of  these  children,  Mr.  Herrick  married  Kezia  Smith,  by 
whom  he  had  three  children,  Roby,  Stella  and  Maggie. 

To  Samuel  and  Ora  D.  (Herrick)  Beers  two  children  were  born,  Homer 
L.,  born  on  October  4,  1885,  who  married  Margaret  May,  a  former  school 
teacher,  and  who  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Bernice  May,  born  on  August 
II,  1912,  and  Ruth  E.,  who  was  born  on  October  16,  1891,  who  married 
Glenn  Scott  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Arnold  Beers,  born  on  February  21, 
1915.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beers  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  church  and  are 
among  the  founders  of  that  church  in  their  neighborhood.  They  are  active 
in  local  good  works  and  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  who  know  them. 


PETER  LANGE. 


No  more  substantial  and  moral  citizens  have  ever  come  to  this  country 
from  foreign  lands  than  the  sons  of  the  little  kingdom  of  Denmark.  Wher- 
ever they  have  settled,  they  have  become  honored  and  respected  citizens.  As 
a  race  they  are  characterized  by  industry,  patience,  frugality  and  wise  busi- 
ness management.  They  have  a  patience  and  perseverance  which  overcome 
all  obstacles  and  insures  success  in  whatever  undertaking  they  choose  to  fol- 
low. Audubon  county,  Iowa,  has  been  honored  by  the  coming  of  several 
sons  of  Denmark  and  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of  Hamlin  township, 
who  was  born  in  Denmark  is  Peter  Lange. 

Peter  Lange  was  born  on  December  2,  i860,  in  Vensyssel,  Jutland, 
Denmark.  He  is  the  son  of  Chris  and  Mary  Marie  Lange,  both  of  whom 
were  born  at  the  same  place  as  their  son,  Peter.  Peter  Lange's  father  died 
when  he  was  six  months  old.  There  were  two  children  at  that  time,  Peter 
and  Marie.  His  mother  married  again  some  years  later  and  Peter  made  his 
home  with  her  until  he  was  eleven  years  old,  when  he  was  compelled  to  go 
out  into  the  world  and  earn  his  own  living.  .  He  worked  out  at  farm  work 
in  his  own  country  until  he  was  twenty-seven  years  old  and  then,  in  April, 
1888,  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  in  New  York  city.  He  came  direct 
to  Harlan,  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  where  he  had  a  half-brother.     He  worked 


446  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

out  for  neighboring  farmers  for  about  two  years  and  then  rented  land  east 
of  Audubon  for  about  seven  years.  After  this  period,  he  rented  another 
farm  in  Melville  township  for  five  years  and  in  the  fall  of  1901  he  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  section  29  of  Hamlin  township.  He 
has  built  all  of  the  buildings  on  this  place  and  has  one  of  the  best-improved 
farms  in  Hamlin  township. 

On  April  4,  1S91,  Mr.  Lange  was  married  in  Kimballton,  Iowa,  to 
Johanne  Andersen,  who  was  born  on  September  18,  1864,  in  Veiling,  Jut- 
land, Denmark.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Anders  and  Matte  Marie  (Christ- 
ensen)  Anderson,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  the  same  place  as  their  daugh- 
ter, yivs.  Lange  came  to  the  United  States  when  twenty-six  years  old,  com- 
ing direct  to  Audubon  county. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Lange.  six  children  have  been  born,  Chris,  who 
was  born  on  July  4,  1893;  Mary,  August  29,  1895;  Agnes,  February  21, 
1898;  Lawrence,  March  i,  1900;  Martha.  November  21,  1903,  and  William, 
September  16,  1905.    All  of  these  children  live  at  home. 

Peter  Lange  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  Farmers  Savings  Bank  at  Hamlin  and  from  the  organiza- 
tion of  this  bank  has  been  prominent  and  influential  in  its  management.  He 
is  a  successful  farmer  and  has  greatly  profited  in  the  breeding  of  live  stock. 

j\Ir.  Lange  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has  served  as  school  director 
of  his  township,  but  this  is  the  only  office  he  has  held.  Otherwise,  he  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  his  family,  his  home  and  his  farm.  Religiously,  the 
familv  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church. 


PETER  R.  XISSEX. 


There  is  no  calling,  however  humble,  in  which  enterprise  and  industry, 
coupled  with  well-directed  purpose,  will  not  produce  some  measure  of  suc- 
cess, and  in  the  pursuit  of  agriculture  these  qualities  are  especially  essential. 
Among  the  well-known  and  highly-respected  farmers  of  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  who  have  attained  in  a  comparatively  short  time  a  definite  degree  of 
success  in  their  vocation,  and  who  at  the  same  time  have  greatly  benefited  the 
community  in  which  they  live  by  virtue  of  their  interest  and  helpfulness  in 
public  affairs  and  public  movements,  is  Peter  R.  Nissen,  of  Hamlin  township, 
Audubon  county,  Iowa. 

Peter  R.  Nissen  was  born,  December  3.  1866,  in  Germany.  He  is  the 
son  of  Jesse  and  Mary  (Reinholdt )  Xissen.     They  were  born  in  Schleswig, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  447 

when  it  was  still  a  part  of  Denmark.     They  were  farmers  and  the  parents 
of  two  children,  both  boys,  Peter  R.  and  Fred. 

Peter  R.  Nissen  lived  at  home  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old.  He 
received  a  good  common-school  education  in  his  nati^■e  country.  In  1882, 
when  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  he  left  the  paternal  roof  and  came  to  the 
United  States,  where  he  had  an  uncle  and  aunt  li^•ing  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa. 
Peter  R.  Xissen  lived  with  them  for  one  year.  He  then  commenced  working 
out  by  the  month,  doing  this  for  four  years.  In  the  meantime  he  rented  land 
and  at  the  end  of  his  period  of  working  for  different  farmers,  he  rented  land 
for  one  year  and  had  saved  at  the  end  of  that  time  a  couple  of  hundred  dol-. 
lars.  He  invested  this  monev  in  eightv  acres  of  land  in  Shelbv  countv  and 
lived  there  for  sixteen  years.  He  then  sold  that  farm  and  purchased  a  hun- 
dred and  sixtv  acres  of  land  in  Hamlin  township,  Audubon  county,  where 
he  lived  for  twelve  years,  then  sold  out  and  bought  forty  acres  in  Leroy 
township,  where  he  now  lives.  ^Ir.  Xissen  owns  eighty  acres  in  Guthrie 
county,  Iowa. 

On  October  24,  1887.  Peter  R.  Nissen  was  married  in  Shelby  county  to 
Mary  Spirup,  who  was  born  July  24,  1866,  in  Denmark,  and  who  is  the 
daughter  of  Michael  and  Mary  Spirup.  The  father  was  a  day  laborer,  who 
died  in  Denmark.  The  mother  then  came  to  the  United  States  about  1884 
and  one  year  later  Mr.  Nissen's  wife  came. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nissen  have  been  born  three  children:  Jesse  R.,  who 
was  born  July  8,  1888,  and  was  married,  November  24,  191 1,  to  Mollie 
Miller;  Mary  R.,  born  on  August  4.  1892,  and  was  married,  March  i,  191 1, 
to  Clint  Rice,  and  they  have  two  children,  Nira  Arleen,  born  on  April  22, 
1912,  and  an  infant  son,  born  on  December  27,  1914;  Michael  R.,  born  on 
February  14.  1895.  and  lives  at  home. 

Mr.  Nissen  is  a  member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics  and  served  as  township  clerk  for  two  years.  He  helped 
to  organize  the  Farmers  Savings  Bank  of  Hamlin  and  was  assistant  cashier 
for  two  years.  He  was  also  an  examiner  for  the  bank.  For  nine  years  Mr. 
Nissen  was  also  a  director  of  the  Blue  Grass  Creamery  Company  of  Audu- 
bon county.  On  his  farm  Mr.  Nissen  keeps  a  good  grade  of  stock,  though 
he  does  not  keep  thoroughbreds. 

Peter  R.  Nissen  is  highly  respected  and  well  known  in  this  part  of 
Audubon  county.  He  has  been  intimately  connected  with  its  agricultural 
and  commercial  history  and  has  much  to  do  with  its  progress  and  prosperity. 
He  was  elected  township  clerk  of  Hamlin  township,  but  resigned  when  he 
moved  to  Leroy  township. 


448  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

THEODORE  PATTY. 

Some  of  the  largest  personal  successes  on  record  have  been  to  some 
degree  a  matter  of  accident;  not  that  a  successful  business  itself  is  built  upon 
accident,  but  that  accident  may  turn  the  course  of  a  man's  career  from  a 
vocation  he  either  does  not  like  or  would  not  pursue  with  success,  to  one 
in  which  he  would  become  very  successful.  Misfortune,  as  often  happens, 
is  the  omen  of  better  things  to  come.  Theodore  Patty,  one  of  the  best- 
known  citizens  of  Audubon  county,  for  some  years  was  a  mail  carrier,  and 
then,  following  a  long  period  of  illness,  turned  his  attention  to  the  insurance 
business,  in  which  he  has  been  extraordinarily  successful,  having  had  at 
the  present  time  thirty  years'  experience  in  this  line  in  this  locality.  In  the 
beginning  of  his  insurance  career,  he  specialized  in  fire  and  tornado  insur- 
ance and  represents  the  best  companies,  not  only  in  this  country,  but  abroad. 
Among  these  are  the  Continental,  of  New  York;  the  Queen,  of  New  York; 
the  Fidelity-Phenix,  of  New  York;  the  Hanover,  of  New  York;  the  Spring- 
field Fire  and  Marine ;  the  Connecticut,  of  Connecticut ;  the  Fireman's  Fund, 
of  San  Francisco;  the  German-American,  of  New  York;  the  Farmers,  of 
Cedar  Rapids;  the  National,  of  Connecticut;  the  Iowa  State,  of  Keokpk; 
the  Security,  of  Davenport;  the  Hartford,  of  Connecticut,  and  the  Fire- 
men's, of  Newark,  New  Jersey.  In  his  career  as  an  insurance  man,  Mr. 
Patty  has  paid  out  in  excess  of  thirty  thousand  dollars  in  losses,  and  has  thus 
contributed  to  the  well-being  of  hundreds  of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  believes 
thoroughly  in  insurance,  talks  insurance  and  is  capable  of  making  his  fel- 
lows believe  as  he  does. 

Theodore  Patty  was  born  on  September  13,  1853,  in  Newton,  Miami 
county,  Ohio,  the  son  of  David  and  Mary  (Coats)  Patty,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Knightstown,  Indiana.  But 
little  is  known  of  the  early  generations  of  the  Patty  family.  It  is  known, 
however,  that  Theodore's  maternal  grandfather,  George  Coats,  was  born 
in  North  Carolina,  on  October  9,  1806,  and  that  he  died  at  Le  Mars,  Ply- 
mouth county,  Iowa,  on  March  13,  1883.  During  his  life  he  followed  many 
vocations,  having  been  a  minister  in  the  Christian  church,  a  merchant  and 
a  farmer. 

David  Patty  followed  farming  most  of  his  life  and  in  1855  the  family 
came  west  from  Ohio,  locating  at  Irving,  Benton  county,  Iowa,  where  they 
lived  until  1869,  when  they  moved  to  Carroll  county,  Iowa,  driving  through 
with  five  yoke  of  oxen.     When  they  located  in  Carroll,  it  was  a  town  of 


THEODORE  FATTY 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    TOWA.  449 

about  two  or  three  hundred  population.  David  Patty  purchased  and  sold 
live  stock  and  conducted  a  meat  market.  During  the  two  years  that  the 
family  lived  at  Carroll,  Theodore,  then  a  mere  lad,  started  the  first  dray 
line  in  the  town,  doing  his  hauling  with  a  one-horse  wagon. 

Theodore  Patty  is  the  eldest  of  eight  children,  the  others  in  the  order 
of  their  birth  being:  Mary  L.,  born  on  October  2,  1857,  who  is  the  w4fe 
of  William  S.  Bush,  and  lives  at  Fairfax,  South  Dakota;  Esmeralda,  May 
13,  i860,  who  married  Horatio  S.  Wetherell  and  is  now  deceased;  Charles, 
M.,  June  15,  1862,  who  Hves  on  the  old  home  farm;  WiUiam,  June  6,  1864; 
Emma  A.,  November  10,  1867,  who  died  on  February  23,  1890,  taught  school 
in  Audubon  county  from  the  time  she  was  sixteen  years  old;  Edward  E., 
October  31,  1875,  died  on  September  21,  1878,  and  Ella  E.,  September  i, 
1878,  who  married  Andrew  P.  Petersen  and  lives  at  Hamill,  Tripp  county. 
South  Dakota. 

In  April,  1871,  in  company  with  several  companions,  Theodore  Patty 
came  to  Audubon  county,  locating  in  Exira,  and  in  September  of  the  same 
year  his  father,  on  his  way  to  Kansas,  drove  through  Exira,  and  after 
reaching  there  gave  up  the  idea  of  going  farther  west  and  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  Greeley  township,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  with 
the  exception  of  two  years,  1873- 1875,  which  the  family  spent  in  Benton 
county,  Iowa. 

When  Theodore  Patty  first  came  to  Audubon  county,  he  worked  as  a 
farm  hand,  and  about  1875,  upon  his  return  from  Benton  county,  began 
carrying  the  mail  from  Atlantic,  the  nearest  railroad  point,  to  Exira,  con- 
tinuing in  this  service  until  the  railroad  was  built  through  Exira  in  1879. 
Owing  to  a  long  period  of  illness,  he  was  unable  to  work  for  the  next  two 
years.  In  the  meantime  he  took  up  a  careful  stud}'  of  the  insurance  busi- 
ness, and  on  February  2,  1881,  he  wrote  his  first  risk,  and  has  been  continu- 
ously in  the  business  in  Exira  ever  since,  having  paid  out  over  thirty  thou- 
sand dollars  in  losses.  His  business  is  confined  to  fire,  tornado  and  liability 
insurance. 

On  September  2,  1887,  Theodore  Patty  was  married  to  Mamie  B.  Win- 
chell.  who  was  born  on  ]\Iay  4,  1869,  in  Cascade,  Dubuque  county.  Iowa, 
and  who  died  at  Estancia,  New  Mexico,  on  September  19,  19 13.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Charles  and  Hattie  (Bucknam)  Winchell,  who  came  to 
Audubon  county  about  1879.  To  Theodore  and  Mamie  B.  (Winchell- 
Patty  was  born  one  child,  Ida  Irma,  who  w^as  born  on  April  16,  1889.  After 
attending  school  at  Council  Bluffs,  Winfield,  Kansas,  and  ]\Iuskogee,  Indian 

(29) 


450  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Territory,  and  after  having  learned  the  Spanish  language  at  the  latter  school, 
Ida  Irma  Patty  went  to  Socorro,  New  Mexico,  where  for  some  time  she 
taught  school  and  was  in  demand  as  an  interpreter  for  the  Mexicans.  While 
living  in  New  Mexico,  Miss  Patty  homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  in  Torrence  county,  and  at  her  mothers  death  inherited  the  latter's 
claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  making  a  total  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  which  she  now  owns. 

Theodore  Patty  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  having  joined 
this  order  on  August  31,  1887,  a  charter  member  of  the  Exira  lodge,  and 
is  also  a  member  of  the  P}'1;hian  Sisters.  He  also  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Maccabees,  of  which  latter  lodge  he  has  been  record-keeper  for  over 
ten  years.  Mr.  Patty  attributes  his  success  in  business  somewhat  to  the  fact 
that  he  has  never  mixed  in  politics  and  he  has  never  held  office,  thus  never 
having  permitted  politics  to  interfere  with  his  personal  and  private  business. 
The  Christian  church  is  the  ancestral  church  of  the  Pattys,  and  Theodore 
Patty  is  a  member  of  this  church,  as  was  his  wife  and  is  his  daughter.  He 
is  a  man  of  most  pleasing  personality,  honest,  conscientious  and  straightfor- 
ward in  all  of  his  dealings,  a  man  upon  whom  the  people  of  Audubon  county 
rely  absolutely  for  the  truth,  not  only  about  insurance,  but  about  anything 
whatsoever  represented  by  him. 


LARS  PETER  CHRISTEXSEX. 

Coming  to  America  from  Denmark  when  he  was  twenty-eight  years  of 
age,  Lars  Peter  Christensen,  who  started  his  new  life  in  his  adopted  country 
as  a  common  laborer,  has  made  such  excellent  use  of  his  opportunities  that 
now,  at  a  time  not  much  past  his  middle  age,  he  is  able  to  live  a  life  of  com- 
fortable retirement  in  his  fine  home  in  Exira,  this  county,  enjoying  the 
fruitage  of  his  life  of  active  endeavor  and  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his 
many  friends. 

Lars  Peter  Christensen  was  born  in  Hjerring,  Denmark,  January  9, 
1855,  the  son  of  Christian  and  ]\Iary  (Nelson)  Christensen,  farming  people 
and  natives  of  the  same  place,  who  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  all  of 
whom  are  deceased,  save  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr. 
Christensen  attended  school  in  his  native  village  until  he  was  fourteen  years 
of  age,  at  which  time  he  entered  an  apprenticeship  to  the  brick-making  indus- 
try, bricks  there  being  made  by  hand,  and   for  years  followed  that  trade, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  45 1 

becoming  so  expert  that  he  could  make  four  thousand  bricks  a  day.  He 
married  in  his  home  village  and  remained  there  until  he  was  twenty-eight 
years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  and  his  family  came  to  this  country,  arriving 
on  May  20,  1882,  at  Loreville,  Green  county,  Iowa,  where  he  secured  work 
with  the  Milwaukee  Railroad  Company  as  a  laborer,  after  two  years  of  which 
service  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  section  foreman,  which  he  held 
for  six  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  given  charge  of  a  construction 
and  gravel  train,  remaining  with  the  company  in  that  capacity  for  about  two 
years,  after  which  he  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  west  of 
Scranton,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
sold  that  place  and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  five  miles  south  of 
Beard,  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  which  he  sold  after  two  years'  residence 
thereon  and  bought  two  hundred  and  twelve  acres  two  miles  west  of  Penora, 
meanwhile  owning  several  other  farms  in  Guthrie  county.  In  1905  Mr. 
Christiansen  traded  for  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  of  land  in  section  11 
of  Hamlin  township,  this  county,  and  lived  there  until  the  spring  of  1915,  at 
which  time  he  bought  a  couple  of  houses  in  the  city  of  Exira  and  retired 
from  the  active  life  of  the  farm,  making  his  home  in  one  of  the  houses 
which  he  had  bought.  He  also  has  owned  several  other  farms  in  Audubon 
county  and  is  ver}-  well  circumstanced. 

On  October  14,  1877,  in  Denmark,  Lars  Peter  Christensen  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  Sorensen,  who  was  born  in  the  same  village  in  which 
he  was  born,  the  daughter  of  Christian  and  Katrina  Sorensen,  and  to  this 
union  ten  children  were  born,  five  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  all  are 
living  save  one  son  and  one  daughter :  Chris  married  Lena  Hansen,  of 
Neola,  this  state,  and  has  five  children ;  Anna  married  Fred  Christensen  and 
has  one  child,  Ellis ;  Agnes  married  Chris  Christensen,  a  native  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein,.  and  they  have  two  children.  Clarence  and  ]\Iary;  Mary  married 
Walter  Micklesen  and  has  two  children,  Charles  and  August ;  Harry  is 
unmarried ;  Tillie  married  Walter  Lane  and  has  two  children.  Charles  and 
Peter :  Peter  and  Charles  are  unmarried.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
in  Penora,  Iowa,  June  9,  1901,  and  Mr.  Christensen  married,  secondly,  Sep- 
tember 28,  1907,  in  Exira,  Mrs.  Katrina  Hansen,  who  was  born  on  August 
20,  1850,  in  Denmark  and  who  died  on  September  27,  1910. 

Mr.  Christensen  is  a  Republican,  though  he  is  not  a  politician  and  has 
never  been  included  in  the  office-seeking  class.  He  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  and  are  active  supporters  of  all  the  good 
works  of  the  same,  being  regarded  as  among  the  most  substantial  and  earnest 
members  thereof.  Mr.  Christensen  is  a  good  citizen  and  enjoys  the  confi- 
dence and  respect  of  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


452  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

WILLIAM   RUCKER. 

It  is  a  source  of  pleasure  to  the  biographer,  who  approaches  his  work 
with  personal  interest,  to  trace,  if  he  can,  the  effects  of  early  environment 
upon  the  life  and  conduct  of  the  subject  of  his  inquiry.  Often  it  will  be 
found  that  events  and  circumstances,  which  at  the  time  of  their  occurrence 
may  have  seemed  trivial  and  unimportant,  have  had  a  strong  intiuence  m 
shaping  the  tastes  or  activities  of  after  life.  Both  heredity  and  environment 
unquestionably  play  a  large  part  in  the  lives  of  men  and  women,  and  while 
scientists  are  trying  to  determine  which  is  the  more  potent  of  the  two  factors, 
the  student  of  biography  may  derive  some  pleasure  from  tracing  the  law  in 
his  own  field  of  observation,  even  if  only  very  hastily.  In  the  present  case, 
this  law  is  quite  marked.  A  man  is  found  prominent  in  the  social,  educa- 
tional and  intellectual  life  of  a  certain  community,  entering  joyfully  into  any 
enterprise  that  will  Ijenefit  his  county.  Going  back  one  generation,  it  is 
learned  that  his  father  was  a  school  teacher,  practically  giving  his  services 
to  the  children  he  loved,  a  very  public-spirited  man.  The  mother  also  was 
an  intelligent,  amiable  woman,  careful  unto  the  ways  of  her  household.  Here, 
altruism  in  the  parents  was  handed  down  to  bless  succeeding  generations. 

William  Rucker,  now  a  well-known  retired  farmer  of  Audubon  county, 
was  born  on  September  6,  1852,  in  Rockingham  county,  \^irginia.  the  son  of 
Benjamin  Franklin  and  Sarah  (Herndon)  Rucker,  both  natives  of  Virginia. 
Benjamin  F.  Rucker  was  finely  educated,  held  many  offices  of  trust  and  of  a 
public  nature,  and  was  very  widely  known  in  eastern  A^irginia.  Fie  taught 
school  and  music,  teaching  in  what  was  known  as  "the  old  subscription 
school"  of  three  months,  and  receiving  pay  on  the  basis  of  one  dollar  and 
twenty-five  cents  each  for  as  many  as  seventy-five  pupils  during  this  length 
of  term.  Some  of  his  pupils  were  as  old  as  their  teacher,  and  some  showed 
their  appreciation  of  these  educational  advantages  by  going  ten  and  fifteen 
miles  to  school.  The  senior  Rucker  was  very  fond  of  the  hunt,  and  thought 
a  great  deal  of  horses.  He  was  much  interested  in  politics  and  at  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  W'ar  was  ranked  as  a  Douglas  Democrat.  Although  a 
Southerner  by  birth,  he  was  opposed  to  slavery  and  used  his  influence  and 
energies  to  keep  Virginia  in  the  Union.  In  his  later  years,  he  was  a  retail 
merchant. 

To  Benjamin  and  Sarah  (Herndon)  Rucker  were  born  ten  children,  the 
eldest  of  whom  was  William,  the  subject  of  this  biography.  The^  three  chil- 
dren following  him  died  early  in  life.   James,  the  fourth  child,  was  a  farmer 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  453 

in  Auduljon  county,  Iowa,  for  twenty  years,  and  is  living  now  in  Pope  county, 
Minnesota.  Walter,  a  farmer,  has  returned  to  the  state  of  his  grandfather, 
and  lives  in  Rockingham  county,  Virginia.  James  is  a  railroad  conductor  on 
the  Norfolk  and  Western  railway  at  Shenandoah,  Page  county,  Virginia. 
George  died  in  infancy.  Alary  Susan,  is  the  widow  of  Charles  Osborn,  who 
was  master  mechanic  on  the  North  Western  railroad,  and  now  lives  at  Shep- 
ardstown,  W^est  Virginia. 

Alost  of  the  early  schooling  which  William  Rucker  received  was  obtained 
thrcmgh  his  father,  and  early  in  life  he  began  working  away  from  home,  in 
an  iron  foundry  in  Page  county,  Virginia,  where  he  was  employed  for  two 
and  one-half  years,,  after  which  he  went  to  McDonough  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  farmed  from  the  year  1870  to  the  year  1881,  in  which  latter  year 
he  came  to  this  county  and  engaged  in  the  same  occupation.  In  1892  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Greeley  township,  to  which 
he  later  added  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  living  on  this  property  until 
1907.  in  which  year  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Audubon,  where  he  lived  for 
two  years,  during  thirteen  months  of  which  time  he  was  a  brakeman  on  the 
Burlington  railroad  between  Rock  Island  and  St.  Louis. 

On  December  29,  1887,  William  Rucker  was  married  to  Fannie  Carper, 
of  Warren  county,  Iowa,  the  daughter  of  W.  R.  and  Laura  (Turner)  Carper, 
the  former  a  native  of  Berkley  coimty,  West  Virginia,  and  the  latter  of 
Ohio.  W.  R.  Carper  was  a  farmer  and  auctioneer,  who  died  on  February 
20.  1914,  His  wife  died  on  December  18,  1890.  Mrs.  Rucker  is  the  eldest 
of  the  eight  children  born  to  W.  R.  Carper  and  wife,  the  others  being  Maggie, 
widow  of  W.  H.  Stearns  of  Leroy  township,  this  county;  B.  F.,  a  farmer  in 
Tripp  county.  South  Dakota;  James,  a  baker  in  Audubon,  this  county;  Eva, 
who  married  Everett  Bates  of  Howard  county.  South  Dakota;  Burile,  a  chef 
in  Chillicothe,  Ohio ;  Robert,  a  dentist  living  in  Maxwell,  Iowa,  and  Alma 
who  passed  away  in  infancy. 

For  twenty-six  years  William  Rucker  was  actively  engaged  in  farming 
in  Audubon  county  and  was  considered  one  of  the  best  farmers  in  the  vicinity. 
He  raised  Shorthorn  cattle,  Poland  China  hogs  and  a  fine  grade  of  horses. 
His  business  ability  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  land  which  he  bought  for 
twenty-seven  dollars  an  acre,  he  afterwards  sold  for  one  hundred  and  five 
dollars  an  acre,  he  having  spent  about  eight  thousand  dollars  for  improve- 
ments, these  including  a  splendid  grove  and  orchard.  His  attractive  modern 
ten-room  home  in  Audubon,  where  he  is  now  living  in  comfortable  retire- 
ment, was  built  six  years  ago.  and  its  appearance  is  much  enhanced  by  the 
large  yard  surrounding  it,  this  consisting  of  four  adjoining  lots. 


454  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

The  two  eldest  daughters  in  the  family  of  eight  children  born  to  William 
and  Fannie  (Carper)  Rucker  are  away  from  home,  Edith  being  employed  in 
Wilkin's  department  store  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  Ethel,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Robert  McKinney,  a  lumberman,  living  at  Logan,  Iowa.  The  remaining 
children,  Lola,  Mary,  Sadie,  William,  Charles  and  Dorothea,  are  at  home. 

AA'hile  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Rucker  have  been  content  to  work  hard,  and  climb 
the  ladder  of  success  by  degrees,  they  have  not  allowed  family  and  personal 
interests  to  usurp  all  of  their  time  or  interest.  Any  movement  that  meant 
benefit  to  the  county,  they  have  loyally  supported,  and  have  given  both  of 
time  and  means  to  the  betterment  of  the  community.  It  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at,  therefore,  that  they  have  many  friends.  They  are  both  genial  and 
likeable  and  are  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  know  them. 

Mr.  Rucker  has  always  kept  informed  on  the  leading  events  of  the  day, 
and  is  a  man  who  would  be  considered  well-read  in  any  society.  He  has 
been  deeply  interested  in  politics,  as  a  Democrat,  has  been  a  school  treasurer 
for  manv  years,  and  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  road  supervisor. 


ROY  ANCIAUX. 


One  of  the  best-known  and  most  popular  of  the  young  farmers  of 
Greeley  township,  this  county,  is  the  gentleman  whose  name  the  reader  has 
noted  above.  Mr.  Anciaux  is  enterprising  and  energetic  and  gives  earnest 
promise  of  being  one  of  the  foremost  factors  in  the  life  of  the  community 
in  which  he  lives,  and  as  such  is  very  properly  entitled  to  recognition  in  this 
review  of  the  lives  of  the  leading  men  and  women  of  Audubon  county. 

Roy  Anciaux  was  born  on  his  present  home  farm  in  Greeley  township, 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  March  27,  1888,  the  son  of  Lewis  and  Mariah 
(Hoover)  Anciaux,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  France  and  the 
latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa.  Lewis  Anciaux  was  but 
eight  vears  of  age  when  his  parents  emigrated  to  America.  They  landed  in 
New  York  and  came  direct  to  Iowa,  locating  in  Johnson  county,  where 
Lewis  grew  to  manhood.  Immediately  after  their  marriage,  in  1870,  Lewis 
Anciaux  and  his  bride  came  to  Audubon  county,  buying  eighty  acres  in  sec- 
tion 15  of  Greeley  township,  to  which  they  later  added  forty  acres  on  the 
north  and  there  they  made  their  home  until  May,  19 10,  at  which  time  they 
went  to  Logan  county,  Colorado,  where  they  took  a  homestead  and  where 
they  now  reside.     They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  one  of  whom 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  455 

died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  Airs.  Dora  Armstrong,  Arthur,  Ellen,  Mrs. 
Fannie  Sidell,  Mrs.  Effie  Sheets.  Roy  and  Mrs.  Catherine  Wiseman,  Roy 
being  the  only  one  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Audubon  county. 

Roy  Anciaux  received  his  education  in  the  district  schools  of  Greeley 
township,  growing  up  with  a  full  acquaintance  of  farm  life  as  preparation 
for  his  present  vocation  and  on  March  2,  1910,- was  united  in  marriage  to 
Hazel  Hensley,  who  was  born  in  the  city  of  Exira,  this  county,  January  5, 
i8S'8,  the  daughter  of  William  and  Minnie  L.  (Detman)  Hensley,  natives, 
respectively,  of  Ohio  and  of  Germany,  quite  early  settlers  in  Audubon  county 
and  prominent  in  the  social  and  economic  life  of  the  county,  an  excellent 
family  honored  and  respected  by  all. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anciaux  are  members  of  the  Greeley  Center  Methodist 
church  and  take  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  that  church.  Socially,  they 
are  very  popular  and  are  among  the  leaders  in  the  younger  set  in  their  com- 
munity. Mr.  Anciaux  is  a  Democrat,  as  was  his  father,  and  takes  a  good 
citizen's  part  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  county,  but  has  not  entered  the 
class  of  office  seekers.  He  is  public  spirited  and  enterprising,  a  good  farmer 
and  an  excellent  citizen  and  very  properly  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  coming 
leaders  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives  and  whose  interests  he  holds  so 
dearly  to  heart. 


PATRICK  McMAHON. 


A  lad  coming  to  America  with  a  widowed  mother  and  two  small  brothers 
and  one  small  sister,  apparently  has  little  chance  for  success,  unless  he  brings 
with  him  wealth  in  some  form,  whether  this  be  a  bank  account  or  a  stout 
heart  and  willing  hands.  To  be  sure,  the  former  of  these  assets  hardly  can 
be  acquired  at  the  age  of  seven,  which  was  the  age  of  Patrick  McMahon; 
when  he  journeyed  across  the  ocean  with  the  fatherless  family,  resting  his 
hope  for  the  future  in  himself,  and  perhaps  in  expectation  of  the  help  and 
encouragement  of  their  nearest  male  relative,  an  uncle  living  in  Janesville, 
Wisconsin. 

Patrick  McMahon  was  born  on  September  5,  1849,  ^^  County  Tipperary, 
Ireland,  the  son  of  John  and  Bridget  (Needham)  McMahon,  both  natives  of 
Tipperary.  When  Patrick  was  a  very  small  boy,  his  father  died  of  glanders, 
a  disease  which  he  contracted  from  a  horse,  as  the  elder  McMahon  was  a 
farmer,  and  a  well-known  dealer  in  horses.  Then  it  was,  in  1855,  that  the 
little  family  sought  their  relative  in  America,   emigrating  to   Rock  county, 


456  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Wisconsin,  where  they  found  the  uncle,  a  hotel  keeper  in  Janesville,  and 
there  thev  made  their  home,  the  mother  passing  away  in  1889.  Patrick  was 
the  third  child  of  this  family,  the  others  being  Maria,  now  Mrs.,  Michael 
O'Brien  of  Rock  county,  Wisconsin ;  Michael,  who,  previous  to  his  death  in 
Carroll,  Iowa,  was  a  railroad  man  and  farmer,  and  John,  who  lives  in  the 
state  of  Washington. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  biography  has  demonstrated  by  his  subsequent 
success  in  life  that  the  little  Irish  boy,  who  arrived  in  America  apparently 
equipped  only  with  health  and  hope,  in  reality  had  resources  which  were  to 
be  a  great  asset  in  the  struggle  which  was  before  him.  He  possessed  deter- 
mination and  the  capacity  for  hard  work.  And  it  is  these  qualities  which 
enabled  him  to  reach  the  prominence  in  his  community  which  justifies  the 
appearance  of  his  name  in  the  present  volume. 

Until  his  sixteenth  year,  Patrick  McMahon  attended  school  in  Janes- 
ville, Wisconsin.  Then  he  became  a  fireman  on  the  Chicago  and  Northwestern 
railroad,  with  headquarters  at  Rockford,  Illinois,  following  this  occupation 
for  a  year  and  six  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  transferred  to  a 
passenger  train  running  between  Madison,  Wisconsin  and  Harvard  Junc- 
tion. Later  promoted  to  the  position  of  engineer,  he  then  ran  on  a  freight 
train  between  Baraboo,  Wisconsin,  and  Harvard  Junction  for  several  years. 
Madison  and  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  were  the  extremes  between  which  he 
ran  a  passenger  train  until  the  year  1892,  when,  for  some  reason,  he  left  the 
road,  and  moved  to  Audubon,  this  county.  For  the  next  eighteen  years,  he 
took  care  of  a  school  building  in  that  town.  Then,  it  seems,  his  interests 
began  to  turn  toward  his  land.  In  1877  he  had  bought  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  Douglas  township,  this  county,  paying  ten  hundred  and 
forty  dollars  for  the  tract,  which  was  a  splendid  piece  of  property.  Twenty- 
seven  years  later  he  sold  the  same  land  and  bought  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  near  Lukin's  Grove,  three  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Audubon,  the  sale 
price  being  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  an  acre. 

On  April  15,  1880,  Patrick  McMahon  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Desmond,  who  was  born  in  McHenry  county,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  Cor- 
nelius and  Honnorah  (McEniry)  Desmond,  natives  of  Cork,  Ireland,  who 
came  to  America  and  became  pioneers  of  McHenry  county,  Illinois.  Cor- 
nelius Desmond  was  a  farmer,  and  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  that 
county.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  McMahon  lived  with  her  until  1907,  when  she 
died  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years.  To  Patrick  and  Mary  (Desmond) 
McMahon  but  one  son  was  born,  John,  who  now  is  in  the  real  estate  business 
at  5501  South  Ashland  avenue,  Chicago,  Illinois.     John  McMahon  was  born 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  457 

in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  on  June  31,  1883.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Audu- 
bon schools,  and  of  St.  Ambrose  College  at  Davenport,  Iowa,  as  well  as  of 
Armour  Institute,  Chicago.  In  the  latter  school  he  took  a  course  in  civil 
engineering.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McMahon,  a  splendid  building- 
erected  on  three  acres  of  ground  in  the  east  corporation  of  Audubon,  was 
purchased  in  1892.  Valuable  improvements  have  been  added,  including 
attractive  shade  trees  and  a  fine  orchard.  • 

Busy  with  his  agricultural,  and  in  early  life,  with  other  enterprises,  Mr. 
McMahon's  tastes  and  ambitions  have  not  led  him  into  political  fields,  but 
he  has  always  voted  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  and  his  wife  are  among  the 
prominent  members  of  the  Catholic  church  in  the  town  in  which  they  live. 
Both  appear  young  for  their  years  and  are  interesting  acquaintances  and 
excellent  company,  for  they  have  a  goodly  supply  of  Irish  wit.  For  several 
years,  Mr.  McMahon  has  not  been  engaged  actively  in  business.  He  is  fond 
of  his  home,  and  of  the  quiet  mode  of  life  which  he  has  chosen,  and  is  a 
good  neighbor ;  a  friend  worthy  of  friendship. 

The  little  lad  who  came  from  Ireland,  leaving  his  father  in  the  church- 
yard there,  has  become  a  successful  American  citizen,  and  when  success 
came,  he  remained  loyal  and  kind  to  the  mother,  who,  with  faith  in  God  and 
in  herself,  brought  her  small  family  to  a  country  where  the  conditions  seemed 
less  difficult  to  overcome,  and  where  industrv  was  more  certain. of  reward. 


THOMAS  WILLIAMSON. 

Iowa  has  been  particularly  fortunate  in  two  respects.  She  has  many 
sons  whose  sturdy  qualities  enable  them  to  develop  her  rich  natural  resources 
in  time  of  peace,  and  it  has  been  foiuid  that  in  time  of  war,  these  same  sons 
can  turn  their  hand  to  the  sword  as  effectively  as  to  the  plow.  With  a  citizen- 
ship of  this  kind,  there  need  be  no  fears  concerning  the  commonwealth, 
because  its  prosperity  has  for  its  basis  both  moral  courage  and  the  essen- 
tials of  industrial  success ;  assuming  that  a  state's  productivity  depends  ulti- 
matelv  upon  its  soil.  In  the  life  of  the  person  in  whom  the  reader's  present 
interest  centers,  are  found  both  of  the  above  phases  of  the  common  life. 
That  is,  he  has  been  a  hard-working,  prosperous  farmer,  and  also  a  brave, 
self-sacrificing  soldier,  either  of  which  attainments  are  such  as  to  merit  the 
highest  commendation. 

Thomas  Williamson,   now  a  well-known   retired   farmer   of  Audubon, 


458  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

this  county,  was  born  on  December  6,  1839,  in  Bond  county,  Greenville, 
Illinois,  the  son  of  William  and  Laura  (Brown)  Williamson,  the  former  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  and  the  latter  of  Virginia,  who  were  numbered  among 
the  pioneers  of  Bond  county,  Illinois,  later  moving  to  Logan,  this  state.  In 
his  early  years  William  Williamson  was  what  is  now  called  an  "old  time 
Whig,"  but  afterwards  became  a  Republican.  Both  he  and  his  good  wife, 
who  shared  nobly  the  hardships  of  their  early  struggles,  were  possessed  of 
such  qualities  as  merited  the  esteem  of  the  neighborhood  in  which  they  lived 
and  they  had  many  warm  friends.  This  respected  couple  spent  their  last 
days  in  Logan.  Their  children  were  ten  in  number.  The  first-born,  Benja- 
min, and  the  second  born.  Alary  Ellen,  are  both  dead.  Thomas,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  the  third  child  born  in  this  household.  The  next  son, 
Chapman,  is  also  dead.  Louisa  is  living  in  Logan  county,  and  Nancy,  in 
Livingston  county,  Illinois.  The  next  three  children,  Lucy,  Jesse  and  Willie 
are  dead.'  Frances  lives  in  Arizona.  Of  five  sons  belonging  to  this  interest- 
ing family,  three  served  in  the  war.  These  were  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
and  his  brothers  Chapman  and  Jesse,  Chapman  being  a  member  of  the  First 
Artillery  of  Missouri  for  a  period  of  three  years.  Thomas  W^illiamson 
enlisted  on  August  22,  1862,  in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Eighth 
Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  at  Peoria,  Illinois,  and  was  sent  ^^ath 
his  company  to  Memphis.  Tennessee.  He  still  carries  the  bullet  with  which 
he  was  shot  in  the  shoulder  while  in  service  at  Paris,  Kentucky.  He  was 
also  wounded  in  the  windpipe,  and  was  taken  to  the  hospital  at  Paris  where 
he  was  obliged  to  remain  for  two  weeks.  After  his  release,  he  was  returned 
to  his  regiment  atid  served  until  the  fall  of  1864. 

Thomas  Williamson,  like  so  many  other  lads  of  those  early  days,  desired, 
but  could  not  obtain  an  education.  It  is  difficult,  perhaps,  for  the  present 
generation  to  realize  the  heartaches  of  the  youth  of  preceding  generations 
to  whom  an  education  was  but  a  dream,  so  accustomed  have  the  youth  of 
today  become  to  good  free  schools.  So,  young  Williamson  had  to  be  con- 
tent with  what  the  old  log  school  house  of  Illinois  could  give  him,  walking 
three  and  four  miles  to  obtain  even  this  much.  Until  enlisting  in  the  army, 
he  lived  at  home  and  a  year  after  his  return  from  the  army  was  married,  on 
September  5,  1865,  to  Mrs.  Margaret  May,  widow  of  Henry  Alay,  of  Ohio, 
who  was  a  Union  soldier  during  the  Civil  War,  serving  in  Company  C.  Sixty- 
ninth  Regiment  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  who  lost  his  life  at  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg.  Mrs.  Williamson  was  born  in  Preble  county,  Ohio, 
daughter  of  John  \\\  and  Nancy  Ann  (Beatly)  Davidson,  the  latter  of  whom 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  459 

spent  all  her  life  in  Preble  county.  John  W.  Davidson  died  in  Audubon,  in 
the  year  1905.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Williams  is  the  only  survivor,  the  others  having  been  Mary,  Richard. 
James,  Nancy  and  Peleg.  By  her  first  marriage,  Mrs.  Williamson  became 
the  mother  of  two  daughters,  May  Adeline  and  Henrietta,  both  of  whom 
have  passed  away.  After  their  marriage.  Thomas  Williamson  and  his  wife 
lived  on  a  farm  in  Logan  county,  where  Mr.  Williamson  took  charge  of 
machinery,  including  thrashing  machines,  for  many  years.  In  September, 
1885,  they  decided  to  change  their  place  of  residence,  and  moved  their  house- 
hold goods  to  Audubon  county,  securing  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Leroy  town- 
ship, three  miles  northeast  of  Audubon.  Having  put  extensive  improve- 
ments on  their  property,  they  remained  there  until  1905,  when  they  again 
moved,  this  time  to  West  Audubon,  selling  the  farm  to  one  of  their  sons. 
They  then  built  a  fine  home  on  two  splendidly  located  lots  in  Audubon  and 
Mr.  Williamson  managed  the  electric-light  plant  for  a  number  of  years  fol- 
lowing, giving  absolute  satisfaction  to  the  citizens  of  that  city. 

To  Thomas  and  Margaret  (Davidson)  Williamson  five  children  have 
been  born,  namely  :  \\'illiam,  a  farmer  of  Madison  county.  Iowa,  who  mar- 
ried Ulah  Phillips  and  has  seven  children,  Arthur,  Howard,  George,  Garland, 
Esther,  Florence  and  Lester;  George  Harvey,  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of 
Leroy  township,  this  county,  who  married  Effie  P.  Fry  and  has  five  children, 
Orville,  Ezma,  Margare!*:  Lowell  and  Leverne ;  Reuben,  who  is  deceased ; 
Josie,  who  married  Charles  Trumell,  living  near  Spencer,  Iowa,  and  has  six 
children,  Eddie,  Floyd,  Albert,  Harold,  Raymond  and  Donald,  and  Martha 
Jane,  the  last  born,  who  died  while  a  small  child. 

One  of  the  conspicuous  figures  at  the  reunions  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic  is  Thomas  Williamson,  who  has  never  ceased  to  have  a  real 
interest  in  all  that  concerns  his  country.  He  is  fond  of  relating  his  war 
experiences,  and  though  advanced  in  years,  this  part  of  his  life  seems  as 
vivid  and  as  real  as  his  present  activities.  It  is  not  improper  to  close  this 
brief  sketch  by  paying  tribute  to  the  wife  of  Mr.  Williamson,  a  woman  of 
character  and  attainment,  and  of  such  personality  as  to  bring  to  their  home 
many  friends  by  whom  they  are  both  held  in  high  esteem.  In  all  of  his 
efforts,  this  good  woman  has  ably  done  her  part  toward  helping  her  husband 
to  attain  success,  always  making  her  personal  happiness  subservient  to  the 
happiness  of  her  family,  for  only  thus  could  she  find  contentment.  She  is 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  for  years  has  been  warmly  con- 
cerned in  the  various  beneficences  of  that  church. 


460  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

PETER  RUBEL. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  here  greets  the  eyes  of  the  reader,  one  of 
the  best-known  and  most  prosperous  farmers  of  Greeley  township,  this 
county,  is  another  of  that  considerable  number  of  Germans,  who,  as  young 
men,  came  to  this  country  to  seek  better  opportunities  than  they  could  hope 
to  obtain  in  the  Fatherland.  Energetic,  thrifty  and  enterprising,  he  has  suc- 
ceeded largely  and  is  one  of  the  substantial  men  of  the  county. 

Peter  Rubel  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  November  18',  1844,  the 
son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Unger )  Rubel,  farming  people  who  spent  their 
whole  lives  in  their  native  land.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Peter  Rubel  came 
to  America,  landing  in  New  York  on  February  8,  1866.  He  remained  in 
New  York  state  until  the  fall  of  that  year,  at  which  time  he  proceeded  west, 
stopping  in  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  where  he  married  and  where  he  lived  for 
about  eight  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  on  farther  west, 
locating,  in  1872,  in  Mahaska  county,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  until  the 
year  1883,  in  which  year  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  renting  eighty  acres 
of  land  in  Douglas  township.  For  seven  years  he  rented  land  in  that  and 
Sharon  township  and  then  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Douglas 
township,  on  which  he  lived  for  ele^■en  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
sold  the  farm  and  then  for  one  year  lived  near  the  town  of  Gray,  after 
which  he  bought  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  section  8  of  Greeley 
township,  where  he  since  has  made  his  home.  Prospering  there,  he  presently 
added  eighty  acres  to  his  first  purchase,  making  in  all  a  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  which  he  has  greatly  improved  and  upon  which  he 
has  erected  a  fine  set  of  farm  iDuildings,  giving  him  one  of  the  best  and  most 
highly-improved  farms  in  Greeley  township,  upon  which  he  carries  on  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock  raising  with  a  large  measure  of  success. 

In  September,  1872,  Peter  Rubel  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  H. 
Ehrenhart,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  a  daughter  of  George  Ehrenhart,  to 
which  union  six  children  were  born :  Maggie,  who  married  Albert  G.  Beech 
and  has  six  children.  Pearl.  Earl,  Lester,  Ethel,  Ralph  and  Harold ;  Emma, 
who  married  David  Snyder;  Otto,  who  married  Sophia  Burr  and  has  four 
children,  Harold,  Clarence,  Russel  and  Marion ;  Addie,  unmarried,  lives  in 
the  city  of  Omaha ;  Dora,  deceased,  and  Tilda,  who  also  is  unmarried  and 
lives  in  Omaha.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  May  10,  1889,  and 
Mr.  Rubel  married,  secondly.  September  22,  1891,  Amelia  Sabel,  who  was 
born  in  Germany,  the  daughter  of  John  and  Henrietta  (Willnitz)  Sabel,  and 
to  this  latter  union  eleven  children  have  been  born,  Charles,  Marv,  Albert, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  461 

William,  Walter,  Earl,  Louis,  Minnie,  Lee,  Lester  and  Glenn,  all  of  whom 
are  living  at  home  save  Charles  and  Albert. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rubel  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  have  reared 
their  children  in  the  faith  of  this  church.  He  is  independent  in  his  political 
views  and  gives  close  attention  to  the  political  affairs  of  the  county.  He  is 
deeply  interested  in  the  educational  affairs  of  his  home  township  and  has 
been  school  director  for  four  vears. 


SAMUEL  G.  WEAVER. 


Samuel  G.  Weaver  is  widely  known  as  one  of  the  early  citizens  of  Audu- 
l3on  county,  Iowa,  who,  for  nearly  fifty  years,  has  been  a  valued  factor  in  the 
development  of  the  state  of  Iowa  and  prominently  identified  with  the  vari- 
ous interests  of  the  community.  His  well-directed  energies  in  the  practical 
affairs  of  life,  the  capable  management  of  his  own  business  interests,  and  his 
sound  judgment,  have  demonstrated  what  may  be  accomplished  by  a  man 
who  works  with  one  end  in  \'iew.  Mr.  Weaver  often  has  persevered  in  the 
face  of  seemingly  insurmountable  obstacles,  and  he  has  proven  that  he  is  the 
possessor  of  those  innate  cjualities  Avhich  do  not  fail  to  bring  success. 

Samuel  G.  Weaver  was  born  on  January  22,  1856,  in  Lena,  Stevenson 
county,  Illinois,  and  is  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Margaret  (Grossman)  Weaver, 
natives  of  Clarion  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  Center  county,  Pennsylvania. 
They  were  very  early  settlers  in  Stevenson  county,  Illinois,  driving  through 
from  Pennsylvania  in  covered  wagons.  The  father  was  a  blacksmith  in 
Pennsylvania,  but  took  up  farming  in  Illinois  until  after  the  Civil  War  and 
then  moved  to  Lena,  where  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  for  several 
years.  Later,  he  gave  up  his  business  and  engaged  in  the  general  mercan- 
tile affairs  which  he  followed  until  he  died  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-nine 
years. 

Samuel  G.  Weaver  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Lena,  but 
being  different  from  the  most  of  boys,  he  did  not  care  to  while  away  his 
moments  in  his  father's  store,  as  he  spent  most  of  his  vacations  on  the  farm. 
Mr.  Weaver  lived  at  home  until  the  spring  of  1876,  and  in  March  of  that 
year,  he  came  west  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,,  where  his  father  had  given 
him  eighty  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Weaver  got  as  far  as  Des  Moines  on  his  way, 
and  the  mud  and  clay  got  so  bad  that  he  was  compelled  to  ship  his  horses  and 
wagon  the  rest  of  the  way.     He  had  been  to  the  county  in  1874,  when  he 


462  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

helped  some  neighbors  drive  cattle  through  from  Illinois.  The  land  on 
which  he  located  was  the  Frank  Harrington  homestead,  which  was  one  of  the 
very  first  farms  settled  in  Audubon  county,  and  was  located  three  miles 
north  of  Exira.  In  November,  Mr.  Weaver  w^ent  back  to  Illinois,  and  was 
married,  after  which  he  returned  to  Audubon  county,  and  lived  in  Greeley 
township  ever  since,  with  the  exception  of  two  years,  during  which  he  lived  in 
Exira  township. 

Samuel  G.  Weaver  was  married  on  November  7,  1876,  in  Lena,  Steven- 
son county,  Illinois,  to  Mattie  Johnson,  who  was  born  near  Argyle,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  who  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Caroline  (Peterman)  Johnson, 
both  natives  of  England,  and  who  were  the  parents  of  five  children.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  when  they  were  all  quite  young,  and  the  chil- 
dren were  then  scattered,  Mrs.  Weaver  having  been  bound  out  to  a  family 
by  the  name  of  Rockwell,  living  near  Lena,  Illinois. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weaver  are  the  parents  of  four  children :  Lillie,  born  on 
February  10,  1878,  married  Lewis  Bryan,  and  they  live  in  Pomona,  Cali- 
fornia, and  have  three  children,  Wyman,  Rodger  and  Paul ;  Sidney  R.,  born 
on  March  5,  1881,  lives  at  home;  Anna,  born  on  July  2^,  1883,  and  Maud, 
born  on  September  i,  1887,  the  last  named  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Weaver  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  making  a 
specialty  of  raising  thoroughbred  registered  Poland-China  hogs,  and  also 
specializing  in  Plymouth  Rock  chickens,  in  which  line  he  has  been  more  than 
ordinarily  successful.  ]Mr.  Weaver  has  added  to  his  original  land  holdings 
until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  good  land. 
His  son  also  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  His  home  is  modern  and  is 
equipped  with  a  furnace,  gas  lights,  waterworks  and  all  present-day  conven- 
iences. His  farm  buildings  are  all  of  the  best  type,  and  most  of  the  incidental 
work  on  the  farm  is  done  by  the  latest  improved  machinery.  Mr.  Weaver 
milks  an  average  of  fifteen  cows  the  year  round,  and  has  met  with  gratifying 
success  in  his  dairying  operations.  Mr.  Weaver  has  considerable  property 
in  southern  California,  where  he  spends  most  of  the  winters. 

Samuel  G.  Weaver  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons.  He  is  independent  in  politics,  although  he  had  been  a  Republican 
earlier  in  life.  He  has  served  as  township  trustee,  but  has  never  been  an 
office  seeker,  and  has  never  particularly  cared  about  holding  office.  The 
Weaver  family  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Association  church,  and  take 
an  active  part  in  the  work  of  this  church,  and  are  loyal  and  liberal  contribu- 
tors to  its  support. 

Samuel  G.  Weaver  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  Greeley  town- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  463 

ship,  Audubon  county.  He  is  a  man  who  is  admired  for  his  many  worthy 
quahties.  He  is  interested  in  pubHc  improvements  and  has  been  a  foremost 
leader  in  developing  a  wholesome  community  spirit  in  Greeley  township, 
where  he  has  made  his  home  for  so  many  years. 


HANS  C.  FREDERICKSEN. 

Among  the  strong  and  influential  citizens  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  a 
record  of  whose  lives  have  become  an  essential  part  of  the  history  of  this 
section,  Hans  C.  Fredericksen,  of  Hamlin  township,  occupies  a  prominent 
place.  For  many  years  he  has  exerted  a  beneficial  influence  in  the  locality 
where  he  resides.  His  chief  characteristics  are  keenness  of  perception,  tire- 
less energy,  honesty  of  purpose  and  everyday  common  sense,  which  have 
enabled  him  not  only  to  advance  his  own  interests  but  also  largely  contribute 
to  the  moral  and  material  advancement  of  the  community. 

Hans  C.  Fredericksen  was  born  on  April  6.  1857,  in  Denmark.  He 
is  the  son  of  Frederick  and  Hanne  Fredericksen,  both  natives  of  Denmark, 
where  they  were  farmers.  They  had  seven  children,  of  whom  Hans  C.  was 
the  third,  the  father  dying  when  Hans  C.  was  five  years  old,  after  which 
the  mother  was  married  again.  Hans  C.  lived  at  home  until  eighten  years 
of  age,  at  which  time  he  started  to  earn  his  own  living,  working  on  neighbor- 
ing farms. 

In  the  spring  of  1884,  Hans  C.  Fredericksen  came  to  the  United  States, 
landing  at  New  York  city.  He  came  directly  from  Xew  York  city  to  Clin- 
ton, Iowa,  where  he  had  relatives.  He  worked  in  a  saw-mill  there  for  one 
year  and  then  took  up  farm  work  which  he  followed  for  five  years.  Subse- 
quently, he  rented  land  for  fourteen  years  and  in  the  spring  of  1903  came 
farther  west  to  Audubon  county,  where  he  purchased  his  present  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  section  14  of  Hamlin  township.  The  land 
was  fairly  well  improved  for  such  a  large  farm,  and  Mr.  Fredericksen  has 
built  a  large  eleven-roomed  house  with  furnace,  gas  lights  and  waterworks 
throughout.  He  has  also  built  a  large  barn,  one  hundred  and  sixteen  by  one 
hundred  and  eighteen  feet,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  in  Audubon  county. 
Mr.  Fredericksen  has  good  cattle  sheds,  hogs  houses,  etc.,  and  altogether  one 
of  the  most  improved  and  best-equipped  farms  in  this  section  of  the  state  of 
Iowa.  Since  coming  to  this  state,  Mr.  Fredericksen  has  made  his  industry 
count  for  increasing  profit  each  year.     His  farm  is  conducted  as  a  business 


464  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

proposition  and  he  keeps  a  careful  account  of  profits  and  losses  and  is, 
therefore,  able  to  adjust  his  profit  and  the  products  of  his  farm  in  accordance 
with  what  he  is  able  to  make  out  of  each  department. 

On  July  22,  1890,  Mr.  Fredericksen  was  married  in  Clinton,  Iowa,  to 
Amelia  Hansen,  who  was  born  in  Denmark  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  the  same  year  which  she  and  lier  husband  were  married.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fredericksen  have  six  children,  Ellen,  Frederick,  Metha,  Freda,  Marie  and 
Esther.  All  of  these  children  are  living  at  home.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  on  July  22,  191 1. 

Hans  C.  Fredericksen  does  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He 
feeds  a  great  many  cattle  and  hogs  and  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the  largest  feeders 
in  Audubon  county. 

Mr.  Fredericksen  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
He  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  held  ofiice  nor  has  he  ever  cared  to  do  so. 
The  duties  required  in  overseeing  his  large  interests  and  the  various  opera- 
tions upon  his  farm,  have  prevented  him  from  taking  an  active  part  in 
political  affairs ;  moreover,  he  is  more  keenly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  his 
family  and  his  home.  The  Fredericksen  family  are  all  active  members  and 
loyal  supporters  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church. 


HON.  WILLIAM  RAYMOND  GREEN. 

In  the  largest  and  best  sense  of  the  term  the  Hon.  William  Raymond 
Green,  M.  C,  is  distinctively  one  of  the  notable  men  of  his  day  and  genera- 
tion, and  as  such  his  life  record  is  entitled  to  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  annals 
of  his  county  and  state.  As  a  citizen  he  has  been  pul3lic  spirited  and  enter- 
prising. As  a  friend  and  neighbor  he  has  combined  the  cjualities  of  head  and 
heart  that  have  won  confidence  and  commanded  respect.  As  judge  of  a  dis- 
trict court  he  discharged  his  duties  with  signal  ability,  conscientious  care  and 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  win  the  universal  respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  had 
business  in  his  court.  The  Hon.  William  Raymond  has  been  more  than 
successful  in  his  legal  career,  having  a  splendid  record  at  the  bar  and  a  long 
tenure  on  the  bench  in  the  fifteenth  judicial  district.  He  was  a  master  of 
his  profession,  a  leader  among  men  distinguished  for  the  high  order  of  their 
legal  talent,  his  eminent  attainments  making  him  an  authority  on  all  matters 
involving  a  sound  knowledge  of  jurisprudence.  He  achieved  success  as  a 
lawyer  at  an  age  when  most  young  men  are  just  entering  upon  their  forma- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  465 

tive  period.  So  successful  was  he  as  a  judge  and  jurist  that  in  191 1  the 
people  of  the  ninth  congressional  district  conferred  additional  honor  upon 
him,  electing  him  representative  in  the  lower  house  of  the  national  Congress. 

William  Raymond  Green  was  born  in  Colchester,  Connecticut  in  1856, 
the  son  of  Timothy  F.  and  Maria  (Raymond)  Green,  of  old  New  England 
stock.  James  Green,  the  great-grandfather  of  the  Hon.  William  Raymond 
Green  served  in  the  Revolutionary  army  as  a  captain  of  a  company  in  the 
First  Connecticut  Horse.  Mr.  Green's  parents  moved  from  Connecticut  to  Illi- 
nois when  their  now  distinguished  son  was  a  lad  and  the  latter  passed  his 
boyhood  in  the  little  town  of  Maiden,  Bureau  county,  Illinois,  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  high  school  at  Princeton,  county  seat  of  that  county,  when  he 
was  eighteen  years  of  age.  From  the  high  school  he  went  to  Oberlin  Col- 
lege, at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  working  his  way  through  that  institution  by  manual 
labor  and  by  teaching  school  in  the  winters,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
classical  course  of  Oberlin  College  in  1879.  Thus  armed  with  a  diploma  he 
was  engaged  as  principal  of  the  schools  at  Neponset,  Illinois,  where  he 
remained  two  years.  During  his  vacations  he  had  studied  law  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  completed  his  law  course  in  the  office  of  McCoy,  Pratt  &  McCoy 
at  Chicago.  In  1881  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Ottawa,  Illinois,  and  in 
that  same  year  commenced  the  practice  of  law  at  Dow  City,  Iowa,  where  he 
remained  for  two  and  one-half  years,  moving  thence  to  Council  Bluffs,  where 
he  remained  until  1885,  in  which  year  he  came  to  this  county,  locating  at 
Audubon,  where  he  formed  a  co-partnership  with  John  A.  Nash  and  B.  S. 
Phelps  under  the  firm  name  of  Nash,  Phelps  &  Green.  The  firm  carried  on 
a  law,  loan  and  abstract  business,  and  Mr.  Green  took  charge  of  the  legal 
department  of  the  business.  This  partnership  continued  until  1895,  the  year 
in  which  Mr.  Green  was  elected  judge  of  the  fifteenth  judicial  district  of 
Iowa,  to  which  position  he  was  re-elected  four  times.  In  191 1  Judge  Green 
resigned  his  position  on  the  bench,  having  been  elected  in  that  year  represen- 
tative in  Congress  for  the  ninth  congressional  district  of  Iowa.  To  this 
position  he  has  been  re-elected  for  the  third  term.  Judge  Green  has  made  an 
enviable  record  as  a  member  of  Congress  and  has  been  a  power  in  shaping 
legislation  at  Washington,  being  generally  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading 
members  of  the  Iowa  delegation  in  the  national  Congress. 

In  1887  William  Raymond  Green  was  united  in  marriage  to  Luella 
Washington  Brown,  of  Creston,  Iowa,  to  which  union  two  children  have 
been  born,  William  Raymond  Green,  Jr.,  and  Margaret  Thorp  Green. 

Judge  and  Mrs.  Green  reside  during  a  part  of  the  year  in  Washington 
(30) 


466  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

and  part  of  the  year  in  Audubon,  their  old  home,  and  are  highly  honored  and 
respected  by  the  people,  not  only  of  .\udubon  county,  but  of  the  surrounding 
counties  which  Judge  Green  is  serving  so  well  in  the  capacity  of  legislator 
and  public  servant. 


THOMAS  F.  MUSSON. 


So  keen  is  present-day  competition  that  he  must  be  gifted  with  ability 
who  can  wrest  success,  if  not  fortune,  from  circumstances  and  environment, 
which  in  themselves  do  not  seem  promising,  at  least  from  a  worldly  view- 
point. To  do  this,  and  at  the  same  time  to  leave  a  name  that  is  honored 
even  beyond  the  geographical  limits  of  the  home,  and  a  memory  that  is 
cherished  by  family  and  friends  alike,  is  perhaps  the  highest  type  of  success; 
however  quiet  and  obscure  may  have  been  the  life.  After  all,  may  there  not 
be  other  values  higher  than  those  by  which  a  man  is  generally  judged?  And 
if  so,  who  shall  say  this  or  that  life  is  the  more  successful?  As  a  lover  of 
his  home,  as  a  business  man,  and  as  a  loyal,  God-fearing  citizen,  Thomas  F. 
Musson,  now  deceased,  will  long  be  remembered  by  the  communit}/  in  which 
he  passed  the  most  of  his  life,  and  always  with  respect  and  esteem. 

Thomas  F.  ]\Iusson  was  a  native  of  England,  born  in  December,  1835, 
the  son  of  James  Musson,  who  lived  all  of  his  life  in  England,  and  whose 
occupation  was  farming  and  stock  raising.  In  1865  Thomas  F.  Musson 
came  to  America,  his  brother,  William,  coming  later.  William  Musson 
located  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  lived  there  until  1868.  He  died  on  Jan- 
uary II,  1900,  leaving  a  widow,  and  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. William  Musson  was  first  a  railroad  man,  having  been  for  some  time 
baggagemaster  on  the  old  Fort  Dodge  railroad,  and  later  became  station 
agent,  a  position  he  held  for  many  years.  Entering  politics  to  some  extent, 
he  was  elected,  by  the  Republicans,  county  clerk  of  Polk  county,  Iowa,  retain- 
ing that  office  for  three  terms.  He  died  while  filling  the  office  of  grand 
secretary  of  the  grand  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  in  Iowa. 

Thomas  F.  Musson  was  still  a  young  man  when  he  arrived  at  Chicago. 
After  engaging  in  the  stock  business  at  the  Chicago  stockyards  for  two  years, 
he  took  up  farm  work  in  ]\Iadison,  Iowa,  and  in  1876  came  to  Audubon 
county,  where,  the  next  year,  he  bought  one  and  one-half  sections  of  good 
land  in  Melville  township  and  lived  there  for  the  next  thirteen  years.  Sell- 
ing this,  he  bought  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  Leroy  township,  known 
as  the  Barlow  place,  three  miles  east  of  Audubon,  and  later  bought  one-half 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  •  467 

section  of  land  in  Cook  county,  South  Dakota.  Mr.  Musson  was  an  expert 
on  the  subject  of  stock  raising.  He  was  a  breeder  of  Hereford  cattle,  and 
of  draft  horses,  and  carried  on  an  extensive  business. 

In  1878,  Thomas  F.  Musson  was  married  to  Sarah  Boone,  whose  family- 
history  is  of  more  than  the  ordinary  interest.  She  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  William  Boone,  who  was  related  to  Daniel 
Boone,  that  sturdy  old  pioneer  who  more  than  once  escaped  death  at  the 
hands  of  the  Indians.  William  Boone's  wife  was  Susannah  Farnsley,  of 
Harrison  county,  Indiana.  William  himself  was  born  in  Boone  county, 
Iowa,  the  state  to  which  his  parents  had  migrated  from  Indiana  in  1847, 
traveling  with  their  household  goods  packed  in  two  four-horse  wagons  and 
one  two-horse  wagon,  twenty-five  head  of  stock  bringing  up  the  rear.  The 
journey  was  not  as  expeditious  nor  as  comfortable  as  the  modern  Pullman, 
for  it  required  four  weeks  and  two  days  to  cover  the  distance.  In  arriving 
at  their  destination,  they  found  only  a  few  log  cabins  in  the  settlement,  which 
is  now  one  of  the  largest  and  most  thriving  of  the  Western  cities,  Des  Moines. 
Coming  to  a  stretch  of  promising  country,  fifteen  miles  west  of  that  place, 
they  stopped  their  tired  horses,  untied  the  ropes  from  their  weary  cattle's 
necks,  unpacked  such  personal  and  household  belongings  as  were  needed  for 
immediate  use.  built  a  fire  for  their  supper,  and  this  was  the  beginning  of  the 
town  named  Boone.  The  rugged  pioneer  who  was  the  father  of  a  family  to 
become  well-known  as  early  settlers,  had  previously  chosen  this  site  for  his 
home,  for  he  had  made  the  same  journey  the  previous  year,  and  had  bought 
a  claim  on  Coon  river.  Not  long  after  the  first  camp  fire,  he  gathered 
together  the  necessary  material  and  put  up  a  two-story  log  cabin,  the  second 
story  being  considered  a  luxury  in  those  days,  and  later  built  a  more  modern 
home.  He  always  remained  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  It  is  not  surpris- 
ing that  this  enterprising  man  became  the  owner  of  a  large  tract  of  land,  for 
aside  from  the  advantages  of  being  an  early  arrival,  he  possessed  great 
energy  and  power  of  endurance.  However  the  hard  work  and  deprivations 
which  are  the  lot  of  the  pioneer  told  upon  his  health,  for  he  died  in  1854.  at 
the  early  age  of  forty-nine,  his  widow's  death  not  occurring  until  thirty- 
three  years  later.  As  early  settlers,  this  family  was,  of  course,  very  well 
known.  Of  a  family  of  nine  children,  only  two,  Mrs.  Musson  and  a  sister, 
Mary,  living  in  Montrose,  California,  survive.  Mrs.  Musson  was  the  fourth 
child  in  the  order  of  birth,  and  her  surviving  sister,  the  next  to  the  youngest. 
The  others  were  John,  a  farmer  who  lived  in  Boone,  Iowa,  and  died  in  1912; 
Florida,  Francis,  Martha,  Margaret,  Julia  and  Elizabeth.  The  family 
belonged  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


468  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

To  Thomas  F.  and  Sarah  (Boone)  Musson  were  born  six  children,  all 
but  one  of  whom  are  living,  as  follows:  John  A.,  who  lived  at  Audubon 
until  his  death  on  July  4.  1912,  and  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  volume; 
Mary,  who  married  Fred  A.  Buthweg,  a  merchant  of  Audubon,  a  biograph- 
ical sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume;  Laura,  who  married 
J.  E.  Griffith,  a  druggist  of  Audubon;  Bertha,  who  married  Charles  S. 
McCleran,  of  Audubon;  Charles  S.,  a  dentist,  also  living  in  Audubon,  and 
Susie,  who  lives  at  home  with  her  mother. 

Mr.  Alusson  was,  during  the  active  period  of  his  life,  one  of  the  notable 
farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  this  county.  His  prominence  and  popularity 
were  not  based  upon  the  fact  of  his  material  possessions,  but  rather  upon 
those  estimable  traits  of  character  which  attracted  friends  and  strangers 
alike.  He  was  gentle,  charitable  and  hospitable,  and  had  that  priceless  pos- 
session known  as  self-command.  His  religious  faith  was  expressed  in  the 
tenets  of  the  Episcopal  church,  but  his  wife  retained  her  membership  in  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  Audubon.  Mr.  Musson  belonged  to  that  solid,  reli- 
able class  of  citizens  which  can  always  be  depended  upon  to  do  the  right 
thing  at  the  right  time,  and  who  will  not  allow  personal  interests  to  interfere 
with  matters  of  duty  where  others  are  concerned.  All  who  knew  him 
respected  him,  and  his  death,  on  March  16,  1904,  was  a  real  loss  to  a  neigh- 
borhood, he  still  being  held  in  grateful  and  respectful  remembrance  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


CHARLES  JLRGENS. 


Of  the  European  nations  whose  sons  have  come  to  America  to  seek 
their  fortunes  none  has  contributed  a  finer  type  of  citizenship  than  Germany. 
The  virile  characteristics  of  their  old  Teutonic  ancestors  seem  to  persist 
generation  after  generation,  and  there  is  no  section  of  a  newly-settled 
country  that  does  not  welcome  them  as  neighbors  and  prospective  citizens. 
The  examples  which  such  settlements  and  families  always  set  are  wholesome 
and  helpful  to  their  neighbors,  of  whatever  nationality,  and  much  of  the 
successful  agriculture  of  the  Middle  West,  for  example,  is  due  to  the  thrift, 
the  industry  and  the  economy  of  these  early  settlers  who  brought  with  them 
their  old-world  ideals. 

An  excellent  example  of  this  type  of  early  settler  is  Charles  Jurgens,  a 
prominent  farmer  of  Douglas  township,  who  came  to  this  country  with  his 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  469 

parents,  John  and  Lena  Jurgens,  when  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age.  He 
was  born  in  Pommern,  Germany,  on  December  5,  i860,  his  parents  also 
having  been  natives  of  that  place.  The  father  came  to  America  in  1884,  and 
died  a  year  later,  the  wife  remaining  in  Germany.  Both  were  Lutheran  in 
faith.  They  had  four  children,  namely :  William,  who  is  dead ;  Ricky,  who 
married  Fred  Margerfleich,  lives  in  Colorado;  Minnie,  the  wife  of  William 
Beckman,  of  Osceola  county,  Iowa,  and  Charles,  the  subject  of  this  biograph- 
ical sketch.  Owing  to  the  adverse  economic  conditions  of  his  early  sur- 
roundings, an  education  was  impossible,  and  in  youth  and  early  manhood 
he  worked  out  on  a  farm  until  he  came  to  America.  Just  previous  to  coming 
here,  he  married  Hannah  Beckman,  also  of  Pommern,  the  wedding  taking 
place  on  September  26,  18*82.  His  bride  was  a  daughter  of  Ludwig  and 
Mary  (^Miller)  Beckman,  who  came  to  this  country  in  1883  and  located  in 
LaSalle  county,  Illinois.  In  the  hope  of  bettering  their  condition  and  of 
finding  more  congenial  home  surroundings,  they  came  to  Audubon  county 
eight  years  later,  making  their  new  home  in  Douglas  township,  where  they 
spent  the  rest  of  their  lives.  Like  the  parents  on  the  other  side  of  the  family, 
they,  too,  were  Lutherans.  Their  children  were  William,  of  Osceola  county, 
Iowa ;  Hannah,  who  married  Mr.  Jergens ;  Minnie,  who  married  August 
Raebel,  of  Audubon;  Ricky,  who  became  the  wife  of  William  Berg,  of  Doug- 
las township,  and  Ludwig,  of  Lincoln  township,  this  county. 

Upon  coming  to  this  country  in  1882,  Charles  Jurgens  and  his  wife  first 
took  up  their  residence  in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  farming  there  for  three 
and  one-half  years,  after  which  they  went  to  Osceola  county,  where  they 
remained  a  similar  length  of  time.  Then,  for  a  period  of  twelve  years,  they 
lived  and  worked  in  several  localities  of  Audubon  county,  finally  buying  their 
home  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  section  4,  Douglas  township. 
Under  their  direction,  the  farm  began  to  take  on  another  aspect,  and  when 
the  splendid  new  residence  was  built,  it  became  a  landmark  of  the  entire 
neighborhood.  Mr.  Jurgens  learned  the  principles  of  agriculture  from  his 
father,  and  his  reputation  in  this  line  is  unexcelled.  He  specializes  in  fine 
stock,  having  a  grade  of  cattle,  hogs  and  horses,  of  which  any  farmer  might 
be  proud. 

To  Charles  and  Hannah  (Beckman)  Jurgens  eight  children  have  been 
born,  Lewis,  Mary,  Anna,  August,  Max,  Dora,  Elizabeth  and  Ella.  Of 
these,  Lewis  married  Sophia  Ross  and  lives  in  Audubon;  Mary  married 
Homer  Ross  and  lives  in  Lincoln  township,  this  county;  Anna  married  Fred 
Klave  and  lives  in  Sibley,  Osceola  county,  this  state,  and  August  married 
Anna  Borkowski  and  lives  in  Lincoln  township,  this  county. 


470  ,    AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Although  he  has  never  cared  to  be  in  pubhc  life,  Charles  Jurgens  has 
taken  a  warm  interest  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  county  and  has  always 
cast  his  vote  with  the  Republicans.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jurgens  are  active  church 
members,  and  are  generous  with  time  and  means  in  any  enterprise  that  will 
make  the  church  of  greater  influence  and  power  in  the  community.  Having 
lived  in  this  county  for  many  years,  they  are  very  well  known,  and  their 
sphere  of  influence  for  this  reason  is  large.  Their  home  is  a  home  in  the 
true  sense  of  the  word.  It  has  never  been  used  merely  as  a  shelter  and 
dwelling  place  for  the  family  that  owned  it,  but  has  always  had  an  open  door 
for  friends  and  acquaintances,  of  whom  they  have  many.  In  building  a 
home  and  in  making  beautiful  the  waste,  places  about  them,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jurgens  have  contributed  to  the  whole  community,  of  which  they  and  their 
children  have  been  an  important  part. 


WILLIAM  MILLER. 


There  was  not  much  in  his  early  surroundings  to  inspire  dreams  of  con- 
quest w^hen  William  Miller,  now  a  prominent  farmer  of  Douglas  township, 
this  county,  was  a  little  lad  growing  up  in  Germany.  But,  somehow,  the 
spirit  within  him  seemed  mightier  than  the  conditions,  and  in  his  adopted 
county  he  has  become  deservedly  successful,  his  name  being  well  known 
for  miles  around  his  immediate  home.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  just 
what  first  planted  the  seed  of  ambition  in  a.  youth  of  this  kind.  Was  it  an 
environment  in  a  country  so  crowded  that  making  a  living  became  a  difficult 
task;  was  it  the  advice  of  friends  that  drove  him  later  to  America,  or  was  it 
love  of  adventure,  a  desire  to  know  wdiat  kind  of  a  world  existed  beyond 
the  horizon  of  his  sky?  Whatever  the  motive,  he  came,  and  he  brought  with 
him  those  strong  traits  of  character  which  are  necessary  to  success  in  any 
country.  He  had  not  only  physical  strength,  but  energy,  perseverance  and 
faith  in  himself,  and  so  it  is  not  surprising  that  he  should  have  risen  to  such 
a  plane  of  prominence  as  to  make  this  brief  biography  appropriate  here. 

William  Miller  was  born  on  October  14,  1875,  in  Hesse  Nassau,  Ger- 
many, son  of  Henry  and  Kate  (Dresher)  Miller.  It  was  not  a  little  family 
circle  into  which  he  w^as  born,  for  he  was  the  sixth  of  seven  children,  sup- 
ported by  the  work  of  their  father  who  was  a  shoemaker,  both  he  and  his 
wife  being  hard-working  Germans,  born  and  brought  up  in  the  little  town  in 
which  they  reared  their  family.  Both  are  now  deceased.  They  not  only 
had  care  for  the  things  of  this  world,  but  brought  up  their  children  in  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  47I 

fear  of  the  Lord,  and  early  led  their  little  brood  into  the  church  of  their 
choice,  the  Lutheran.  There  were  born  to  these  pious,  hard-working  parents 
seven  children,  as  follow :  Henry,  who  remained  in  Germany,  and  fol- 
lowed the  trade  of  his  father;  Conrad,  who  came  to  this  country,  married 
Bertha  Dittman,  and  became  a  farmer  in  Viola  township,  this  county,  and 
who  died  on  November  i,  1908,  his  widow  surviving  him;  Hartman,  a  farmer 
in  Germany;  Helen  and  Henry,  also  residents  of  Germany;  William,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Kate,  who  married  Edward  Roggish,  of  Manning, 
Iowa. 

Owing  to  the  excellence  of  the  German  school  system,  William  Miller's 
education  was  above  that  of  the  average  American  boy  of  that  day,  sim- 
ilarly situated,  although  he  did  no  more  than  attend  the  common  schools. 
He  was  indeed  a  brave  little  fellow  who  could  bid  goodbye  to  mother,  father, 
sisters  and  brothers,  and  start  on  the  journey  which  was  to  separate  him  from 
them  for  many  years,  perhaps  forever,  and  this  he  did  at  the  tender  age  of 
fifteen.  To  be  sure,  he  was  to  meet  Conrad,  his  older  brother,  who  had 
preceded  him  to  the  shores  of  America,  but  the  journey  was  made  alone. 
After  living  with  this  brother  for  awhile,  William  Miller  started  life  for 
himself,  by  "working  out"  by  the  month  on  a  neighboring  farm,  and  he 
was  thus  employed  for  the  following  fourteen  years. 

On  February  15,  1905,  William  JMiller  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ida 
Berg,  who  was  born  in  LaSalle  county,  Illinois,  daughter  of  William  M.  and 
Ricky  (Beckman)  Berg,  natives  of  Pommern,  Germany,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  son  of  Ludwig  and  Mary  (Petersen)  Berg,  of  Pommern,  who, 
coming  to  America  in  1880,  located  in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  and  farmed 
there  until  they  moved  to  Audubon  county  in  1884,  settling  in  Douglas  town- 
ship, where  they  spent  the  balance  of  their  days.  The  children  born  to  this 
union  were  as  follows :  Fred,  who  lives  on  the  old  homestead ;  William, 
father  of  Mrs.  Miller;  Ricky,  who  married  James  Blom,  of  Audubon,  and 
Minnie,  now  Mrs.  Graves,  of  Douglas  township.  The  history  of  William 
Berg,  father  of  Mrs.  Miller,  is  interesting.  Coming  from  Germany  with  his 
parents,  he  first  "worked  out''  by  the  month  in  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  then 
moving  to  Audubon  county,  he  began  the  acquisition  of  land  and  now  has 
four  hundred  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Douglas  township,  a  tract  which  he 
has  extensively  improved.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  six  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Miller  is  the  eldest.  The  others  are  as  follows :  Minnie, 
who  married  Fred  Holtz,  of  Douglas  township;  Emma,  living  at  home: 
Lucy,  who  married  Oluf  Winther,  of  Audubon,  this  county;  Lilly,  who 
married  Edward  Holtz,  and  Frank,  who  lives  at  home 


4/2  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

After  his  marriage,  William  ^Miller  located  on  a  farm  one  mile  west 
of  Audubon,  where  he  and  his  wife  lived  for  one  year,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  they  moved  to  Lincoln  township,  where  they  lived  two  years.  In  1907 
Mr.  Miller  bought  what  is  known  as  the  Peter  Harmon  place  in  section  4, 
Douglas  township.  Part  of  his  success  at  least  is  due  to  the  fact  that  Mr. 
Miller  has  been  progressive  in  his  ideas,  and  has  made  improvements  as  they 
became  necessary.  Besides  engaging  in  general  farming,  he  has  raised 
mixed  stock,  Duroc-Jersey  red  hogs  and  draft  horses. 

To  William  and  Ida  (Berg)  ]\Iiller  two  children  have  been  born,  \\'ill- 
iam  H.  born  on  February  10,  1906,  and  Lillian  Helen,  January  7,  1909. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  are  members  of  the  Lincoln  Lutheran  church,  to  which 
they  have  contributed  not  only  of  their  time  and  of  their  warmest  interest, 
but  of  their  means.  In  his  church  activities  as  well  as  in  matters  pertaining 
to  their  liveliht)od.  Mr.  ]\Iiller's  efforts  have  all  been  seconded  by  his  good 
wife,  who  has  ever  been  ready  with  encouragement  and  devotion,  and  with 
a  practical  mind  and  willing  hands  to  aid  him.  Theirs  is  a  home  which 
attracts  many  friends,  for  these  wide-awake,  active  people  are  regarded  as 
among  the  prominent  residents  of  that  neighborhood. 

Mr.  Miller  has  not  tied  himself  up  to  the  principles  of  any  one  political 
party,  but  exercises  his  privilege  of  voting  independently,  being  an  ardent 
advocate  of  good  local  government  and  believing  firmly  that  in  local  affairs 
men  and  not  measures  should  be  the  good  citizens'  guide  in  the  exercises  of 
their  franchise. 


EDWARD  DRYDEX, 


Prominent  in  the  affairs  of  Audubon  countv  and  distinguished  as  a 
citizen,  whose  influence  extends  beyond  the  community  honored  by  his  resi- 
dence, the  name  of  Edward  Dryden  stands  out  conspicuously  among  the  suc- 
cessful farmers  and  stock  breeders  of  Hamlin  township.  All  of  his  under- 
takings have  been  actuated  by  noble  motives  and  high  resolves,  characterized 
by  breadth  of  wisdom  and  strong  individuality.  His  success  and  achieve- 
ments but  represent  the  result  of  utilizing  the  talents  with  which  he  was 
endowed  and  in  directing  his  efforts  along  those  lines,  where  mature  judg- 
ment and  discrimination  lead  the  way. 

Edward  Dryden  was  born  on  January  22,  1858,  in  Iowa  City,  Iowa. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Marguerite  (Burns)  Dryden,  who  were  natives  of 
Ireland,  coming  to  the  United  States  when  young  people  and,  subsequently, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  473 

they  were  married  in  New  York.  They  were  farmers  by  occupation  and 
came  west  to  Iowa  in  the  early  fifties.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom  lived  to  maturity.  Edward  Dryden,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  eldest  of  those  who  lived  to  maturity  and  the  fourth  child 
born  to  his  parents.  He  received  a  common  school  education.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  and  Edward  then,  being  the  eldest 
child  took  charge  of  the  farm  and  with  his  brothers  tended  it  until  he  was 
married.  After  his  marriage,  he  lived  on  the  home  place  for  two  years, 
and  then  removed  to  South  Dakota,  where  he  pre-empted  a  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  Charles  Mix  county.  He  lived  in  South  Dakota  for 
six  years  or  until  he  had  lost  everything  as  a  consequence  of  the  drought. 
At  the  end  of  this  time  he  sold  his  South  Dakota  land  and  came  to  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  rented  land  for  one  year.  During  this  same  year, 
1 89 1,  he  sold  hogs  for  three  and  one-fourth  cents  a  pound,  eggs  for  three 
cents  a  dozen,  corn  for  fifteen  and  twenty  cents  and  potatoes  for  fifteen  cents 
a  bushel. 

In  1892  Mr.  Dryden  purchased  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  unimproved 
land  in  section  i6,  Hamlin  township,  paying  fifteen  dollars  an  acre  for  it. 
He  has  since  built  a  good  house,  barn  and  other  buildings,  making  it  a  well- 
improved  farm  at  the  present  time.  He  also  owns  a  section  of  land  in  the 
province  of  Alberta,  Canada. 

Mr.  Dryden  was  married  on  December  21,  1883,  to  Mary  B.  Dimick, 
who  was  born  on  April  14,  1866,  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  just  r.outh  of 
Iowa  City,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  John  J.  and  Fannie  (Mitchell) 
Dimick.  They  were  natives  of  New  Jersey  and  New  York  respectively,  and 
came  of  old  Yankee  stock,  and  located  in  Iowa  soon  after  their  marriage. 
The  mother  died  when  Mr.  Dryden's  wife  was  thirteen  years  old.  The 
father  again  married  soon  after  this  and  thus  kept  the  familv  together.  In 
1883  the  family  moved  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death.  Mrs.  Dimick  died  March  i,  1879.  Mr.  Dimick  died  on  January  i, 
191 1.     He  was  making  his  home  with  subject  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dryden  have  had  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  living. 
Of  these  children.  Bert  Floyd,  born  on  June  16,  1885,  married  Nancy  L. 
Layland  and  the)^  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  Floyd  Earnest,  born  on 
January  30,  1910,  and  Leon  Merle,  March  25.  191 1.  The  mother  of  these 
children  is  now  deceased.  Ethel  Melissa  Dryden.  who  was  born  November 
22.  1886,  married  August  Nicholsen  and  they  now  live  in  Canada.  Leroy 
Elmer,  born  on  April  22.  1888.  married  Hattie  Wright  and  they  have  one 
child,  Dallas  Leroy,  born  on  August  20,  1914.     Ethel  Alelissa,  Leroy  Elmer 


474  AUDUBOX    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

and  Bert  Floyd  were  born  in  South  Dakota ;  Fay  Odessa  was  born  on  Febru- 
ary lo,  1893,  and  died  April  20,  1899;  ]\Ierle,  who  was  born  May  2,  1896, 
married  Lester  Layland,  on  July  18,  1914.  Since  the  death  of  the  mother 
of  Mr.  Dryden's  two  grandchildren,  he  has  taken  them  to  rear. 

Edward  Dryden  has  his  own  threshing  outfit,  and  uses  his  engine  for 
plowing,  running  the  corn  shredder,  etc.  He  has  always  been  a  progressive 
citizen  and  his  ideas  have  done  much  towards  building  up  an  energetic  spirit 
in  this  section  of  Audubon  county. 

j\Ir.  Dryden  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the 
American  Nobles.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  been  elected  to  various  offices, 
but  not  caring  to  hold  these  offices  he  refused  and  declined  to  act.  The 
Dryden  family  are  all  members  of  the  Congregational  church  and  are  active 
in  the  affairs  of  this  church. 


CHRIS  HAHX, 


Chris  Flahn,  one  of  the  representative  agriculturists  and  stock  growers 
of  this  county,  during  the  active  period  of  his  life,  was  known  as  one  of  the 
alert,  progressive  and  successful  farmers  of  this  favored  section  of  the 
Hawkeye  state.  In  his  labors  he  did  not  permit  himself  to  follow  in  a  blind 
rut  in  an  apathetic  way,  but  studied  and  experimented,  and  thus  attained  the 
maximum  returns  from  his  efforts,  ^ir.  Hahn  has  so  conducted  himself  at 
all  times  as  to  command  the  confidence  and  regard  of  the  people  of  Audubon 
county,  and  is  well  known  for  his  honorable  business  methods  and  for  his 
keen,  active  and  helpful  interest  in  whatever  tends  to  promote  the  public 
welfare. 

Chris  Hahn  was  born  on  December  25,  1843,  i^^  Grund-Hagen,  Prussia, 
a  son  of  Christof  and  Anna  Hahn,  the  former  of  whom  died  when  his  son, 
Chris,  was  a  mere  lad.  His  widow  afterwards  married  Christian  Dreher, 
who  came  to  America  after  Chris  Hahn  had  emigrated  to  this  country,  and 
died  in  the  United  States.  ^Nlr.  Hahn's  step-father  occupied  a  rented  farm  in 
Germany  for  fifteen  years,  and  there  Chris  learned  the  rudiments  of  agricul- 
ture, as  well  as  the  thrifty  and  frugal  habits  of  his  German  ancestors.  He 
served  his  term  in  the  German  army,  enlisting  in  November,  1866,  and  serv- 
ing three  years  as  a  soldier,  fie  participated  in  the  Prussian-Austrian  cam- 
paign of  seven  months,  in  1866.  and  also  served  in  the  Franco-Prussian  War 
of  1870-71,  receiving  his  discharge  on  August  i,  1871,  at  which  time  he  was 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  475 

connected  with  the  Fourth  Regiment  of  Prussians.  He  was  in  the  battles  of 
Woerth,  Dionville,  Gravelotte,  Beaumont,  Strasburg,  Metz,  Amiens,  Orleans, 
Montbellard,  St.  Ouentin,  Paris  and  Pontlieu.  Mr.  Hahn  has  two  medals 
which  he  received  for  bravery  in  these  wars.  He  was  never  wounded  in 
battle  during  all  his  service. 

In  1876,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  Chris  Hahn  came  to  America  and 
located  at  Atlantic,  Iowa,  where  he  was  engaged  in  railroad  construction 
work  for  three  years.  In  1877  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  raw  prairie 
land  in  Leroy  township,  near  Audubon,  this  county,  and  two  years  later,  in 
1879,  he  moved  to  the  farm,  on  which  he  built  a  house.  This  land  cost  him 
eight  dollars  an  acre,  and  in  1880  he  bought  eighty  acres  adjoining  his  first 
purchase,  for  which  he  paid  nineteen  dollars  an  acre,  and  in  1881,  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  more  at  the  same  price,  nineteen  dollars 
an  acre.  For  these  latter  purchases  he  went  heavily  in  debt,  paying  out  from 
year  to  year.  In  1891  Mr.  Hahn  bought  another  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  for  which  he  paid  twenty-five  dollars  an  acre,  and  in  1890  he  pur- 
chased still  another  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  at  forty-one  dollars 
an  acre.  In  1902  ]\Ir.  Hahn  purchased  five  acres,  located  in  Audubon,  paying 
for  the  same  twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  and  moved  to  this  tract,  where  he 
erected  a  splendid  house  in  which  he  now  lives.  In  19 12  j\Ir.  Hahn  bought 
eighty  acres  two  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of  Audubon,  paying  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  an  acre  for  it.  He  spent  two  years  in  Canada,  1907-8, 
where  he  bought  a  section  of  land.  This  land  has  been  improved  and  he  has 
now  turned  it  over  to  his  sons. 

On  November  14,  1873,  three  years  before  coming  to  this  country, 
Chris  Hahn  was  married  to  Charlotte  Wohlgamuth,  who  was  born  on  August 
29,  1845,  3.  daughter  of  Foergen  and  Elizabeth  (Porsch)  Wolgamouth.  who 
lived  all  their  lives  in  their  native  land  of  Germany.  To  this  union  the  fol- 
lowing children  were  born :  Gustav,  Paulina,  Hannah,  Emma,  Herman, 
Zelma  and  Ella.  Gustav  lives  in  Canada,  and  is  the  owner  of  a  section  and 
a  half  of  land  there.  He  married  Margaretta  Klever,  and  they  are  the  par- 
ents of  seven  children,  six  daughters  and  one  son;  Ella  and  Emma  (twins), 
Hildegarde,  Christ.  Ethel,  Mabel  and  Helen.  Paulina  is  the  wife  of  Chris 
Klever.  Thev  live  in  Audubon  county  and  have  one  child,  Herman.  Ramon 
died  at  the  age  of  seven  months.  Hannah  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Brown. 
They  live  in  Canada,  and  the  parents  of  five  children,  \A^alter,  Zelma, 
Alice,  Arthur  and  Charlotte.  Zelma  is  the  wife  of  William  Mantz,  and  they 
are  also  residents  of  Canada.  They  have  one  child,  Clarke.  Emma  died  at 
the  age  of  two  years  and  three  months.     Ella  was  killed  on  the  railroad  at  the 


476  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

age  of  one  year  and  eight  months.  Harmon  was  killed  by  a  horse  at  the  age 
of  eighteen.  Since  coming  to  this  country  Mr.  Hahn  has  been  identified  with 
the  Democratic  party,  but  he  is  more  or  less  independent  in  his  voting,  sup- 
porting measures  and  men  rather  than  political  emblems.  He  and  his  wife 
and  family  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  church,  in  whose  wel- 
fare they  are  deeply  interested,  and  to  the  support  of  which  they  are  liberal 
contributors. 


WALKUP  M.  CREES. 


The  office  of  biography  is  not  to  give  voice  to  a  man's  modest  opinion 
of  himself  and  his  accomplishments,  but  rather  to  leave  upon  record  the 
verdict  of  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens.  Touching  upon  the  life  history 
of  Walkup  M.  Crees,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Hamilton  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  it  is  sought  to  avoid  fulsome  encomium  and  extravagant  praise. 
Nevertheless,  there  should  be  held  up  for  the  consideration  of  the  reader, 
those  facts  which  have  shown  the  earmarks  of  a  true,  useful  and  honorable 
life,  a  life  characterized  by  perseverance,  energy,  broad  charity  and  well- 
defined  purpose.  Walkup  M.  Crees  being  a  man  of  this  type,  is  admired  by 
his  neighbors  and  respected  by  a  large  circle  of  friends. 

Walkup  M.  Crees  was  born  on  March  22,  1864,  in  Muscatine  county, 
Iowa.  He  is  the  son  of  Joel  and  Catherine  (Hines)  Crees.  They  were 
natives  of  Ohio,  coming  west  to  Iowa  when  very  3^oung  with  their  parents. 
They  located  in  Cass  county,  Iowa,  and  in  1885  they  came  to  Audubon 
county,  locating  north  and  west  of  Exira,  in  which  vicinity  they  lived  until 
their  death.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daugli- 
ters,  of  whom  Walkup  M.  Crees  was  the  second  child. 

Walkup  M.  Crees  received  a  limited  country  school  education.  He 
lived  at  home  until  he  was  married  and  then  rented  land  until  1907  when  he 
purchased  seventy-nine  acres  of  land  in  section  15  of  Hamlin  township  where 
he  now  lives.  In  1908  Mr.  Crees  was  elected  sheriff  of  Audubon  county  and 
after  his  election,  moved  to  Audubon,  where  he  lived  for  four  years  moving 
back  to  the  farm  in  19 13  after  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office.  As  the 
sheriff  of  Audubon  county,  Mr.  Crees  performed  the  duties  of  this  respon- 
sible office  in  a  highly  satisfactory  and  creditable  manner.  It  is  the  verdict 
of  the  people  of  Audubon  county  that  he  was  one  of  the  best  sheriffs  that  the 
county  ever  had. 

On  January  30,   1889,  Mr.   Crees  was  married  in  Audubon  county  to 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  477 

Julia  E.  Dimick,  who  was  born  on  January  21,  1871,  in  Johnson  county, 
Iowa.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John  J.  and  Fannie  (Mitchell)  Dimick.  It 
is  thought  they  were  natives  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  respectively. 
They  came  to  Audubon  county  about  1882.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crees  are  the 
parents  of  five  children,  Beatrice,  born  on  October  14,  1892;  Charles,  June 
12,  1895;  Cecil  ].,  February  23,  1900;  Everett,  August  2,  1903;  and  Fred, 
December  30,  1906.     All  of  these  children  live  at  home. 

The  Crees  family  is  of  Dutch  and  Irish  descent  and  the  Dimicks  are 
of  old  Yankee  stock.  W.  M.  Crees'  mother,  Catherine  (Hines)  Crees,  died 
on  February  6,  1905,  and  her  husband  died  on  March  18,  1908.  Mrs.  Crees' 
mother  died  on  March  i,  1879,  and  her  father  died  on  January  i,  191 1. 

Mr.  Crees  is  now  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He 
keeps  an  excellent  quality  of  live  stock  and  has  been  very  successful  in  rais- 
ing them  for  the  market. 

Mr.  Crees  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics.  Although  the  principal  office  which  Mr.  Crees  has  held  is 
that  of  sheriff,  he  has  served  as  clerk  of  Greeley  township  and  assessor  of 
Hamlin  township.  He  is  well  thought  of  by  his  neighbors  and  friends,  and 
his  repeated  election  to  public  offices  is  the  best  testimonial  in  support  of 
the  generous  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  fellow  citizens. 


PETER  MADSEN. 


Any  vocation,  whether  humble  or  exalted,  may  produce  a  satisfactory 
measure  of  success  if  enterprise,  industry  and  well-directed  purpose  guide 
the  individual  in  his  pursuit  of  success.  In  no  case  is  this  fact  more  apparent 
than  in  farming.  It  is  a  well  authenticated  fact  that  success  is  the  result  of 
well-applied  energy,  determination,  perseverance  and  good  judgment.  When 
a  course  of  action  is  once  decided  upon,  these  attributes  are  essential  to  suc- 
cess, and  those  who  diligently  seek  her  favors  ever  receive  her  blessing. 
Peter  Madsen,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  one  of  the  well-known  and  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  Hamlin  township  and  his  success  has  been  achieved  by 
traveling  no  royal  road.  Industry  and  good  management  have  been  the  key- 
note to  his  success. 

Peter  Madsen  was  born  on  January  7,  1840,  in  Jylland,  Denmark.     He 


4/8  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

is  the  son  of  Mads  and  Sisse  (Xelson)  ]^Iadsen,  also  natives  of  J.ylland,  Den- 
mark, wliere  the  father  was  a  farm  laborer. 

Peter  Madsen  lived  at  home  until  1862,  at  which  time  he  had  to  join  the 
army.  He  served  two  and  one-half  years  in  the  war  between  Prussia  and 
Austria,  but  was  never  wounded  nor  taken  prisoner,  though  he  saw  some  of 
the  hardest  fighting  in  this  war.  In  1870  Mr.  Aladsen  came  to  the  United 
States,  landing  at  New  York  city,  and  after  spending  a  short  time  in  that 
city,  he  came  directly  to  Atlantic,  Cass  county,  Iowa.  At  that  time,  Atlantic 
just  had  one  store,  a  hotel  and  a  few  houses.  ]\Ir.  ^ladsen  had  fifty  dollars 
in  money  when  he  arrived  at  Atlantic.  He  first  got  work  on  a  farm  where 
he  remained  for  three  months,  when  he  got  work  on  the  section  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroad.  ]\Ir.  Madsen  worked  at  this  job  at 
Atlantic  until  the  spring  and  then  went  back  to  Wilton,  where  he  helped  to 
build  a  branch  of  the  railroad  down  into  the  state  of  Missouri.  In  the 
spring  of  1871,  ]\Ir.  Madsen  came  to  Atlantic  again  and  purchased  forty 
acres  of  land  in  Shelby  county,  paying  ten  dollars  an  acre  for  it,  and  here  he 
lived  for  nine  years.  In  the  meantime,  his  family  grew  larger,  so  that  in 
1880  he  purchased  eighty  acres  in  section  3  of  Hamlin  township,  where  he 
now  lives.  It  was  without  buildings,  although  seventy  acres  of  it  had  already 
been  broken  with  the  plow,  and  there  were  no  roads  nor  no  schools.  Two 
years  later,  ]\Ir.  Aladsen  sold  the  township  one  acre  of  land,  receiving  twenty- 
five  dollars  for  it,  and  after  this  there  was  a  school  near  his  house.  Before 
that,  one  of  the  neighbors  had  given  one  room  in  his  house  for  the  purpose 
of  conducting  a  school. 

One  year  after  Mr.  Madsen  came  to  the  United  States,  his  future  wife. 
Johanna  Conradene  Johansen,  came  to  this  country.  She  was  born  on' 
December  10,  1848,  in  Jylland.  Denmark,  and  was  the  daughter  of  Lars  and 
Alary  Johansen.  Peter  Aladsen  and  Johanna  C.  Johansen  were  married  in 
Princeton,  Missouri,  October  7,  1871.  She  died  in  July,  1886,  leaving  eight 
children,  Jens  C,  who  is  unmarried  and  lives  in  Hamlin  township;  Peterena 
Mary,  deceased,  who  married  Peter  Paulsen  and  had  two  children.  Conradene 
and  Marie;  Lawrence  M.,  who  married  Marie  Petersen  and  has  six  children, 
Dena.  Anna.  Peter.  Edna,  Laura  and  Jens;  Cecelia,  deceased,  married  Walter 
Jensen  and  had  three  children.  Martha,  Helena  and  Elsie;  Johanna  M..  w^ho 
is  unmarried  and  is  now  a  patient  in  the  hospital  at  Clarinda.  Iowa;  Lora, 
who  lives  in  \\'ashington,  married  Chris  Sorrensen  and  has  three  children, 
Mary,  Gladys  and  Helena ;  Peter,  who  is  unmarried  and  lives  in  Elkhorn 
where  he  follows  the  butcher's  trade ;  and  Martha,  who  married  Jens  Ander- 
sen and  has  three  children,  Freda,  Leo  and  Alice.     Lawrence  M.  is  now  liv- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  479 

ing  on  the  old  home  place  and  also  tends  forty  acres  which  he  owns  near 
there.     He  was  married  on  January  6,  1906. 

Air.  Madsen  has  retired  from  active  farming.  He  is  a  stockholder  in 
the  Elkhorn-Marne  Telephone  Company  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  West 
Hamlin  Creamery  Company,  being  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  latter.  Peter 
Aladsen  is  one  of  Hamlin  township's  first  settlers  and  is,  in  truth,  a  pioneer 
of  this  section  of  the  state. 

Air.  Aladsen  is  a  Democrat  and  his  son,  Lawrence  AL,  is  also  a  Demo- 
crat. Air.  Aladsen  has  held  nearly  all  of  the  township  offices,  except  assessor 
and  clerk,  and  he  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in  local  politics  and  his 
counsel  is  widely  sought.  The  family  are  all  members  of  the  Danish  Luth- 
eran church. 


AxNTON  NELSON. 


Among  the  farmers  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who  believe  in  following 
twentieth  century  methods,  is  Anton  Nelson,  of  Hamlin  township.  Air. 
Nelson  comes  from  a  splendid  family,  one  that  has  always  been  foremost  for 
right  living  and  industrious  habits,  for  education  and  morality  and  for  all 
that  contributes  to  the  welfare  of  the  commonwealth.  Such  people  are  wel- 
come in  any  community,  for  they  are  empire  builders  and  as  such  have 
pushed  the  frontier  of  civilization  ever  westward  and  onward,  leaving  the 
once  green,  wide-reaching  wilderness  and  the  far-stretching  plains  populous 
with  contented  people  and  beautiful  with  green  fields.  They  have  constituted 
that  sterling  horde  which  caused  the  great  Bishop  Whipple  to  write  the  mem- 
orable words,  "Westward,  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way." 

Anton  Nelson  was  born  on  Alay  3,  1874,  in  Denmark,  and  is  the  son  of 
Nels  and  Christina  (Rasmussen)  Nelson,  both  natives  of  Denmark.  Nels 
Nelson  was  a  painter  by  trade  and  Anton  helped  him  at  his  trade  until  he  was 
fourteen  years  old.  Anton  Nelson  received  a  good,  common-school  educa- 
tion. 

In  1893,  or  when  Anton  Nelson  was  nineteen  years  old,  he  came  to 
the  United  States,  landing  at  New  York  city,  and  came  direct  to  Audubon 
county,  where  he  had  two  brothers,  H.  C.  and  Nels  J.  Anton  Nelson  first 
worked  by  the  month.  He  worked  for  six  years  but  after  working  about 
four  years,  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  where  he  now  lives,  but  did 
not  begin  farming  it  himself  until  two  years  after  he  bought  it.  When  Air. 
Nelson  was  married,  he  moved  to  this  farm  and  has  lived  there  since  that 
time.     The  farm  was  but  poorly  improved  at  the  time  and  had  only  a  small 


480  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

three-roomed  house  for  a  residence.  Mr.  Nelson  has  since  built  a  large 
eight-roomed  house  with  halls,  pantry  and  basement.  Two  large  barns  are 
now  standing  on  the  farm,  one  of  which  is  fifty-two  by  fifty-six  feet  and  the 
other  thirty-six  by  fifty-two  feet.  Mr.  Nelson  has  good  hog  houses,  cribs, 
granaries,  implement  shed  and  garage.  He  has  also  added  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  more  to  his  farm  and  is.  indeed,  a  progressive  citizen. 

On  February  22,  1896,  Anton  Nelson  was  married  at  Audubon,  Iowa, 
to  Mary  Aagaard,  the  daughter  of  Andrew  Aagaard.  Five  children  were 
born  to  this  union.  Nelson  C,  ]\Iabel,  Andrew,  Martha  and  Tilda.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  on  February  18,  1910. 

On  May  11,  1912.  Mr.  Nelson  was  married  to  Thea  Top  in  Chicago, 
Illinois.  She  was  born  in  Denmark,  j\Iay  12,  1885,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
Hans  and  Hannah  (Nelson)  Top,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  where  her  father 
was  a  laborer.  Thea  Top  came  to  the  United  States  in  1908.  To  this  second 
union,  two  children.  Hannah  and  Rosa,  have  been  born. 

Mr.  Nelson  is  a  member  of  the  Blue  Grass  Creamery  Company  and  is 
assistant  secretary  of  the  organization.  He  assisted  in  the  organization  of 
the  Farmers  Savings  Bank  of  Hamlin  and  is  a  director  in  this  institution. 
He  does  general  farming  and  stock  raising  and  has  been,  as  this  brief  record 
of  his  life  will  show,  very  successful  as  a  farmer. 

Mr.  Nelson  is  a  Republican,  and  is  at  present  a  school  director,  being 
keenly  interested  in  the  educational  affairs  of  his  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Nelson  and  all  the  members  of  the  family  are  identified  with  the  Danish 
Lutheran  church. 


LARS  C.  CHRISTOFFERSEN. 

In  examining  the  life  records  of  self-made  men  it  will  invariably  be 
found  that  indefatigable  industry  has  constituted  the  basis  of  their  success. 
True,  there  are  other  elements  that  enter  into  and  conserve  the  advance- 
ment of  personal  interests,  such  as  perseverance,  discrimination  and  the 
mastering  of  expedients,  but  the  foundation  of  all  achievement  is  earnest, 
persistent  labor.  At  the  outset  of  his  career  Lars  C.  Christoffersen  recog- 
nized this  fact  and  he  has  never  sought  any  royal  road  to  the  goal  of  his 
ambition.  He  began  to  work  earnestly  and  diligently  in  order  to  advance 
himself  and  the  result  is  that  he  is  now  numbered  among  the  progressive,  suc- 
cessful and  influential  business  men  of  Audubon  county. 

Lars  C.  Christoffersen  was  born  in  Denmark  on  October  17,   1861,  the 


LAKS  C.  ('IIlilSTOFFKKSEX 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  48 1 

son  of  Peter  and  Mette  Christene  (Larsen)  Christoffersen,  also  natives  of 
Denmark,  the  family  being  residents  of  the  island  known  as  Moen.  Peter 
Christoffersen  was  a  laborer  and  was  the  father  of  three  children,  Peter,  Lars 
C.  and  Carrie  C. 

Lars  C.  Christoffersen  lived  at  home  until  1883,  in  which  year  he  came 
to  the  United  States,  landing  at  New  York  City  on  May  23.  His  brother 
had  proceeded  him  seven  years  and  had  located  in  Illinois.  Lars  C.  Christ- 
offersen came  direct  to  Audubon  county,  locating  near  Kimballton  where 
two  of  his  uncles  had  settled  some  years  before.  He  first  started  to  work 
by  the  month,  but  the  corn  crop  was  drowned  out  and  he  went  to  work  on 
the  section  for  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  railroad.  He  later  went  to  Illi- 
nois, where  he  worked  for  a  short  time,  but  soon  came  back  to  Audubon 
county,  and  spent  the  winter  with  one  of  his  uncles.  In  the  spring  of  1884 
he  went  Ijack  to  Illinois,  where  for  about  two  years  he  worked  at  various 
jobs.  In  February,  1886,  he  went  to  New  York  and  lived  there  until  1888, 
working  at  various  occupations.  On  New  Year's  day,  1888,  he  came  back  to 
Audubon  county  and  has  lived  here  since  that  time.  His  parents  and  sisters, 
who  came  to  this  country  in  the  spring  of  1889,  also  came  west.  After 
coming  back  to  Audubon  county,  Mr.  Christoffersen  worked  on  the  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  railroad  section,  a  job  entailing  a  great  deal  of  hard  work,  as 
there  were  but  two  men  to  care  for  a  section.  After  being  thus  employed  for 
two  years  Mr.  Christofferson  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  near  Kimballton 
and  made  a  home  there  for  his  mother,  his  father  having  died  in  1890.  For 
nineteen  years  Mr.  Christoffersen  lived  on  this  farm. 

In  1908  Lars  C.  Christoffersen  was  elected  recorder  of  Audubon  county 
'and  filled  that  office  very  acceptably  for  four  years,  after  which  for  six 
months  he  acted  as  deputy  recorder.  In  the  meantime  he  helped  organize 
the  Farmers  Savings  Bank  at  Hamlin  and  was  elected  cashier  of  the  bank,  a 
position  he  has  filled  since  that  time  in  a  manner  w^holly  acceptable  not  only 
to  the  directors  of  the  bank,  but  to  the  large  public  served  through  this  sound 
financial  institution,  he  possessing  the  unbounded  confidence  of  the  entire 
community. 

On  December  26,  1895,  at  Atlantic,  Iowa,  Lars  C.  Christoffersen  was 
married  to  Anna  B.  Rassmussen,  who  was  born  in  Denmark,  the  daughter 
of  Andrew  and  Anna  (Scheming)  Rassmussen,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  in  the  spring  of  1892.  To  this  union  seven  children  have  been  born, 
four  sons  and  three  daughters,  Hans,  Alfred,  Hazel,  Leonard,  Edwin,  Ethel 
and  Clara,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christoffersen  are 

(31) 


482  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA, 

members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  and  their  children  have  been  reared 
in  that  faith. 

Mr.  Christoffersen  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Danish  Brotherhood  of  America. 
He  is  a  Democrat  and  when  he  was  elected  county  recorder  had  a  normal 
opposition  of  six  hundred  Republican  majority  and  was  not  widely  acquainted 
in  the  county,  but  he  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  one  hundred  and  nine 
votes.  In  campaigning-  he  did  not  go  east  of  the  railroad  tracks.  Since 
moving  to  town,  Mr.  Christoffersen  has  sold  his  farm.  The  bank  building  is 
owned  by  the  corporation  of  stockholders. 

Although  the  most  important  public  office  which  Mr.  Christoffersen  has 
held  is  that  of  county  recorder  he  has  held  several  township  offices  in  Sharon 
township,  among  them  that  of  justice  of  the  peace,  township  trustee  and 
township  clerk,  and  for  fourteen  years  was  secretary  of  the  school  board. 
By  virtue  of  his  vocation  he  comes  into  touch  with  all  the  people  of  his  town- 
ship and  is  honored  and  respected  by  them.  He  is  progressive  in  his  ideas 
and  this  characteristic  accounts  for  a  very  large  measure  of  his  success,  he 
being  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  public-spirited  citizens 
of  Audubon  county.     ' 


NELS  .AIORTENSEN. 


It  cannot  be  other  than  interesting  to  note  in  the  series  of  personal 
sketches  appearing  in  this  work,  the  varying  conditions  that  have  compassed 
those  whose  careers  are  here  outlined.  An  efforts  has  been  made  in  each 
case  to  throw  well-focused  light  on  the  individuality  and  to  bring  into  proper 
perspective  the  scheme  of  each  career  Each  man,  who  strives  to  fulfill  his 
part  in  connection  with  human  life  and  human  activities,  deserves  recognition 
whatever  may  be  his  field  of  endeavor.  It  is  the  function  of  works  of  this 
nature  to  perpetuate  for  future  generations  an  authentic  record  concerning 
those  represented  in  these  pages.  The  value  of  such  publications  is  certain 
to  be  cumulative  for  all  time  to  come,  and  will  present  the  individual  and 
specific  accomplishment  of  each  generation.  Nels  Mortensen  is  one  of  the 
well-known  business  men  of  Hamlin,  Iowa,  and  he  is  entitled  to  rank  as  one 
of  the  representative  citizens  of  this  great  county. 

Nels  Mortensen  was  born  on  May  10,  1883,  in  Audubon  county,  near 
Gray.  He  is  a  son  of  Xels  and  Carrie  (Rattenborg)  Mortensen,  who  were 
natives  of  an  island  possession  of  Denmark  and  Schleswig,  respectively.  The 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  483 

island  where  Nels  Mortensen  was  born  was  called  Fyn.  Nels  Mortensen 
always  worked  on  the  farm,  although  his  father,  Morten  Petersen,  was  a  day 
laborer.  The  parents  of  Nels  Mortensen  came  to  the  United  States  in  1881. 
They  had  four  children  who  were  born  in  Denmark,  and  Nels  Mortensen 
was  the  eldest  of  five  children  born  to  his  parents  after  they  came  to  the 
United  States. 

Nels  Mortensen  attended  the  common  schools  of  this  countv  until  he 
was  twelve  years  of  age  and  lived  with  his  parents  until  his  marriage.  After 
his  marriage,  Mr.  Mortensen  rented  a  farm  for  one  year,  after  which  he 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  unimproved  land.  His  wife  was  a  school  teacher, 
and  for  four  years  after  their  marriage  she  continued  teaching  in  order  to 
assist  in  paying  for  the  improvements  on  their  land,  while  Mr.  Mortensen 
farmed  and  worked  at  any  kind  of  labor  to  get  ahead.  In  1909  he  sold  his 
farm  and  purchased  the  hardware  store  belonging  to  Johnson  &  Carstensen, 
of  Hamlin,  Iowa,  and  here  Mr.  Mortensen  has  been  engaged  in  business  since 
that  time. 

On  March  2^,  1905,  Nels  Mortensen  was  married  at  Audubon,  Iowa, 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Cousins,  to  Cloe  Petty.  When  three  weeks  old,  Mrs.  Morten- 
sen was  taken  to  be  reared  by  her  mother's  parents,  Joseph  and  Rebecca  Red- 
path,  and  from  that  time  was  known  by  the  name  of  Redpath.  She  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Audubon  high  school,  and  after  leaving  school,  taught  for 
six  years,  during  this  time  having  been  engaged  in  teaching  a  single  district, 
with  the  exception  of  two  terms.  Mr.  Mortensen  and  wife  are  the  parents 
of  two  children,  both  of  whom  are  boys.  George  M.  was  born  July  2,  191 1. 
Harvey  was  born  October  17,  19 14. 

Mr.  ^Mortensen  is  a  member  of  the  Middle  West  Implement  Dealers 
Association.  He  carries  a  large  line  of  implements  in  connection  with  gen- 
eral hardware.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Farmers  Savings  Bank,  of  Ham- 
lin, and  was  one  of  the  leading  factors  in  the  organization  of  this  financial 
institution. 

Air.  Mortensen  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  is  not  a  politician,  and  has  never 
held  office,  nor  has  he  ever  aspired  to  office.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mortensen  and 
family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Mrs.  Mortensen's  grandfather  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  paying  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  for  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  acres  of  land  near  Audubon.  This  land  grew  in  value  from  year  to  year, 
and  is  worth  now  a  hundred  times  its  original  purchase  price. 

Nels  Mortensen  is  one  of  the  best  known  citizens  of  Hamlin  township, 
Audubon  county,  Iowa.     He  is  a  man  who  has  always  been  scrupulous  in  his 


484  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

dealings  with  the  public  and  has  built  up  an  enviable  reputation  in  a  business 
way  in  this  section  of  Audubon  county.  He  is  entitled  to  the  liberal  patron- 
age he  enjoys,  as  his  business  has  been  founded  upon  right  dealing  and  good 
business  management. 


WILHELM  C.  OLSEN. 


Practical  industry,  wisely  and  vigorously,  applied,  never  fails  to  bring 
success.  It  carries  a  man  onward  and  upward  and  brings  out  his  individual 
character  and  acts  as  a  powerful  stimulant  to  the  efforts  of  others.  The 
greatest  results  in  life  are  often  attained  by  simple  means,  and  the  exercise 
of  the  ordinary  qualities  of  common  sense  and  perseverance.  The  every- 
day life  with  its  cares,  necessities  and  duties,  affords  ample  opportunity  for 
acquiring  experience  of  the  best  kind,  and  its  most  beaten  paths  provide  a 
true  worker  with  abundant  scope  for  effort  and  self -improvement.  Wilhelm 
C.  Olsen,  one  of  the  well-known  farmers  of  Hamlin  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  throughout  his  entire  life,  has  been  industrious,  frugal  and 
judicious  in  the  management  of  his  agricultural  enterprises. 

Wilhelm  C.  Olsen  was  born  on  October  6,  1862,  in  Denmark,  the  son 
of  Christian  J.  and  Dora  (Olsen)  Jensen.  Christian  J.  Olsen  was  a  black- 
smith in  Denmark  and  followed  that  occupation  all  his  life.  He  was  the 
father  of  five  children :  Christ,  Annena,  Anna,  Dora  and  Wilhelm  C. 

Mr.  Olsen  lived  at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  In 
June,  1 88 1,  he  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  New  York  harbor. 
He  had  an  uncle  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  and  made  the  trip  with  the  inten- 
tion of  returning  to  his  native  country,  but  did  not  do  so.  He  came  to 
Shelby  county,  Iowa,  where  his  uncle  lived  at  that  time,  and  worked  out  by 
the  month  on  the  farms  in  that  county  for  five  years.  He  then  rented  land 
for  eighteen  years,  and  in  igoi  he  purchased  a  farm  just  north  of  Exira, 
where  he  lived  for  four  years,  and  then  sold  it  and  purchased  fifty-three  acres 
in  Hamlin  township,  adjoining  the  town  of  Hamlin.  Mr.  Olsen  has  greatly 
improved  this  farm  and  has  made  a  remarkable  success  of  his  chosen  vocation. 

On  January  9,  1886,  Mr.  Olsen  was  married  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa, 
to  Mary  C.  Jacobsen,  who  was  born  on  January  3,  1869,  in  Kellogg,  Jasper 
county,  Iowa.  ]\Irs.  Olsen  is  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Dora  (Kock)  Jacob- 
sen,  who  were  natives  of  Denmark.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olsen  are  the  parents  of 
four  children:  Dorothy,  born  on  October  i,  1887,  married  Jacob  Jacobsen, 
and  they  have  three  children,  Hans,  William  and  Alae;  Ella,  born  on  Novem- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  485 

ber  27,  1888,  married  Fritz  Nissen,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  foiu-  children, 
Ehner,  Regina,  Ellanora  and  Daisy;  Ellanora,  born  on  May  3,  1891,  mar- 
ried John  Petersen ;  Victor  WilHam,  born  on  June  29,  1904,  is  Hving  at  home 
with  his  parents. 

Mrs.  Olsen's  father,  Andrew  Jacobsen,  drove  oxen  through  to  Iowa 
when  he  came  west  and  after  arriving  in  this  state,  used  them  for  farming 
purposes.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneer  farmers  of  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  and 
was  well  known  in  that  county,  where  he  lived  for  so  many  years. 

Wilhelm  C.  Olsen  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  also  of  the  Danish  Brotherhood,  to  which  order  he  has  been 
attached  for  more  than  twenty  years.  In  politics  he  is  mostly  independent, 
but  leans  toward  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  especially  in  national 
affairs.  INIr.  Olsen  is  not  a  politician  in  any  sense  of  the  word,  and  has  never 
held  office,  nor  has  he  ever  aspired  to  office,  preferring  to  devote  his  atten- 
tion to  his  home  and  his  family  and  his  farm.  The  members  of  the  family 
are  identified  with  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  and  are  active  in  the  affairs 
of  this  denomination,  not  only  in  the  church,  but  also  in  the  Sunday  school, 
and  are  liberal  contributors  to  the  support  of  the  church. 


DAN  E.  LARSEN. 


Among  the  citizens  of  Hamlin  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who 
have  built  up  comfortable  homes  and  surrounded  themselves  with  valuable 
personal  and  real  property,  few  have  attained  a  higher  degree  of  success 
than  Dan,  E.  Larsen,  a  well-known  farmer  of  this  county.  With  few  oppor- 
tunities except  what  his  own  efforts  were  capable  of  mastering  and  with  many 
discouragements  to  overcome,  he  has  made  an  exceptional  success  in  life. 
Although  a  comparatively  young  man,  Mr.  Larsen  has  the  gratification  of 
knowing  that  the  community  in  which  he  resides  has  been  benefited  by  his 
presence  and  by  his  counsels.  Mr.  Larsen  is  descended  from  a  well-known 
Danish  family  of  this  state  and  one  which  has  been  foremost  in  the  civic, 
political  and  social  life  of  Audubon  county  for  many  years. 

Dan  Larsen  was  born  on  July  17,  1883,  in  Lincoln  township,  Shelby 
county,  Iowa.  He  is  the  son  of  Lars  C  and  Sena  (Christensen)  Larsen, 
who  were  natives  of  Denmark,  and  came  from  a  district  known  as  Jylland, 
which  is  near  Germany.  They  arrived  in  the  United  States  about  1870,  and 
subsequently  located  north  of  Avoca,  near  Cuppy's  Grove.     They  lived  in 


486  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Shelby  county  for  a  few  years  and  later  purchased  new  prairie  land,  getting 
their  start  in  life  as  most  earlv  settlers  did.  Lars  C.  Larsen  was  first  mar- 
ried  to  Christine  Christensen,  a  sister  of  his  second  wife,  and  by  this  union 
there  were  five  children.  After  his  first  wife's  death,  he  married  Sena 
Christensen  and  had  five  children  by  this  marriage,  of  whom  Dan  E.  was  the 
second  child  and  the  eldest  son,  his  sister,  Sophia,  being  older  than  he. 

Dan  E.  Larsen  received  a  good  education,  having  attended  the  Elkhorn 
College,  the  academy  at  Stewart,  Iowa,  and  the  University  of  Nebraska  at 
Lincoln.  His  father  was  a  well-informed  man  and  not  only  was  a  firm 
believer  in  education  but  was  progressive  along  all  other  lines. 

^^^ith  the  exception  of  one  year  which  Dan  E.  Larsen  rented  land  and 
boarded,  he  lived  at  home.  The  year  before  he  was  married,  he  rented  eighty 
acres  and  cultivated  until  the  fall  when  he  operated  a  corn  sheller.  In  June, 
1906,  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  section  30  of 
Hamlin  township,  which  was  only  partly  improved  and  he  has  since  added 
to  the  improvements  a  modern  eight-roomed  house,  large  barn,  cribs,  cattle 
sheds,  garage,  etc.  The  farm  is  one  of  the  best  improved  in  Audubon 
county  and  the  house  is  by  far  the  most  modern  and  best  constructed  within  a 
radius  of  several  miles. 

On  February  20,  1907,  ^Ir.  Larsen  was  married  to  Edith  Christensen, 
who  was  born  December  9,  1886,  in  Oakfield  township,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Nels  and  Christina  (Hansen)  Christensen, 
natives  of  Denmark.  Her  father  came  to  the  United  States  in  1869,  when 
seventeen  years  old,  from  Jylland  and  her  mother  came  from  Fynn,  Denmark, 
in  1874,  when  eleven  years  old.  Xels  Christensen  was  killed  in  1913  in  an 
automobile  accident  and  the  mother  died  in  ]\Iay,  19 14. 

Mr.  and  Airs.  Dan  E.  Larsen  are  the  parents  of  two  sons,  Floyd,  born 
on  February  24,  1910,  and  Harvey,  born  on  April  13,  1912. 

Mr.  Larsen  does  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  feeds  from 
one  to  two  carloads  of  cattle  each  year  and  about  sixty  head  of  hogs.  His 
family  and  his  farm  are  his  principal  interests. 

Mr.  Larsen's  father  was  killed  in  a  runaway  when  Dan  E.  was  six  vears 
old.  He  had  just  come  from  church  and  the  minister  was  with  him  wearing 
a  fur  overcoat.  The  horses  became  frightened  at  the  appearance  of  the  coat 
and,  bolting,  threw  Mr.  Larsen  out,  killing  him  instantly.  Mr.  Larsen's 
mother,  a  few  years  later,  married  Peter  Knudsen.  It  is  a  coincidence  that 
Mrs.  Larsen's  grandfather  on  her  mother's  side  was  also  accidentally  killed 
by  falling  from  a  building.  Her  uncle  in  Denmark  was  killed  in  a  runaway 
accident  soon  after  the  death  of  Mr.  Larsen's   father.     It  seems  that  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  487 

family  has  been  particularly  unfortunate  in  suffering  so  many  fatal  accidents. 
Dan  E.  Larsen  is  a  Republican,  although  he  has  not  held  office  and  does 
not  consider  himself  a  politician.  ]\Ir.  Larsen  and  family  are  members  of 
the  Seventh-Day  Adventist  church  and  are  active  in  church  circles.  Mr. 
Larsen  is  a  clean-cut,  progressive  citizen  of  Hamlin  township  and  a  man  of 
sterling  integrity. 


■    THOAL\S  CHRISTEXSEN. 

Audubon  county  is  indebted  perhaps  to  the  Christensen  family  as  much 
as  to  any  other,  for  its  wondrous  transformation  to  one  of  the  choicest  sec- 
tions of  the  Hawkeye  state.  The  members  of  this  family  have  been  leaders 
in  agricultural,  industrial  and  civic  affairs  since  the  early  days.  Each  with 
a  fidelity  to  duty  and  a  persistency  of  purpose  peculiar  to  the  class  of  men 
who  take  a  lead  in  large  affairs,  they  have  performed  well  their  duties  in  all 
of  the  relations  of  life.  While  they  have  advanced  their  own  interests,  they 
have  not  been  unmindful  of  the  general  welfare  of  their  fellow  citizens. 
Thus,  the  Christensen  family  rightly  deserves  a  place  in  the  history  of  this 
locality  and  among  the  well-known  members  of  this  family  is  Thomas 
Christensen,  a  successful  farmer  of  Hamlin  township. 

Thomas  Christensen  was  born  on  November  2,  1855,  in  Jylland,  Den- 
mark. He  is  the  son  of  Chris  M.  and  Anna  (Thompson)  Christensen, 
natives  of  the  same  locality  as  their  son,  Thomas.  They  were  farmers  and 
the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  Thomas  was  the  eldest. 

Thomas  Christensen  lived  at  home  until  he  was  old  enough  to  work, 
when  he  was  then  hired  out  by  his  parents.  In  iS'So  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  landing  at  Xew  York  city,  coming  thence  to  Cass  county,  Iowa,  but 
he  did  not  stay  long  in  this  county  before  coming  on  to  Audubon  county. 
Mr.  Christensen  had  no  relatives  or  friends  in  the  United  States  and  was  a 
total  stranger.  He  first  worked  out  for  seven  years  and  then  rented  land 
for  ten  or  twelve  years,  and  about  1900  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land 
as  a  start.  He  has  added  to  this  land  until  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  the  home  place,  which  is  located  in  section  19  of  Hamlin  town- 
ship. Mr.  Christensen  also  has  eighty  acres  in  section  18  of  Hamlin  town- 
ship. The  farm  is  well  improved  and  Mr.  Christensen  is  one  of  the  largest 
landholders  in  Hamlin  township. 

Thomas  Christensen  was  married  on  February  15,  1888,  in  Audubon  to 
Sena  C.  Christiansen,  who  was  born  on  March  7,   1868,  in  Schleswig,  Ger- 


488  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

many,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  Nels  C.  and  Bodel  C.  (Wind)  Jensen,  who 
were  also  born  in  Schleswig.  Her  father  was  a  tailor  by  trade  and  lived  in 
the  town  of  Arnutland.  He  died  when  Mrs.  Christensen  was  a  small  child 
and  her  mother  later  married  again.  In  the  spring  of  1880  th^  family  came 
to  the  United  States,  arriving  on  May  i,  1880,  at  Atlantic,  Iowa,  where  they 
remained  but  a  short  time,  subsequently  moving  to  Elkhorn  in  Shelby  county, 
where  they  lived  until  1883.  They  then  moved  to  Sharon  township,  Audu- 
bon county,  where  they  lived  until  about  1905,  when  they  retired  and  moved 
to  Elkhorn. 

To  Thomas  and  Sena  Christensen  thirteen  children  have  been  born,  nine 
of  whom  are  living:  Chris  M.,  born  on  March  26,  1889;  Nels  S.,  July  8, 
1890;  Anna  C,  November  19,  1891 ;  William  H.,  September  27,  1893; 
Adolph,  August  19,  1897;  Agnes  S..  June  3,  1901  ;  Henry  H.,  October  23, 
1904;  Edith  E.,  January  4,  1907;  and  Myrtle  S.,  November  3,  1909.  All  of 
these  children  live  at  home.     The  other  four  children  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Christensen  does  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  has  applied 
himself  diligently  to  dairying  and  at  the  present  time  milks  about  twenty 
cows  on  the  home  farm. 

Mr.  Christensen  and  family  are  all  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church.  He  is  a  Republican  but  is  not  a  politician  and  has  never  held  office. 
Nevertheless,  he  has  done  much  to  advance  the  social  and  civic  life  of  Hamlin 
township  and  is  known  today  as  one  of  its  most  substantial  citizens. 


CLARK  WILSON. 


Clark  Wilson  needs  no  introduction  to  the  people  of  Audubon  county. 
He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  best-known  citizens  of  this  county,  having 
served  for  many  years  as  custodian  of  the  Audubon  county  court  house.  He 
is  a  man,  who,  by  his  many  commendable  qualities  and  honorable  career, 
has  enjoyed  for  a  long  time  a  favorable  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of 
this  county.  It  is  eminently  proper  that  attention  be  called  to  his  life  and 
career  and  due  credit  be  accorded  to  him  as  one  of  the  best-known  citizens  of 
Audubon  county. 

Clark  Wilson  was  born  on  February  6,  1844,  in  Belmont  county,  Ohio, 
a  son  of  Thomas  M.  and  Mary  (Richards)  Wilson,  natives  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Ohio,  respectively.  The  record  of  the  Wilson  family  runs  back  to  1727, 
and  shows  that  the  family  originated  near  Belfast.  Ireland.  Thomas  M. 
Wilson,  who  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  came  to  this  country  in  the  late  seventies, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  489 

locating  on  a  farm  at  Hamlin,  in  this  county,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  Thomas  M.  and  Mary  (Richards)  Wilson  were  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  Andrew,  a  resident  of  Decatur  county,  Iowa;  Jona- 
than, deceased;  Robert,  living  in  Washington;  Clark,  the  immediate  subject 
of  this  sketch;  J.  Calvin,  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa;  Abner,  deceased,  who  was  a 
resident  of  Oskaloosa,  Iowa;  Harris,  of  Guthrie  county,  Iowa;  Mrs.  Mary 
Miles,  of  Kansas  City;  Mrs.  Josephine  Lefler,  a  resident  of  this  county; 
Sarah  Margaret,  deceased,  and  Elizabeth,  also  deceased. 

In  October,  1856,  Clark  Wilson  came  to  Iowa  with  his  parents,  who 
located  in  Mahaska  county,  where  the  father  worked  at  his  trade  in  connec- 
tion with  farming.  On  August  10,  1862,  Clark  \\'ilson  enlisted  for  service 
in  the  Union  army  in  Company  C,  Thirty-third  Regiment,  Iowa  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  mustered  out  on  July  7, 
1865,  at  New  Orleans,  Louisiana.  Mr.  Wilson  participated  in  many  severe 
engagements  during  his  service,  including  those  of  Helena,  Arkansas ;  Little 
Rock,  Arkansas;  Meridian,  Mississippi;  Jenkins  Ferry  and  the  siege  of 
Mobile.  He  was  with  his  company  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the 
war,  and  was  never  wounded.  For  five  months  he  was  orderly  and  dispatch 
carrier  at  the  brigade  headquarters  of  Colonel  Solomon.  Mr.  Wilson's  first 
regimental  commander  was  Col.  Samuel  A.  Rice,  and  later  his  regiment  was 
commanded  by  Col.  Cyrus  H.  Mackey.  From  Mobile  the  regiment -marched 
to  Clarksville,  Texas,  to  be  ready  for  the  invasion  of  Mexico.  It  was  held 
there  for  a  while  and  then  was  ordered  back  to  New  Orleans  and  sent  to 
Rock  Island,  and  there  was  finally  paid  off  and  discharged,  arriving  home  on 
August  10,  1865. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Wilson  became  a  blacksmith  and 
worked  at  this  trade  for  thirty  years  at  Hamlin,  Iowa,  and  Sedalia,  Missouri. 
He  came  to  Audubon  county  from  Sedalia  in  March,  1889,  and  operated  a 
blacksmith  shop  at  Hamlin  until  1905,  when  he  was  appointed  custodian  of 
the  court  house  and  moved  to  Audubon,  the  county  seat. 

On  April  6,  1868,  Clark  Wilson  was  married  to  Belle  Neeley,  of  Sedalia. 
Missouri,  who  was  born  in  1849  i^i  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  James  M.  Neeley, 
and  to  this  union  eight  children  have  been  born,  namely:  William  C,  of 
Audubon ;  Clark  Elmer,  of  Audubon ;  Mrs.  Anna  Belle  Campbell,  of  Mel- 
ville township;  Mrs.  Mary  Bedella  White,  of  Dickinson  county,  Iowa;  Mrs. 
Maud  Ethel  Armstrong,  who  lives  near  Coon  Rapids,  Guthrie  county,  Iowa; 
Ida,  the  deceased  wife  of  L.  J.  Ward ;  Mrs.  Josephine  Owen,  widow  of 
George  E.  Owen,  of  this  county,  and  V^era,  who  is  still  at  home  with  her 
parents. 


490  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Mr.  Wilson  has  always  been  an  ardent  Republican  and  is  warmly  inter- 
ested in  the  political  affairs  of  the  county.  He  and  his  wife  and  family  are 
all  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Wilson  is  a  member 
of  Allison  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  is  a  past  commander  of 
that  post. 


WILLIA^I  SCHRADER. 


It  is  unquestioned  that  the  example  set  by  thrifty  German  citizens  has 
been  very  beneficial  not  only  to  our  native  Americans  but  to  the  citizens  of 
all  other  countries  as  well.  Iowa  was  fortunate  in  the  days  before  the  war, 
and  even  after  the  war,  in  attracting  many  thousands  of  good  Germans  to 
her  borders,  and  among  the  many  German  families  soming  to  this  state  is 
that  of  the  Schraders,  of  whom  \\'illiam  Schrader  is  one. 

William  Schrader,  a  retired  farmer  now  living  at  Audubon,  Iowa,  was 
born  on  February  i8,  1847,  ^^'^  the  village  of  Rosnow,  in  Pommern,  Ger- 
many, the  son  of  August  and  Phillopena  (Karl)  Schrader.  August  Schra- 
der died  in  1864  and  the  mother  brought  her  family  of  five  boys  to  America. 
They  settled  in  Wichter,  Poweshiek  county,  Iowa,  on  August  9,  1869,  and 
there  they  lived  for  some  time.  These  five  sons  were  August,  who  lives  in 
Audubon;  Wilhelm,  also  of  Audubon;  Albert,  of  Poweshiek  county;  Her- 
man, also  of  Poweshiek  county,  and  Henry,  who  was  killed  by  lightning. 
The  mother  of  these  sons  died  on  March  23,  1875,  at  the  age  of  fifty  years, 
seven  months  and  thirty  days. 

William  Schrader  was  twenty-three  years  old  when  he  came  to  America 
and  for  three  years  following  his  arrival  in  this  country  he  worked  for  his 
uncle,  Frederick  Karl,  who  died  in  the  spring  of  191 4.  After  his  marriage, 
in  1 87 1,  he  moved  to  a  rented  farm  which  was  owned  by  his  uncle,  and  after 
renting  land  for  eight  years,  purchased  one  hundred  and  six  and  two-tenths 
acres  of  land  in  Poweshiek  county,  this  state,  on  which  he  resided  until 
1895,  in  which  year  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Audubon  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Viola  township,  at  a  cost  of  nine 
thousand  one  hundred  dollars,  to  which  he  later  added  forty  acres,  now 
owning  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  besides  which  he  has  six  acres  in 
Audubon,  including  six  lots  on  which  he  has  lived  since  1908,  his  home  being 
one  of  the  finest  in  the  town. 

On  October  14,  1871,  William  Schrader  was  married  to  Rosa  Stepler, 
who  was  born  in  Iowa  and  who  died  on  January  4,  1884,  leaving  five  chil- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  49 1 

dren,  Albert,  now  deceased,  who  married  Augusta  Horning;  Emma,  now 
deceased ;  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  Fred  Tessman,  of  Viola  township,  and 
has  five  children,  Lydia,  William,  Archie,  Inez  and  Clarence;  Wilhelm,  now 
deceased,  who  married  May  Ballou  and  had  one  child,  Albert;  Henry, 
deceased. 

On  December  17,  1884,  Mr.  Schrader  married,  secondly,  Emma 
Possehn,  who  was  born  in  Germany  and  who  came  to  America  with  her 
parents,  and  to  this  union  five  children  were  born,  as  follow :  Edward,  who 
lives  in  Colorado,  married  Alice  Green  and  has  two  children,  Marvin  and 
Winston;  Ludwich,  who  died  in  infancy;  Otto,  who  lives  in  Colorado; 
Arthur,  who  operates  an  automobile  garage  in  Audubon,  and  Eva,  who  is  at 
home. 

Mr.  Schrader  has  never  been  especially  active  in  politics,  although  he 
has  been  identified  with  the  Republican  party  and  has  served  as  a  member 
of  the  school  board.  The  Schrader  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  William  Schrader  is  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  that 
church.  There  are  no  better  citizens  to  be  found  in  Audubon  county  than 
William  Schrader  and  few  who  have  done  more  to  convert  a  dreary  prairie 
into  fertile  and  productive  farming  lands.  He  is  a  worthy  citizen  and  is 
recognized  as  such  by  his  neighbors  and  fellow  townsmen. 


WILLIAM  H.  COVAULT. 

Among  the  pioneer  farmers  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who  came  to 
this  county  early  in  its  history,  when  the  most  of  the  land  was  in  a  thoroughly 
wild  state,  and  when  there  were  few  inhabitants  living  in  the  county,  is 
William  E.  Covault,  a  prosperous  farmer  who  owns  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  land  in  Greeley  township,  and  who  was  born  on  September  29,  1847, 
in  Miami  county,  Ohio,  the  son  of  Isaac  A.  and  Elizabeth  (Linton)  Covault, 
who  were  natives  of  Miami  county,  Ohio,  and  farmers  by  occupation.  Isaac 
Covault  was  a  son  of  Isaiah  and  Betsy  Covault,  who,  it  is  believed,  were  both 
born  in  Virginia.  Although  Mr.  Covault  first  came  to  the  state  of  Iowa  in 
1869  and  lived  for  a  time  in  Cedar  county,  Iowa,  after  which  he  moved  to 
Poweshiek  county,  where  he  lived  for  five  years,  he  then  went  back  to 
Ohio,  and  after  a  residence  there  of  five  years,  returned  to  Iowa  in  the  fall 
of  1879,  arriving  in  Audubon  county  in  September,  of  that  year.  At  the  time 
he  first  purchased  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Greeley  town- 


492  AUDUBON    COUXTY,    IOWA. 

ship,  it  was  well  improved  for  the  times,  having  a  house  sixteen  by  twenty 
feet,  containing  one  room,  although  there  was  no  lath  nor  plaster.  The  barn, 
which  was  a  crude  affair,  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet,  held  four  horses.  By 
prodigious  industry,  careful  management  and  wise  planning,  Mr.  Covault 
has  improved  the  farm  and  buildings  and  now  owns  one  of  the  best  tracts  of 
land  in  Greeley  township. 

Air.  Covault  lived  at  home  until  he  was  married,  and  the  educational 
opportunities  of  his  neighborhood  being  limited,  he  was  not  able  to  pursue 
his  studies  far.  In  September,  1869,  he  came  west  to  Cedar  county,  but 
remained  there  only  one  vear,  removing  to  Poweshiek  county,  but  after  his 
return  from  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  1879,  he  has  lived  on  his  farm  in  Greeley 
township  continuously  since,  with  the  exception  of  five  years  which  he  and 
his  wife  spent  in  Exira.  When  he  and  his  family  first  came  to  Greeley  town- 
ship, there  were  few  settlers  in  the  neighborhood,  his  nearest  neighbor  being 
John  Huston,  one-fourth  mile  south  of  the  Covault  farm,  and  from  the 
Huston  place  to  Exira,  there  was  only  one  other  house.  Air.  Covault  has 
since  added  to  his  farm  and  now  has  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in 
Greeley  township  and  eighty  across  the  line  in  Guthrie  county,  Iowa. 

On  January  3.  1869.  William  H.  Covault  was  married  in  Miami  county, 
Ohio,  to  Harriet  Jane  Ralston,  who  was  born  on  January  22,  1850,  in  Aliami 
county,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of  Allen  and  Alary  (Welchhans)  Ralston, 
also  natives  of  Aliami  county,  Ohio. 

Air.  and  Airs.  Covault  have  had  eight  children:  Elmer  A.,  who  mar- 
ried Agones  Baker,  and  thev  have  three  children.  Elva.  Clvde  and  Hazel ; 
Harry  A.  married  Alaggie  Flynn.  and  they  have  two  children.  Wilbur  and 
Owen ;  Charles  married  Alattie  Wire,  and  they  have  three  children,  Silva, 
Elizabeth  and  Leota;  Delia,  the  wife  of  Edward  Flynn.  has  three  children, 
Roy.  Ralph  and  Lloyd ;  Isaac  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years ;  Effie 
became  the  wife  of  Chester  Adair,  and  has  four  children.  Guy.  Esther, 
Wa\ne  and  Bernice;  William  Roy  married  Annie  Goochey.  and  they  have 
six  children.  Ruth.  Ethel.  Eunice.  Joseph,  Alamie  and  Glenn;  Bertha  is  the 
wife  bf  Chelsea  Adair,  and  has  three  children.  Florence.  Alaxine  and  Don. 
Air.  and  Airs.  Covault  also  has  one  great-grandchild,  Lois  Hadley.  the  daugh- 
ter of  Carl  and  Elva  Hadley,  the  latter  of  whom  is  a  daughter  of  Air. 
Covault's  son.  Elmer  A. 

Although  Air.  Covault  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  in  Ohio, 
he  has  never  united  with  any  church  since  coming  to  Audubon  county.  He 
has  given  his  support  freely  to  all  religious  denominations  which  hold  services 
in  his  vicinitv.     He  is  a  Democrat  and  served  not  onlv  as  constable  for  sev- 


AUDUBOX    COUNTY,    IOWA.  493 

eral  years  and  assessor  of  Greeley  township  for  one  term,  but  also  served  as 
deputy  sheriff  of  Audubon  county  for  four  years. 

^^'illiam  H.  Covault  as  a  pioneer  citizen,  and  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Audubon  county,  has  been  connected  with  almost  every  phase  of  the 
progress,  prosperity  and  growth  of  Audubon  county  for  a  period  of  nearly 
forty  years.  He  has  seen  the  county  transformed  from  a  wild  and  unculti- 
vated prairie  into  a  garden  teeming  with  the  good  things  of  life  and  the  men 
who  have  had  a  part  in  this  wonderful  transformation  are  entitled  to  the 
respect  of  the  present  generation  and  much  credit  is  due  for  their  unselfish 
service.  One  of  these  men  is  Mr.  Covault.  who  is  a  man  of  high  standing  in 
his  community,  honored,  earnest  and  cordial  in  his  dealings  with  the  people 
of  his  neighborhood  and  count}^ 


HEXRY  C.  PETERSEN. 


Any  person  who  will  investigate  the  fact  will  be  surprised  to  learn  of 
the  great  number  of  people  of  Danish  descent  now  living  in  the  state  of  Iowa. 
Unquestionably,  the  greatest  number  of  immigrants  who  reach  the  shores  of 
the  Xew  World  is  of  Teutonic  origin  and  statistics  show  that  there  is  more 
Teutonic  blood  in  the  United  States  than  of  any  other  countr}-.  It  is,  there- 
fore, not  difficult  to  account  for  the  prosperity  and  moralit}*  of  this  country; 
not  only  this,  but  it  will  afford  an  explanation  for  the  love  of  learning  shown 
by  the  people  of  this  vast  country.  The  little  kingdom  of  Denmark  is 
famous  for  its  universities  and  its  highly-educated  men.  The  qualities  which 
characterize  the  native  Danes  have  been  brought  to  this  countrv  bv  the  imnii- 
grants  and  are  now  a  part  of  our  wonderful  country  and  have  contributed  to 
the  progress  and  advancement  of  its  material  and  social  life. 

Henry  C.  Petersen,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Hamlin  township.  Audubon 
county.  Iowa,  was  born  on  March  22,  1881",  in  Clay  township,  Shelby  county, 
Iowa.  He  is  the  son  of  ^lads  P.  and  Sophia  (Christensen)  Petersen,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Denmark,  in  the  part  known  as  Moen.  ]\Iads  P.  Petersen 
came  to  the  United  States  when  eighteen  years  old.  and  first  located  in  Illi- 
nois, where  he  worked  for  some  time  and  then  came  to  Shelby  count}-,  Iowa, 
and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  about  1879.  Henry  C.  Petersen  was  one 
of  two  children,  the  other  being  George  P.  His  parents  later  adopted  a  girl, 
Bertha  ]\Iary  Jensen. 

Henry  Petersen  received  a  good  common  school  education  in  the  public 


494  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

schools  of  Iowa.  He  lived  at  home  until  twenty-four  years  of  age  and  then 
married.  After  his  marriage,  he  moved  to  his  present  farm  in  Hamlin  town- 
ship. His  father  having  first  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
Henry  C.  later  purchased  eighty  acres  more. 

Henry  C.  Petersen  was  married  on  September  28,  1904,  in  Elkhorn, 
Shelby  county,  Iowa,  to  Sena  S.  Jorgensen,  who  was  born  on  March  15, 
1883,  in  Clay  township,  Shelby  county,  Iowa.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Christina  (Nelsen)  Jorgensen,  natives  of  Fynn,  Denmark.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Petersen  have  had  three  children,  Violet,  born  on  July  i,  1905;. 
Clyde,  June  7,  1908,  and  Irene,  June  4,  191 1. 

Henry  C.  Petersen  was  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  been  active  in 
politics,  and,  for  that  reason,  has  never  held  any  offices.  In  fact,  Mr.  Peter- 
sen is  not  interested  in  politics,  but  is  interested  in  his  family,  his  home  and 
his  farm,  and  to  these  interests  he  devotes  practically  all  of  his  attention. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  at  Exira. 

Mr.  Petersen  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  Elkhorn-Marne  Telephone  Company -and  the  West  Ham- 
lin Creamery  Company.  He  undoubtedly  deserves  to  rank  as  one  of  Hamlin 
township's  progressive  farmers  and  wide-awake,  up-to-date  citizens.  He  is 
popular  with  his  neighbors  and  enjoys  their  universal  esteem  and  confidence. 


PETER  N.  LAURIDSEN. 

Among  the  successful  farmers  of  Hamlin  township,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  is  Peter  N.  Lauridsen,  who  was  born  on  March  25,  1866,  in  Jylland, 
Denmark,  the  son  of  Neils  and  Dorothy  (Bogard)  Lauridsen,  farmers  in 
Denmark,  who  never  came  to  this  country. 

After  attending  school  until  fifteen  years  of  age,  Peter  N.  Lauridsen 
worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  until  1893,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
and  after  landing  at  New  York  city,  came  to  Minton,  Nebraska.  After  living 
there  only  eight  or  nine  months,  he  came  to  Alarne,  Iowa,  where  he  lived 
for  one  year,  and  in  1895  came  to  Audubon  county.  Here  he  worked  for  the 
West  Hamlin  Creamery  Company  for  about  four  years,  after  which  he  pur- 
chased forty  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  township,  Audubon  county,  where  he 
lived  for  three  years.  After  disposing  of  this  farm  he  bought  eighty  acres 
of  land  in  Hamlin  township,  where  he  lived  for  three  years,  or  until  the 
spring  of  1904,  when  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  495 

in  section  21,  of  Hamlin  township,  where  he  now  lives;  in  the  meantime  Mr. 
Lauridsen  had  sold  his  other  land. 

On  November  5,  1888,  Peter  X.  Lauridsen  was  married  to  Marguerite 
Petersen,  a  sister  of  Hans  Petersen,  of  Exira.  She  is  a  daughter  of  K.  S. 
and  Carrie  (Sorensen)  Petersen,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  veteran  of  the  Danish-Prussian  War  of  1864,  and  a  farmer  in 
his  native  land.  At  the  time  this  war  broke  out,  he  was  living  on  the  Danish- 
Prussian  border,  and  served  throughout  the  war.  He  died  in  1886,  while  his 
wife  passed  away  several  years  previously,  in  1879.  They  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living:  Peter  K.,  Christina,  Mar- 
guerite, Soren,  Hans  P.,  Minnie  and  Chris.  All  of  these  children,  except 
Christina  and  Minnie,  are  living  in  America. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  N.  Lauridsen  are  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  ten 
of  whom  are  still  living:  Charles,  born  on  January  14,  1890;  Dorothy, 
May  14,  1 89 1,  is  the  wife  of  Chris  Johnson,  and  they  have  two  children, 
Violet  and  Milo;  Nels,  November  9,  1893;  Harry,  October  28,  1894;  Carrie, 
December  28,  1897;  Henry,  December  7,  1898;  Rosa,  January  5,  1902;  Anna, 
December  i,  1904;  Dagmar,  November  i,  1906,  and  Edna,  January  29,  19 10. 

In  addition  to  his  farming  interests,  Mr.  Lauridsen  also  works  a  part  of 
the  time  in  the  creamery  at  Elkhorn,  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa.  He  milks 
about  ten  cows  and  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 

The  Lauridsen  family  are  active  and  devoted  members  of  the  Danish 
Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Lauridsen  is  a  Republican,  but  has  never  held  any 
offices,  nor  has  he  aspired  tO'  office.  He  is  an  enterprising  and  industrious 
citizen  and  entitled  to  the  confidence  and  respect  which  are  extended  to  him 
in  unusual  degree  by  his  neighbors.  He  is  a  worthy  representative  of  the 
great  body  of  Danish  farmers  living  in  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who  have 
helped  to  develop  this  county  into  one  of  the  foremost  agricultural  counties 
of  the  state. 


FRED  J.  WAHLERT,  JR. 

One  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  in  Greeley  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  who  is  at  present  engaged  in  farming  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land,  comprising  the  home  farm  of  his  father,  and  who  makes  a 
specialty  of  raising  thoroughbred  Norman  horses,  is  Fred  J.  Wahlert,  Jr., 
who  was  born  on  December  18,  1875,  in  Hancock  county,  Illinois.  He  is  the 
son  of  Fred,  Sr.,  and  Amy  (Polm)  Wahlert,  natives  of  Germany,  who  came 
from  the  province  of  Holstein. 


496  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Fred  Wahlert,  St.,  who  was  born  on  j\Iarch  29,  1840,  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Arsby  fStarmonn)  \\*ahlert.  natives  of  Schleswig-Holstein.  He 
came  to  America  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years  in  1866  and,  after  working 
at  various  occupations  in  the  state  of  IlHnois,  where  he  farmed  for  twelve 
years,  he  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1881  and  purchased  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land.  He  was  married  to  Amy  Palm,  August  18,  1862.  Five 
children  were  born  to  this  marriage,  of  whom  Fred,  Jr.,  is  the  eldest. 

When  the  Wahlert  family  came  to  Audubon  county,  Fred  J.,  Jr.,  was  six 
years  old.  On  March  16,  1897,  he  was  married  in  Audubon  county,  Iowa, 
to  Clara  Porter,  who  Avas  born  on  June  27,  1878.  in  Washington  countv, 
Iowa.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Jennie  (Godel)  Porter,  natives  of 
Ireland  and  Illinois,  respectively,  who  came  to  Audubon  county  about  1883. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  J.  \\'ahlert,  Jr.,  have  been  born  five  children: 
Clarence  A.,  born  on  January  11,  1898;  Elva  V.,  September  7,  1900;  Thelma 
v.,  March  16,  1903;  Randall  P.,  January  17,  1906,  and  Raymond  F.,  Sep- 
tember 8,  1912. 

Mr.  Wahlert  is  independent  in  politics  and  declines  to  be  attached  per- 
manently to  any  party.  He  has  never  held  office.  Mrs.  W^ahlert  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church  and  is  active  in  the  affairs  of  this  congre- 
gation. 

The  Wahlert  family  is  one  of  the  very  oldest  in  this  section  and  Fred  I. 
Wahlert,  Jr.,  is  a  young  man  peculiarly  ec|uipped  to  uphold  the  traditions  of 
the  family.  He  is  enterprising,  industrious  and  popular  in  tlie  community- — 
a  young  man  who,  in  every  way,  is  entitled  to  bear  the  name  of  his  venerable 
father. 


ROBERT  W.  :MULLEXGER. 

The  science  of  agriculture,  for  it  is  a  science,  as  well  as  an  art,  finds  an 
able  exponent  and  a  successful  ]:)ractitioner  in  the  person  of  Robert  W.  Mull- 
enger,  of  Hamilton  township,  this  county,  who  is  not  only  a  successful 
farmer,  but  has  made  a  distinct  success  as  a  breeder  of  fancy  live  stock.  ]\Ir. 
Mullenger  is  widely  known  in  AudulDon  county  and  maintains  a  verv  produc- 
tive and  valuable  farm  in  Hamlin  township.  Mr.  Mullenger  is  of  English 
stock  and  comes  from  parents  who  immigrated  to  this  countrv  manv  years 
ago  and  who,  early  in  life,  settled  in  the  state  of  Iowa.  Thev  played  a  con- 
spicuous part  in  the  general  development  of  this  favored  section  of  the 
country. 


ROBERT  W.  :MrLLEXGER  AND  FA.MILY 


RESIDENCE   OF  RUBEKT  W.  MULLENGER 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  497 

"Robert  W.  Mullenger  was  bom  on  April  19,  1859,  in  Wisconsin,  twenty 
miles  from  Milwaukee,  the  son  of  William  R.  and  Mary  (Tyler)  Mullenger, 
natives  of  England,  born  in  the  vicinity  of  London,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  soon  after  their  marriage,  about  1856.  Soon  after  arriving  in  this 
country  they  located  in  the  state  of  Wisconsin,  but  in  the  fall  of  1863  moved 
to  Iowa.  On  the  journey  from  Wisconsin  to  Iowa,  the  family  came  down 
the  Mississippi  river  to  Sabula  and  then  drove  overland  to  Bear  Grove, 
Guthrie  county,  where  the  family  remained  until  the  next  March,  the  father 
in  the  meantime  walking  on  to  Council  Bluffs.  When  the  family  finally 
arrived  at  Exira,  in  this  county,  there  were  but  eight  small  houses  or  shacks 
in  the  town.  The  mother  died  in  1873  and  her  son,  Robert  W.,  then  went 
to  live  first  with  Rudolp  Kremming,  later  with  H.  F.  Andrews,  the  author 
of  the  historical  section  of  this  volume,  with  whom  he  lived  for  two  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to  work  for  Mr.  Andrews'  father,  with 
whom  he  remained  for  a  period  of  five  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he 
rented  land  for  one  year,  although  he  previously  had  bought  a  small  tract  of 
unimproved  land.  In  1883  Robert  W.  Mullenger  moved  to  x^udubon  county 
from  Cass  county,  where  he  had  been  renting,  and  in  i8'88,  five  years  later, 
purchased  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  acres  of  partially  improved  land  in  sec- 
tion 21  of  Hamlin  township.  On  November  28,  1907,  the  house  on  this  farm 
was  destroyed  by  fire  and  Mr.  Mullenger  then  built  a  large  eight-roomed 
house,  with  furnace,  bath,  gas  lights  and  waterworks.  The  yard  is  sur- 
rounded with  a  beautiful  grove  of  cedar  trees,  planted  in  1890.  Mr.  Mull- 
enger has  built  several  new  barns,  cribs,  granaries,  and  other  farm  buildings, 
all  of  the  most  substantial  quality. 

On  October  2,  1889,  Robert  W.  Mullenger  was  married  to  Sadie  Sizer, 
of  this  county,  who  was  born  on  March  18,  1868,  in  Jackson  county,  Iowa, 
the  daughter  of  Robert  and  Hannah  (Davis)  Sizer,  natives  of  England  and 
Canada,  respectively,  who  came  to  the  United  States  when  children,  moving 
to  Iowa  in  the  early  fifties  and  sixties.  The  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil 
War,  serving  in  Company  A,  Twenty- fourth  Regiment  Iowa  Volunteer 
Infantry,  for  three  years  during  which  period  of  service  he  never  was 
wounded  nor  taken  prisoner. 

To  Robert  W.  and  Sadie  (Sizer)  Mullenger  five  children  have  been 
born,  three  of  whom  are  living,  Ethel  C,  born  on  October  25,  1891 ;  Mabel 
L.,  July  6,  1896,  and  Robert  T.,  September  27,  1904.  all  of  whom  are  still  at 
home.     John  and  Bessie  Mae  died  in  infancy. 

Robert  W.  Mullenger  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  Blue  Grass 
(32) 


498  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Creamery  Company,  of  Hamlin,  this  county,  and  held  the  offices  of  secretary 
and  director  alternately  since  the  organization  of  the  company  until  the  last 
two  years.  Mr.  Mullenger  makes  a  specialty  of  raising"  thoroughbred  reg- 
istered Percheron  horses  and  is  a  member  of  the  American  Percheron  Society. 
He  also  makes  a  specialty  of  thoroughbred  Shorthorn  cattle,  Duroc- Jersey 
hogs  and  Plymouth  Rock  chickens.  His  farm  is  known  throughout  Audubon 
county  as  "Evergreen  Hill  Stock  Farm." 

Until  the  campaign  of  19 12,  Mr.  Mullenger  had  been  identified  with  the 
Republican  party,  but  when  Colonel  Roosevelt  organized  the  new  Progressive 
party  at  Chicago  in  August,  1912,  he  identified  himself  with  that  party  and 
has  since  been  active  in  its  councils  in  this  section  of  Iowa.  He  has  held  no 
public  offices  of  consequence,  although  he  has  always  been  active  in  civic  and 
political  affairs  and  is  well  known  as  an  active  and  progressive  citizen.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Mullenger  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons.  He  has  been  prominent  in  educational  affairs,  having  served  as  a 
school  director  for  four  terms  and  it  was  through  his  influence  that  the  first 
modern  school  in  Audubon  countv  was  erected. 


NELS  CHRISTEXSEX. 


One  of  the  best-known  and  dearly-beloved  citizens  of  Hamlin  township, 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  during  the  last  generation,  was  Nels  Christensen, 
who  al)ly  discharged  all  the  duties  of  honorable  and  upright  citizenship,  and 
who  during  the  years  of  his  struggle  for  a  competence  as  a  farmer  of  this 
county,  was  a  power  for  great  good  in  the  community.  For  many  years  he 
was  active  in  the  agricultural  life  of  Hamlin  township,  a  prominent  member 
of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  one  of  the  leading  geniuses  who  promoted  the 
organization  of  the  West  Hamlin  Creamery  Company,  and  a  man  of  wide 
acquaintance  throughout  Audubon  county.  The  late  Nels  Christensen  was  a 
man  of  kindly,  charitaljle  impulses,  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his  wife  and 
family  and  well  deserving"  the  reverence  which  today  attaches  to  his  memory. 

The  late  Nels  Christensen  was  born  on  March  2,  i860,  in  Sjaelland, 
Denmark,  and  in  1882  came  to  the  United  States.  After  landing  in  New 
York  city,  and  remaining  there  for  a  short  time,  he  came  direct  to  Avoca, 
Iowa,  where  he  obtained  work  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  rail- 
road. After  having  lived  in  Avoca  about  two  years,  he  was  sent  by  the  com- 
])any  to  vShelby,  Iowa,  and  remained  there  only  a  few  months  and  was  then 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  499 

sent  to  Council  Blnfifs,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  on  the  section  for  a  time. 
Later,  he  was  given  employment  in  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  round- 
house, and  remained  in  this  employment  until  about  1890,  when  he  came  to 
.Vudubon  county,  and  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  in  Hamlin  township. 
Here  he  lived,  doing  the  duties  of  each  day  as  they  appeared  to  him,  and 
saving  a  liberal  amount  of  his  earnings,  which  enabled  him  to  purchase  a 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  comprising  a  well-improved  farm,  which 
was  in  his  possession  at  the  time  of  his  death,  December  15,  1909. 

At  the  time  Air.  Christensen  purchased  the  land  there  were  but  two 
buildings  upon  it,  a  house,  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet,  and  a  shed  barn.  During 
the  first  summer  he  owned  the  farm  he  built  two  additional  rooms  to  the 
house,  and  in  1902,  he  built  an  addition,  sixteen  by  twenty-eight  feet  on  the 
north  of  that.  In  19 13  the  family  remodeled  the  house  and  now  have  one  of 
the  nicest  homes  in  Hamlin  township.  They  have  also  built  good  cribs,  gran- 
aries, barns  and  other  out-buildings. 

On  June  12,  1884,  the  late  Nels  Christensen  was  married  in  Harlan, 
Iowa,  to  Marie  Rasmussen,  who  was  born  in  Sjaelland,  Denmark,  and  who 
is  the  daughter  of  Rasmus  and  Marie  (Jensen)  Hansen.  Mrs.  Christensen 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1884,  and  was  married  shortly  after  her  arrival 
in  this  country.  She  has  been  the  mother  of  seven  children,  as  follow :  Jens 
P.,  born  on  June  13,  1885;  Emil  C,  June  24,  1890,  married  Stella  Jensen; 
Lawrence  C,  November  19,  1891 ;  Sophus  V.,  April  25,  1895;  Harvey, 
March  15.  1898;  Marius,  November  13,  1900,  and  Alice  IMarie,  December  2, 
1905.  Jens  P.  lives  at  home  and  directs  the  operations  on  the  home  farm. 
Harry,  Marius  and  Alice  are  also  at  home. 

The  late  Nels  Christensen  was  a  Democrat  in  politics,  but  never  held 
office ;  in  fact,  he  was  never  a  candidate  for  office.  He  was  an  active  member 
of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  throughout  his  life,  and  helped  built  St. 
John's  church  in  Oakfield  township.  He  was  an  active  contributor  in  support 
of  the  church,  and  also  in  support  of  the  construction  of  the  Exira  church. 
All  the  members  of  the  Christensen  family  are  identified  with  the  Danish 
Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Christensen  was  a  member  of  the  Danish  Brother- 
hood, and  was  prominent  in  that  lodge. 

A  worthy  citizen  of  this  great  county,  an  industrious  and  skillful  farmer, 
a  kind  father  and  loving  husband,  the  late  Nels  Christensen  is  remembered, 
not  only  bv  his  family,  who  revere  his  memory,  but  by  the  host  of  friends  he 
gained  during  his  life  in  this  county.  Although  he  himself  has  gone,  his 
work  goes  on,  because  his  influence  will  not  die. 


500  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

HANS  J.  NIELSEN. 

Conspicuous  among  the  representative  farmers  and  public-spirited  citi- 
zens of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is  the  well-known  Hans  J.  Nielsen,  of  Hamlin 
township.  He  has  made  his  influence  felt  for  good  in  his  community  in 
Hamlin  township  and  is  a  man  of  sterling  w^orth,  whose  life  has  been  closely 
interwoven  with  the  history  of  this  tow^nship.  His  efforts  have  always  been 
to  promote  the  material  advancement  of  Audubon  county,  as  well  as  the 
social  and  moral  welfare  of  his  fellow-men.  Mr.  Nielsen  has  won  the 
respect  and  admiration  of  his  fellow  citizens,  w'hich  entitle  him  to  representa- 
tion in  a  biographical  work  of  this  nature.  Like  so  many  of  his  neighbors  in 
Audubon  county,  Mr.  Nielsen  is  a  native  of  the  splendid  little  kingdom  of 
Denmark. 

Hans  J.  Nielsen  was  born  on  July  6,  1862,  in  Jylland,  Denmark.  He 
is  the  son  of  Niels  and  Anna  Nielsen,  who  were  born  neap  the  same  place  in 
Denmark. 

Hans  J.  Nielsen  received  a  good  education  wdiile  a  lad  and  served  in  the 
army  of  Denmark  for  about  seven  or  eight  months.  At  that  time  it  was 
compulsory  and  all  able-bodied  young  men  were  compelled  to  take  a  military 
training.  ]\Ir.  Nielsen  followed  farming  in  the  old  country,  working  out  by 
the  year. 

In  March,  1887,  Mr.  Nielsen  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  New 
York  city  and,  after  spending  a  brief  time  there,  came  directly  to  Audubon 
county,  low^a.  He  worked  out  by  the  month  for  four  years  and  during  that 
period  received  fifty  cents  a  day  for  his  labor.  He  then  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  acres  of  land  in  Hamlin  township,  but  later  sold  this  farm 
and  purchased  eighty  acres  where  he  now  lives  in  section  30.  Mr.  Nielsen 
has  added  to  his  original  eighty  acres  and  now  owns  two  hundred  and  nine- 
teen acres  of  the  best  land  that  can  be  found  anywhere  in  Audubon  county. 
The  land  was  rather  well  improved  at  the  time  Air.  Nielsen  purchased  it  and 
Mr.  Nielsen  has  kept  apace  w'ith  the  times,  having  built  a  large  modern  home 
with  gas  lights,  furnace,  waterworks,  etc.  His  barn  and  sheds  are  all  of 
thoroughly  modern  construction  and  bespeak  the  enterprise  and  progressive 
spirit  of  their  owner. 

On  March  15,  1894,  Hans  J.  Nielsen  was  married  in  Audubon  county 
to  Mary  Jensen,  who  was  born  in  Aro,  an  island  off  the  coast  of  Denmark, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  three  years  after  her  husband  arrived.  Her 
parents,  Klaus  and  Bertha  Jensen,  never  came  to  this  country. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  5OI 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nielsen  have  been  born  ten  children,  as  follow : 
Alfred,  Clara,  Esther,  Elmer,  Albert,  Rosie,  Harvey,  Violet,  Thelma  and 
Leonard.  These  children,  who  live  at  home,  are  all  industrious  and  have 
been  a  great  aid  to  their  father  and  mother. 

Mr.  Nielsen  does  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  milks  about 
sixteen  head  of  cows  the  year  round.  Mr.  Nielsen  is  a  lover  of  his  home  and 
family  and  spends  most  of  his  time  with  them.  The  glamour  and  glare  of 
official  life  have  never  appealed  to  him,  as  he  is  a  man  of  modest  temperament 
and  thoroughly  domestic  habits.  He  is  unassuming  in  manners  and  cordial 
in  his  relations  with  his  neighbors  and  friends. 

Mr.  Nielsen  is  a  Republican  and  while  he  votes  this  ticket,  he  is  not 
active  in  politics  because  he  prefers  his  home,  his  family  and  his  farm.  The 
family  are  all  members  of  the  Seventh-Day  Adventist  church. 


HARVEY  HIGHT. 


An  early  settler  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  a  man  who  gave  nearly 
four  years  of  his  life  to  the  service  of  his  country  and  who  is  now  a  well- 
known  farmer  and. stockman  of  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county,  is  Har- 
vey Hight,  who  was  born,  June  22,  1832,  in  Ohio.  Mr.  Hight's  parents, 
Nicholas  and  Phoebe  Hight,  were  born  in  New  Jersey  and  Ohio,  respectively. 
After  working  for  many  years  as  a  ship  carpenter  in  Cincinnati,  the  father 
emigrated  to  Illinois,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 
Selling  this  farm  after  cultivating  it  for  a  few  years,  he  came  to  Iowa, 
thence  to  Charles  City,  and  retired  at  the  age  of  seventy-four,  having  reared 
a  family  of  four  children,  Mary,  Daniel,  Thomas  and  Harvey.  Of  these 
children,  !Mary  lives  in  Charles  City,  and  Daniel  and  Thomas  are  deceased. 

During  the  boyhood  of  Harvey  Hight,  the  educational  facilities  in  the 
state  of  Illinois,  where  he  then  lived,  were  considerably  more  limited  than 
they  are  at  the  present  time,  and  he  was  compelled  to  quit  school  at  the  age 
of  fourteen,  and  engage  in  farm  work,  at  which  he  continued  for  a  period  of 
six  years.  A  part  of  the  time,  a  period  of  about  two  years,  he  spent  in  work- 
ing on  the  canal  connecting  Chicago  and  Peoria.  Returning  to  the  farm,  he 
again  spent  two  years  in  this  vocation,  but  in  1861  enlisted  in  the  Fifty- 
second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  became  a  private  soldier  in  Company 
D.  He  served  in  the  war  three  years  and  eight  months,  and  after  the  war 
rented  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Illinois.  During  the  seven 
years  which  he  occupied  this  farm  he  was  able  to  save  considerable  money. 


502  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

In  1879  Mr.  Hight  came  to  Iowa,  locating  at  Walnut,  where  he  stayed,  how- 
ever, only  six  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  came  to  Audubon  county 
and  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  for  eight  dollars  an  acre.  ]\Ir.  Hight  kept  on 
adding  to  the  original  tract,  until  he  owned  two  hundred  and  seven  and 
sixty-eight  hundreds  acres  near  the  Fiscus  store.  His  part  in  improving  the 
agricultural  life  of  this  community  can  be  understood  best,  Avhen  it  is  recalled 
that  he  spent  nearly  ten  thousand  dollars  in  improving  this  land.  During 
his  entire  career  he  has  been  accustomed  to  feed  all  of  his  grain  to  live  stock 
raised  on  the  farm.  He  sells  about  a  carload  of  cattle  every  two  years,  and 
about  fifty  head  of  hogs  every  year. 

In  1865,  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Hight  was  married  to  Mar- 
garet J.  Dickey,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Lucinda  Dickey,  of  Illinois.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hight  have  had  five  children,  L.  D.,  Belle,  Charles,  William  and  Elmer, 
the  last  two  of  whom  are  deceased.  L.  D.  Hight  married  Dora  Garrutt,  and 
they  live  in  Douglas  township.  Belle  married  Ed  Haskens,  and  they  live  on 
a  part  of  Mr.  Hight's  farm. 

For  many  years  Harvey  Hight  has  been  identified  with  the  Republican 
party,  and  for  twelve  years  was  trustee  of  his  township,  and  road  supervisor 
for  twelve  years.  He  also  served  as  school  director  for  three  years.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Hight  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
a  secret  society  which  he  joined  in  the  state  of  Illinois,  but  is  not  active  at 
present.  Religiously,  Harvey  Hight  and  family  are  members  of  the  Christ- 
ian church.  They  are  well  known  in  Douglas  township ;  are  respected  citi- 
zens, honored  for  their  industry  and  admired  for  their  success  as  progressive, 
up-to-date  farmers.  Mr.  Hight  retired  to  Audubon  in  1909,  but  makes  his 
home  in  the  summer  time  for  the  last  two  years  on  his  home  farm. 


ANDREW  GUSTAF  FORSBECK. 

Among  the  enterprising  and  progressive  farmers  of  Audubon  county 
now  living  retired,  none  stands  higher  in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  than 
Andrew  Gustaf  Forsbeck,  of  Gray.  He  has  long  been  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  in  this  county  and  the  years  of  his  residence  here  have  served  to 
strengthen  the  feeling  of  admiration  on  the  part  of  his  neighbors  and  fellow 
townsmen  because  of  his  honorable,  upright  life.  He  has  set  a  worthy 
example  for  the  younger  generation  and  is  therefore  entitled,  as  one  of  the 
representative  citizens  of  Audubon  county  to  representation  in  this  volume. 


AUDUBOX    COUNTY,    IOWA.  503 

Andrew  Gustaf  Frosbeck  was  born  in  Sweden  on  December  9,  1846, 
the  son  of  Peter  Peterson  and  Anna  (Peterson)  Frosbeck,  the  former  of 
whom  died  in  185 1,  and  the  latter  of  whom  died  when  Andrew  Gustaf  Fors- 
beck  was  a  mere  lad.  Before  Mr.  Forsbeck  reached  his  majority  he  became 
a  sailor,  sailing  on  the  Atlantic  ocean  and  on  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  His 
service  expired  January  30,  1874,  and  after  this  he  came  to  America,  locating 
in  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  on  February 
20.  1879,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Antoinette  Aikman,  who  was  born 
on  April  8,  1852,  in  Lyons,  Iowa,  the  daughter  of  Robert  and  Sarah  Aikman, 
natives  of  New  Jersey  and  Canada,  respecti\-ely,  and  old  settlers  in  the  state 
of  Iowa.  To  Andrew  G.  and  Mary  A.  (Aikman)  Frosbeck  three 
children  have  been  born,  Sadie,  the  wife  of  Chris  Christensen,  of  Cameron 
township,  this  county;  Ella,  the  wife  of  Lou  Hansen,  who  lives  on  the  home 
farm,  and  Carl  D..  county  engineer  of  Audubon  county,  living  in  Audubon. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Forsbeck  have  five  grandsons.  Nelson,  Carl,  Lyle  and  Roy 
and  Ralph  Christensen,  sons  of  ]\Ir.  and  ]\Irs.  Chris  Christensen,  of  Cameron 
township. 

Andrew  Gustaf  Forsbeck  came  to  Audubon  county  on  August  23,  1881, 
settling  in  Lincoln  township.  Previously,  in  1879,  he  had  come  from  White- 
side county,  Illinois,  to  this  county  and  had  purchased  eighty  acres  of  raw 
prairie  land  in  section  36,  at  sixteen  dollars  an  acre.  At  that  time  there  was 
no  town  where  Gray  now  stands.  Mr.  Forsbeck  erected  there  a  house,  six- 
teen by  twenty-four  feet,  hauling  the  lumber  all  the  way  from  Illinois.  He 
still  owns  his  original  purchase  of  eighty  acres.  In  January,  1912,  Mr. 
Forsbeck  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to  Gray,  where  he  erected  a  'fine, 
modern  home  on  a  hill,  which  gives  him  a  splendid  view  of  the  surrounding 
country. 

Mr.  Forsbeck  is  well  acquainted  with  the  early  history  of  Gray,  where 
he  now  lives.  He  relates  that  Doctor  Warner  was  the  first  physician  of 
Gray;  that  George  Schroeder  was  the  first  saloon  keeper;  that  Will  Johnson 
was  the  first  merchant  and  that  Mr.  Reeves  kept  the  first  hardware  store, 
later  selling  out  to  Stotts  «&  Myers.  The  first  store  building  was  a  rough 
board  shack ;  the  first  drug  store  was  kept  by  Doctor  Hinsdale,  and  the  first 
liveryman  was  a  Mr.  Eby. 

Andrew  Gustaf  Forsbeck  is  one  of  the  best-known  citizens  of  this 
community.  He  is  a  Republican  and  has  held  various  minor  township 
offices  and  for  years  has  been  looked  to  for  counsel  and  advice  in  local 
political  matters.  Although  Mr.  Forsbeck  was  reared  as  a  Lutheran,  the 
family  attend  the  United  Brethren  and  Methodist  Episcopal  church.     Mr. 


504  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Forsbeck  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Gray 
and  the  \\'oodmen  of  the  World,  in  the  affairs  of  both  of  which  orders  he 
takes  a  warm  interest,  and  is  held  in  high  r.egard  by  all  who  know  him. 


HANS  JORGENSEN. 


A  student  interested  in  the  history  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  does  not 
have  to  carry  his  investigations  far  into  its  annals  before  learning  that  Hans 
Jorgensen  has  long  been  an  active  and  leading  representative  in  its  agricul- 
tural affairs.  His  labors  have  proved  a  potent  force  in  making  Audubon 
county  a  good  farming  region.  During  several  decades  Mr.  Jorgensen  has 
carried  on  farming,  gradually  improving  his  farm.  While  he  has  prospered 
in  farming,  he  has  also  found  ample  opportunity  to  assist  in  the  material 
development  of  Audubon  county.  His  co-operation  has  always  been  of 
value  and  has  been  much  sought  by  the  people  of  his  community  with  whom 
he  stands  very  highly. 

Hans  Jorgensen  was  born  on  October  7,  1863,  in  Fynn,  Denmark.  He  is 
the  son  of  Peter  and  Birgitte  (Nelsen)  Jorgensen,  who  were  also  born  in 
Fynn,  Denmark.  The  father  was  a  tailor  by  trade  while  living  in  the  old 
country  but,  after  coming  to  America,  he  followed  farming.  He  was  the 
father  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Hans  was  the  eldest. 

Hans  Jorgensen  received  a  'good  education  in  Denmark,  which  he  sup- 
plemented by  attending  school  at  Oakfield,  in  Audubon  county,  after  coming 
here.  When  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  or  in  the  spring  of  1880,  the  familj 
came  to  America,  landing  in  New  York  city,  thence  coming  direct  to  Atlantic, 
Cass  county,  Iowa. 

After  reaching  this  country,  Hans  Jorgensen  went  to  work  immediately 
on  a  farm  near  Elkhorn,  in  Shelby  county.  He  worked  out  by  the  month 
until  he  was  twenty-four  years  old  and  then  rented  a  farm  in  Shelby  county 
but  lived  there  only  one  year.  At  this  time  he  came  to  Hamlin  township, 
Audubon  county,  where  he  rented  land  for  two  years  more.  In  1890  Mr. 
Jorgensen  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  township,  where  he 
hved  until  1910.  In  1888  Mr.  Jorgensen's  father  had  bought  two  hundred 
and  thirteen  acres  of  land  in  Hamlin  township  but,  in  the  meantime,  he  had 
sold  some  of  it,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1906,  he  owned  only  one 
hundred  and  sixty-nine  acres.  In  1910  Hans  Jorgensen  purchased  the  farm 
of  his  mother,  who  is  now  li\-ing  in  Elkhorn. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  505 

Hans  Jorgensen  was  married  on  April  23,  1888,  in  Audubon,  to  Katie 
Bartelsen,  who  was  born  on  April  20,  1870,  in  Schleswig,  Germany.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Hans  E.  and  Anna  K.  (  Schelleiup)  Bartelsen.  They  were 
of  Danish  blood  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1884,  locating  in  Audubon 
county.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jorgensen  have  no  children. 

Mr.  Jorgensen  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  thoroughbred  registered 
Shorthorn  cattle,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  few  breeders  in  Audubon  county. 
He  also  raises  and  feeds  about  seventy  head  of  hogs  per  year.  Mr.  Jorgen- 
sen is  a  stockholder  in  the  Elkhorn-Marne  Telephone  Company.  He  has  a 
clear  recollection  of  the  Strawl  murder  near  Brayton,  which  was  one  of  the 
first  murders  in  Audubon  county  and  occurred  about  the  time  the  Jorgensen 
family  came  to  Audubon  county. 

Hans  Jorgensen  is  a  Democrat,  but  he  is  not  ''hide-bound"  in  his  politi- 
cal affiliations  and  generally  votes  for  the  man  rather  than  for  the  party. 
He  has  served  as  road  supervisor  and  justice  of  the  peace  in  his  township  and 
has  held  other  minor  offices  of  trust  and  responsibility.  Mr.  Jorgensen  is  a 
good  citizen,  an  industrious  and  capable  farmer  and  is  devoted  primarily  to 
his  home  and  has  always  made  it  his  chief  interest  in  life. 


LEMUEL  CLARK  JOHNSON. 

The  best  history  of  a  community  or  state  is  the  one  which  deals  most 
with  the  lives  and  activities  of  its  people,  especially  of  those  who,  by  their 
endeavor  and  indomitable  energ3^  have  made  their  work  count  in  the  battles 
of  life.  In  this  brief  review  may  be  found  the  record  of  a  well-known  citizen 
of  Audubon,  this  county,  who  has  made  a  success  of  the  drayage  business  in 
that  town  and  who  is  honored  by  all  for  his  upright  life  and  habits  of  thrift 
and  industry. 

Lemuel  Clark  Johnson  was  born  on.  May  10,  1858,  at  Bernadotte,  Ful- 
ton county,  Illinois,  the  son  of  Gary  and  Margaret  (Heiford)  Johnson,  both 
natives  of  Illinois.  Margaret  Heiford  was  the  daughter  of  John  Heiford, 
an  early  pioneer  and  one  of  the  noted  Indian  fighters  during  the  pioneer  his- 
tory of  Illinois.  Gary  Johnson  was  born  in  1834  and  died  in  1874.  His 
wife  was  born  in  1835  and  died  in  1869.  He  died  in  Arkansas,  to  which 
state  he  had  immigrated  when  his  son,  Lemuel  C,  was  a  mere  lad.  He  had 
first  immigrated,  in  1870,  to  Kansas  City  and  thence  to  Ft.  Scott,  from  which 
place  he  went  to  Arkansas.     He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade.     Subsequently, 


506  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Lemuel  C.  Johnson  returned  to  Illinois,  where  he  lived  with  an  uncle  for  one 
year,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  began  working  for  himself.  He  farmed 
for  some  time  in  Illinois  and  was  married  in  that  state  in  1882.  After  his 
marriage,  he  continued  farming  until  he  came  to  Iowa  in  1889.  Mr.  Johnson 
located  in  Audubon  in  the  fall  of  1890  and  started  a  dray  line,  in  which  busi- 
ness he  has  prospered,  now  operating  three  teams  in  that  city. 

On  December  31,  i88'2,  Lemuel  C.  Johnson  was  married  to  Sarah 
Hoyle,  who  was  born  in  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  on  June  18,  1865,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Lawrence  and  Pauline  (Walters)  Hoyle,  the  former  of  whom  died  on 
April  2,  1893,  ^^'^^^  the  latter  in  i8'68,  and  to  this  union  the  following  children 
have  been  born:  Daisy,  born  on  August  12,  1884,  in  Illinois,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Ren  Phelps,  of  Audubon;  Annetta,  September  7,  1886,  who  is  the  wife  of 
Scott  Smith,  of  Texas;  Bessie,  March  4,  1888,  died  on  February  3,  1891 ; 
Irvin,  December  5,  1890,  who  is  a  clerk  in  Marquesen's  department  store  in 
Audubon;  Virgil,  March  5.  1892;  Mildred,  July  12,  1904,  and  Avis,  June  18, 
1908,  at  home.     The  three  first  named  children  were  born  in  Illinois. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  identifid  with  the  Democratic  party  but  has  never  been 
especially  active  in  politics,  though  taking  a  keen  interest  in  local  good  gov- 
ernment. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  and  family  are  identified  with  the  Baptist 
church  of  Audubon,  and  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  the  Yeomen  of 
America. 


KRISTEN  LARSEN. 


It  is  a  pleasure  to  record  in  this  history  the  admiration  in  which  are  held 
the  law-abiding  citizens  who  come  to  our  shores  from  sturdy  little  Denmark. 
These  people  belong  to  one  of  the  most  industrious  nations  in  the  world ;  they 
are  neither  afraid  nor  ashamed  to  take  up  that  which  is  first  offered  as  a 
means  of  honest  livelihood.  They  are  not  slaves  to  the  social  conditions, 
thus  maintaining  that  independence  of  thought  and  action  which  give  them 
distinctive  individuality. 

Kristen  Larsen,  farmer  and  stockman,  of  Douglas  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  was  born  on  August  15,  1863,  in  Denmark.  He  is  a  son  of 
Lars  Larsen  and  Anna  (Christiansen)  Larsen.  His  early  education  was 
secured  in  the  country  schools  of  his  native  land.  He  left  school  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  and  worked  on  a  farm  in  that  country,  until  he  was  twenty-nine 
vears  of  age.  Being  ambitious,  he  made  up  his  mind  to  see  something  of  the 
world,  as  well  as  to  seek  a  field  offering  more  advantages  than  he  could  find 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  5O7 

in  the  land  of  his  birth.  On  coming  to  America,  he  landed  at  New  York, 
thence  direct  to  Audubon  county  in  1891.  He  worked  on  a  farm  for  one 
year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  for 
which  he  paid  twenty-seven  dollars  an  acre,  in  section  19,  Douglas  township. 
He  sold  this  propert)^  in  1899,  and  moved  to  section  29,  where  he  bought 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  in  1907,  he  bought  one  hundred  acres 
about  one  mile  west  of  his  place,  and  in  191 1  bought  eighty  acres  one  mile 
north  of  his  home,  for  which  he  paid  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  an  acre. 
The  improvements  on  the  place  have  cost  Mr.  Larsen  about  ten  thousand 
dollars.  His  principal  crops  are  corn  and  small  grain,  the  corn  averaging 
about  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  the  small  grain  about  thirty-five  bushels 
to  the  acre,  the  most  of  which  is  fed  to  the  stock  raised  on  the  place.  ]\Ir. 
Larsen  offers  for  sale  each  year  about  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  and  one  car- 
load of  cattle,  all  of  which  are  of  an  extra  good  grade  of  stock.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  and  holds  the  offices  of  school  direc- 
tor and  trustee  at  the  present  time.     In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 

Lars  and  Anna  (Christiansen)  Larsen,  parents  of  our  subject,  were  born 
in  Denmark,  where  they  were  also  married,  and  were  the  parents  of  three 
children :  Hannah,  Gertrude  and  Kristen.  The  father  was  the  owner  of  a 
small  farm  in  Denmark,  where  he  lived  and  died.  He  was  in  the  German- 
Danish  AVar  of  1848. 

In  1890,  ]\Ir.  Larsen  was  united  in  marriage  to  Christina,  daughter  of 
Lars  Jensen,  of  Denmark.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  children,  namely : 
Lawrence.  Louis.  Anna,  Katie,  Mary,  Arthur,  Lilia  and  Otto,  all  of  whom 
are  still  at  home,  with  the  exception  of  Anna,  who  became  the  wife  of  Martin 
Larsen.     Thev  reside  about  a  mile  from  her  father's  home. 


GEORGE  KYHNN. 


George  Kyhnn  is  one  of  the  representative  farmers  of  Hamlin  town- 
ship, Audubon  county,  Iowa.  Mr.  Kyhnn  owns  a  splendid  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  and  carries  on  the  various  departments  of  the 
farming  enterprise  with  that  discretion  and  energ}^  which  are  certain  to  find 
their  material  sequence  in  a  definite  measure  of  success.  Mr.  Kyhnn  has 
always  been  a  hard  worker  and  a  good  manager,  and  of  economic  habits. 
He  has  been  fortunately  situated  in  a  thriving  farming  community.  It  is  no 
wonder  that  he  stands  today  in  the  front  rank  of  the  farmers  in  this  favored 
section  of  the  great  Hawkeye  commonwealth. 


508  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

George  Kyhnn  was  born  on  September  3,  1861,  in  Schleswig,  Germany. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  A.  (Kruse)  Kyhnn,  who  were  also  natives  of 
Schleswig,  where  John  Kyhnn  was  a  farmer.  John  Kyhnn  and  wife  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  George  Kyhnn  was  the  eldest. 

George  Kyhnn  attended  school  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  during 
which  time  he  received  a  very  creditable  education.  After  leaving  school 
he  worked  out  until  he  came  to  the  United  States.  He  was  married  in  Ger- 
many. 

In  November,  1883,  Mr.  Kyhnn  came  to  the  United  States,  landing 
at  New  York  city,  thence  coming  directly  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  where 
he  had  some  cousins  living.  At  first,  Mr.  Kyhnn  located  at  Audubon,  where 
he  obtained  work  with  the  Rock  Island  Railway  Company  as  a  section  hand. 
He  worked  for  this  company  five  years,  after  which  he  rented  a  farm  fpr 
three  years.  Subsequently,  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  16, 
of  Hamlin  township,  and  Mr.  Kyhnn  has  gradually  added  to  his  original 
land  holdings  until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres 
of  land.  He  has  erected  nearly  all  of  the  buildings  now  standing  on  the 
farm  and  put  upon  it  nearly  all  of  the  present  improvements,  and  he  now 
has  one  of  the  best-improved  and  highly-productive  farms  within  a  radius 
of  several  miles. 

George  Kyhnn  was  married  on  June  30,  1883,  in  Lygumkloster, 
Schleswig,  to  Eliza  Jepsen,  who  was  born  on  November  29,  1857,  in  Schles- 
wig, and  who  is  a  daughter  of  Soren  and  Christina  (Petersen)  Jepsen.  Her 
father  was  a  farmer  and  tax  collector  in  his  native  country,  in  which  latter 
capacity  he  worked  for  the  Danish  government. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Kyhnn  are  the  parents  of  eight  children:  John, 
who  married  Agnes  Nelsen,  the  daughter  of  Rasmus  Nelsen,  and  they  have 
one  child,  George;  Sherman,  Anna,  Christina,  Chris,  Ida,  Arthur  and  Rosa. 
The  seven  unmarried  children  are  still  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Kyhnn  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  feeds 
quite  a  number  of  cattle  and  hogs  each  year  for  the  market,  and  is  also 
interested  in  the  dairy  business,  milking  about  fifteen  cattle.  Mr.  Kyhnn  is 
a  stockholder  in  the  Elkhorn-Marne  Telephone  Company. 

Mr.  Kyhnn  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  as  township  trustee  for 
Hamlin  township  for  the  past  eight  years,  the  duties  of  which  office  he  has 
discharged  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner  and  has  won  the  praise  and 
approval  of  all  the  citizens  of  the  township,  regardless  of  politics.  He  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  at  Hamlin,  and  are 
active  in  the  affairs  of  this  church,  and  are  liberal  contributors  to  its  support. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  509 

CARL  M.  JENSEN. 

In  recalling  the  old  saying  that  "A  rolling  stone  gathers  no  moss,"  we 
can  certainly  bear  witness  to  the  fact  that  it  does  not  apply  to  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  for  he  has  been  amply  rewarded  for  the  risk,  if  we  may  call  it 
such,  in  leaving  his  mother  country  and  casting  his  lot  into  the  "melting-pot'' 
of  the  world — America.  In  the  community  in  which  he  lives,  Mr.  Jensen  is 
more  than  comfortably  provided  for  in  this  world's, goods,  and  he  is  con- 
sidered a  man  of  wealth. 

Carl  M.  Jensen,  farmer,  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is 
a  son  of  Jens  Jensen  and  Mary  Kjin.  He  was  born  in  Denmark,  where  he 
attended  school  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  work  on  a  farm 
in  Denmark  until  he  was  nineteen  years  old.  He  served  for  a  time  in  the 
army  in  his  native  country,  after  which  he  again  went  to  work  on  a  farm.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-two  he  came  to  this  country,  landing  in  New  York,  and 
came  directly  west,  stopping  in  Chicago  a  short  time,  and  then  went  to 
Clifton,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  for  an  Irishman  for  the  purpose  of  learn- 
ing the  English  language.  He  worked  for  this  man  one  year,  then  worked 
one  year  for  the  man's  brother  in  the  same  town,  going  from  that  place  to 
Harlan,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  one  summer  in  a  brick-yard,  after  which  he 
rented  a  farm  in  Shelby  county,  near  Harlan,  and  lived  there  nine  years. 
He  then  went  to  Erwin  and  rented  a  farm,  on  which  he  lived  three  years. 
Becoming  dissatisfied  with  this  location,  he  went  to  Audubon  county  in  1900, 
bought  eighty  acres  of  the  place  he  now  lives  on,  for  which  he  paid  twenty- 
nine  dollars  and  fifty  cents  an  acre,  and  the  next  fall  bought  another  farm  of 
eighty  acres,  paying  thirty-five  dollars  an  acre,  and  six  years  later,  bought 
the  balance  of  his  farm  for  sixty-five  dollars  an  acre,  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine  acres  in  all.  He  has  put  about  seven  thousand  five  hundred  dollars' 
worth  of  improvements  on  the  place.  In  19 10  he  built  a  new  and  modern 
dwelling,  at  a  cost  of  four  thousand  dollars  and  has  erected  a  waterworks 
on  the  farm.  The  principal  crops  are  corn  and  oats.  The  corn  averages 
about  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  the  oats  about  thirty-five  bushels  to  the 
acre.  He  feeds  about  one  car  of  cattle  and  one  car  of  hogs  each  year.  In 
addition  to  his  farm  work  Mr.  Jensen  has  served  as  school  director.  He 
belongs  to  the  Baptist  church  of  Shelby  county,  and  is  Sunday  school  teacher, 
collector  and  treasurer.  He  has  always  voted  the  Republican  ticket.  His 
parents  were  born  in  Denmark,  where  they  both  died  and  where  his  father 
was  a  farmer  on  a  small  scale.  They  had  a  family  of  nine  children,  namely: 
Stina,  Christiana,  Anna,  Jens,  Christ,  Andrew,  Selius,  John  and  Carl  N. 


5IO  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

In  1882  Mr.  Jensen  was  married  in  Denmark  to  Sena  Rockdal,  daughter 
of  Andrew  Rockdal,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  as  follow : 
Carrie,  Thorwald,  Ella.  Stella,  Mattie,  Anna,  Evaline,  Roy,  Holgar,  Levy 
and  Arnold.  Carrie  became  the  wife  of  a  yir.  ]yIontgomery,  and  lives  in 
California.  Thorwald  is  in  Oakfield  township,  Audubon  county;  Ella  became 
the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Peterson  and  lives  in  Shelby  county;  Stella  was  married 
to  Dwight  Teague  and  lives  near  Audubon ;  ]\Iattie  visited  the  Panama  Expo- 
sition, 1915:  Anna  is  married  to  a  Mr.  Jensen,  and  lives  in  Shelby  county; 
Evaline  is  at  home,  where  she  attends  the  country  school ;  Arnold  and  Levy 
work  on  their  father's  farm. 


OL.  MEASE. 


After  many  years  of  hard  work  and  close  attention  to  business,  the  gen- 
tleman whose  name  captions  this  sketch,  is  enabled  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his 
labor,  doing  so  with  the  knowledge  that  he  has  always  dealt  with  his  brother- 
man  in  an  honest,  straightforward  manner.  His  life  as  a  farmer  has  been 
eminently  successful  in  all  phases,  and  his  unremitting  industry,  coupled  with 
integrity,  has  been  rewarded  by  a  fair  share  of  the  world's  goods. 

01.  Mease,  farmer  and  general  stockman,  Lincoln  township,  Audubon 
county,  was  born  at  Freedport,  Illinois,  March  27.  1865.  He  is  a  son  of  J.  J. 
3.1ease  and  Elizabeth  (Walkey)  ]vlease.  He  left  Freedport  with  his  father, 
when  five  years  of  age.  His  early  education  was  secured  in  the  public  schools 
of  the  county  and,  on  quitting  school  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  went  to 
work  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  remained  until  twenty-one  years  old. 
He  then  rented  a  farm  in  Iowa,  and  followed  the  vocation  of  threshing  grain 
for  twenty- four  years.  At  the  present  time  he  farms  two  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  which  is  owned  by  his  wife,  and  devotes  his  special  attention  to  the 
breeding  and  sale  of  Percheron  stallions  and  horses,  a  number  of  which  he 
sells  each  year.  He  now  has  nine  stallions  and  twenty-one  thoroughbred 
mares  on  the  place.  In  addition  to  the  above,  Mr.  Mease  is  also  devoting  a 
portion  of  his  time  and  attention  to  Duroc  hogs,  of  which  he  has  one  hundred 
and  eighty  on  the  place,  and  of  these  he  sells  about  two  carloads  each  year. 
The  grain  raised  on  his  farm  is  all  fed  to  the  stock.  He  has  put  about  six 
thousand  dollars  worth  of  improvements  on  his  land.  His  political  views 
are  Democratic. 

The  father  of  Ol.  Please  lived  at  Freedport  for  ten  years,  where  he  fol- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  5II 

lowed  the  vocation  of  farming,  and  went  from  there  to  Nebraska  for  a  few 
years,  going  from  there  to  Iowa,  where  he  rented  a  farm,  and  after  remain- 
ing here  for  a  time,  he  went  to  the  Ozark  mountains,  where  he  now  resides. 
He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children,  namely:  Ed.,  Ol., 
Art.,  Wilber,  Mary,  Martha,  Rose. 

Mr.  Mease  was  united  in  marriage,  on  April  20,  1899,  to  Mrs.  Eliza 
A.  Welty,  widow  of  Lynn  Welty,  and  has  since  lived  on  the  place  where 
they  settled  at  the  time  of  their  marriage.  They  have  no  children.  Mrs. 
Mease  is  a  member  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal  church. 

Mrs.  Mease  is  a  daughter  of  William  M.  and  Eliza  A.  (Clark)  Matson, 
who  were  natives  of  Ohio,  where  they  married  and  later  settled  in  Illinois, 
when  he  and  she  later  came  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  where  she  later  bought 
land  and  here  she  died.  They  had  seven  children,  ]\[audy,  now  Mrs.  Kittell, 
and  subject's  wife.  The  other  five  died  in  infancy.  She  died  on  June  16, 
1903,  at  Gray,  Iowa. 


ALBERT  DAVID. 


Among  the  representative  farmers  of  Lincoln  township,  none  is  more 
deserving  of  praise  than  Albert  David,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He 
possesses  the  qualities  necessary  for  success  on  a  farm,  and  has  not  been  slow 
in  putting  his  ability  to  a  use  that  would  give  him  the  best  possible  returns. 
He  has  fully  demonstrated  that  progress  is  the  order  of  the  age.  He  is  a 
good  manager,  and  keeps  himself  well  informed  on  the  most  approved  meth- 
ods of  up-to-date  farming  and  stock  raising. 

Albert  David,  general  farmer  and  stockman,  Lincoln  township,  Audubon 
county,  is  a  son  of  John  and  Wilhelmena  David.  After  carefully  consider- 
ing the  matter,  he  decided  to  branch  out  as  a  farmer  on  his  own  responsibility, 
and  rented  a  farm  in  Douglas  township,  which  he  cultivated  for  two  years 
after  his  marriage,  and  then  went  into  partnership  with  his  father  on  his 
farm,  remaining  with  him  until  twenty-eight  years  old.  Leaving  his  father, 
he  bought  a  farm  in  Lincoln  township,  in  section  17,  where  he  remained  six 
years,  after  which  he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  section 
21,  which  at  one  time  belonged  to  his  father,  and  which  he  still  owns  and  lives 
on.  He  has  put  in  about  three  thousand  dollars  worth  of  improvements  on 
the  place,  and  has  made  a  specialty  of  corn  and  small  grain,  which  he  feeds 
to  hogs  and  cattle.  He  feeds,  on  an  average,  fifty  hogs  each  year.  Mr. 
David  has  done  his  share  in  filling  the  township  offices.     He  was  school 


512  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

director  for  one  year,  and  road  supervisor  about  the  same  length  of  time. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  and  in  poHtics,  votes  the 
Democratic  ticket. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  both  born  in  Germany,  coming  to 
America  in  1886,  and  settled  in  Audubon  county.  The  father  worked  as  a 
farm  hand  for  four  or  five  years,  and  then  rented  a  farm  and  commenced  to 
farm  for  himself.  In  a  few  years,  he  had  accumulated  sufficient  money  to 
purchase  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  section  17,  Lincoln  township,  where  he 
lived  six  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  bought  a  larger  farm,  on  which  he  still 
lives  in  section  21.  They  had  six  children — Johanna,  Carl,  Albertina,  Fred, 
Albert  and  Agusta.     Agusta  has  never  married. 

Mr.  David  was  married  in  1899,  to  Minnie  Borkowski,  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Alvina  Borkowski,  by  whom  he  has  had  five  children,  as  follow: 
Edna,  Alford,  Emil,  Clarence  and  Hugo. 

Mrs.  David's  father,  Henry  Borkowski,  came  from  Germany.  Her 
mother,  Alvina  Polzin,  came  from  Germany,  also,  and  settled  in  Cook  county, 
Illinois,  for  two  years,  after  which  they  located  in  Pottawattamie  county, 
Iowa,  and  later  came  to  Lincoln  township,  Audubon  county,  where  he  is  still 
living.  The  mother  is  now  dead.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children :  Emil,  Otto,  Minnie,  Henry,  Gustav,  and  two  daughters  who  died 
when  young. 


FRANK  E.  DUVALL. 


Coming  to  this  county  in  1886  with  a  draft  for  six  hundred  dollars,  a 
team  of  horses  and  a  wagon,  Frank  E.  Duvall,  at  that  time  a  young  man 
just  past  his  majority,  went  to  work  with  the  determination  to  establish  a 
home  on  the  prairie  of  Greeley  township,  and  now  owns  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  as  good  land  as  lies  in  Audubon  county,  all  of  which  is  in  an 
excellent  state  of  cultivation  and  on  which  he  has  a  house  in  which  there 
is  running  water  and  all  the  conveniences  of  a  city  home  with  barns  and  out- 
buildings to  match,  making  one  of  the  best  managed  and  most  highly  devel- 
oped farms  in  the  county,  his  industry  furnishing  a  fine  example  for  the  rising 
generation  of  this  county. 

Frank  E.  Duvall,  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Iowa,  July  5,  1864, 
the  son  of  Jefferson  and  Mary  (Brown)  Duvall,  natives  of  Union  county, 
Ohio,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  Horace  Duvall,  a  native  of  France 
and  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  who  for  many  years  thereafter  drew  a 
pension  from  a  grateful  government  for  his  faithful  service  in  that  struggle 


^S"  ^*  ^//i^'ns  tS^r^  J--^ 


'  yV«  1  h/r    (j.    ^/fjyV-ci  Iv 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  513 

with  England.  Upon  Horace  Duvall's  death  his  widow  was  left  in  the  care 
of  her  son,  Jefferson,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Washington  county, 
this  state.  He  drove  through  from  Ohio  with  his  wife  and  mother,  arriving 
at  his  destination  in  the  bleak  November  with  three  dollars  in  cash  and  a 
yoke  of  oxen.  The  former  he  gave  for  three  bushels  of  wheat  and  the  latter 
he  traded  for  forty  acres  of  virgin  land,  on  which  he  made  his  home  and 
where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Jefferson  Duvall 
and  his  wife  were  among  the  leaders  among  the  pioneers  of  that  section  of  the 
state.  They  were  earnest  members  of  the  Methodist  church  and  were  prom- 
inent in  the  activities  of  the  "underground  railroad''  of  slavery  days.  Jeffer- 
son Duvall  lived  a  clean,  upright  life  and  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  one 
of  the  most  level-headed  men  in  that  part  of  the  state.  He  was  an  ardent 
Republican  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  political  affairs  of  Washington 
county,  his  counsel  and  advice  being  accepted  without  question  by  the  party 
leaders  of  that  time  and  place.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren :  William,  Reeves,  Horace  W.,  A.  I.,  Mrs.  Clea  Crahil,  Mrs.  Emma 
Rushling,  Frank  E.,  Mrs.  Kate  Gray,  Edward  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 
Frank  E.  Duvall  received  but  little  schooling  in  his  youth,  Ray's  Arith- 
metic being  his  principal  text-book,  his  boyhood  being  spent  herding  cattle  on 
the  boundless  prairies.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  was  nearly  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  being  attracted  by 
word  of  the  wonderful  fertility  of  the  soil  in  this  section.  He  had  a  draft 
for  six  hundred  dollars  and  a  team  of  horses  and  a  wagon.  He  bought  eighty 
acres  of  virgin  land  in  section  3  of  Greeley  township,  paying  six  hundred 
dollars  for  the  same.  On  this  farm  he  built  a  small  house,  fourteen  by 
twenty-two,  eight  feet  in  height,  which  by  the  time  the  plastering  was  finished, 
cost  him  about  two  hundred  dollars.  He  later  bought  an  eighty-acre  tract 
adjoining,  on  which  there  had  been  erected  a  one-room  house,  which  he  moved 
over  and  attached  to  his  house,  thus  giving  him  three  rooms,  and  this  he  called 
"home,  sweet  home"  until  1909,  in  which  year  he  built  his  present  handsome 
and  commodious  home  of  eleven  rooms,  with  furnace,  hot  and  cold  water, 
bath  and  all  the  conveniences  of  a  city  home.  His  barns  and  grain  cribs  are 
on  a  similar  scale.  He  has  crib  room  for  about  twenty  thousand  bushels  of 
corn  and  has  modern  feeding  sheds  with  concrete  floors.  He  feeds  about 
fifteen  car  loads  of  cattle  and  about  five  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  hogs 
annually,  having  added  to  his  original  eighty-acre  range  until  he  now  possesses 
a  fine  farm  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  well  improved  and  up  to  the 
highest  standard  of  cultivation. 

(33) 


514  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

On  November  21,  1889,  Frank  E.  Duvall  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Anna  Maurer,  daughter  of  Anthony  and  Mary  (Cribbs)  Maurer,  prominent 
residents  of  this  county,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere 
in  this  ^'olume.  To  this  union  six  children  were  born,  five  of  whom  are  still 
living:  Nellie,  born  on  June  13, 'i8'93,  who  married  Carl  Wilson  and  has  four 
children,  Vernon,  Ruby,  Wilma  and  Buena;  Olive,  born  on  September  24, 
1900;  Clark,  born  on  July  30,  1904;  ]\Iillie.  born  on  April  15,  1906;  Martha, 
born  on  September  15,  1910,  and  Arvie,  who  died  when  two  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Duvall  is  a  Republican  and  gives  a  good  citizen's  attention  to  the 
political  affairs  of  the  county,  and  has  filled  minor  offices  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  people  of  his  township. 
He  is  an  excellent  citizen  and  fine  neighbor  and  enjoys  the  full  confidence  and 
respect  of  all  who  know  him,  he  and  his  wife  being  held  in  the  highest  regard 
bv  all. 


JOHN  WAHLERT. 


John  Wahlert,  now  numbered  among  the  prominent  and  successful 
farmers  of  Greeley  township,  this  county,  was  born  on  November  22,  1866, 
in  Moline,  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  the  son  of  Jurgen  and  Lena  (Dol- 
meier)  Wahlert,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Holstein,  Germany,  on 
December  3,  1842,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Stormon)  Wahlert,  both 
natives  of  Germany.  John  Wahlert  was  a  laborer  and  farm  hand,  who  came 
to  America  in  1885  many  years  after  his  son  Jurgen  had  located  here.  He 
located  in  Illinois  and  after  remaining  there  for  a  short  time,  came  to  Audu- 
bon county,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  with  his  children.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children,  namely :  Fred,  Jurgen, 
Tenia  (deceased),  John  (deceased),  Jacob,  Catherine,  Margaret.  Edward 
and  August.  Jurgen  Wahlert  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land 
and  "worked  out,''  as  a  farm  hand,  by  the  month.  He  came  to  America  at 
the  age  of  twenty-four,  a  year  after  his  marriage,  arriving  in  this  country  on 
May  28,  1866,  and  located  at  Moline,  Illinois,  where  for  a  time  he  worked 
as  a  laborer  in  a  saw-mill  and  in  the  lumber  yards  of  that  city,  later  engaging 
in  farming  near  Moline,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1881,  in  which  year  he 
came  to  Audubon  county  and  purchased  a  farm.  He  now  owns  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  which  he  purchased  from  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  Company 
for  seven  dollars  an  acre. 

On  April  16,  1865,  in  Germany,  Jurgen  Wahlert  was  married  to  Lena 
Dolmeier,  the  daughter  of  Jacob  Dolmeier,  and  to  this  union  nine  children 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA.  515 

were  born,  namely :  John,  Bertha,  Fred,  August,  Wilham,  George,  Edward, 
Minnie  and  Gustave,  John  Wahlert,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being  the  eldest. 

John  Wahlert  attended  the  public  schools  of  Illinois  until  he  was  sixteen 
years  old.  In  1881  the  family  came  to  this  county  and  he  continued  to  live 
at  home  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  old.  He  then  spent  a  few  months 
in  Fremont  county,  Iowa,  and  in  South  Dakota,  after  which  he  came  back 
to  Audubon  county,  where  he  has  since  lived.  Working  out  for  various 
farmers  in  the  neighborhood  until  he  was  twenty-seven  years  old,  Mr.  W'ahl- 
ert  then  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  partly  improved  land  in 
section  26  of  Greeley  township.  On  this  he  has  made  many  additional 
'improvements,  and  it  is  now  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  county. 
Mr.  Wahlert  has  prospered  and  not  long  ago  added  two  hundred  acres  more 
to  his  farm  holdings,  this  latter  farm  being  located  in  section  34  of  Greeley 
township. 

On  November  i,  1894,  John  Wahlert  was  married  to  Ida  Foss,  of  this 
county,  who  was  born  on  March  11,  1874,  in  Atkinson,  Henry  county,  Illi- 
nois, the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Jacobsen)  Foss,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Germany,  the  latter  having  been  born  in  Schleswig  on  September 
25,  1846.  She  came  to  the  United  States  with  her  parents  in  i8'68  and  after 
settling  at  Moline,  Illinois,  was  married  on  December  11,  of  the  same  year 
to  Henry  Foss.  In  1885  they  came  to  Audubon  county,  purchasing  a  farm 
six  miles  east  of  Exira,  in  Audubon  township,  where  they  lived  until  1907 
when  they  retired  and  moved  to  Exira.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, Henry,  Ida,  Charles  and  a  second  daughter,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
five  years.  To  John  and  Ida  (Foss)  Wahlert  have  been  born  five  children, 
Herbert,  born  on  September  24,  1895;  Myrtle,  May  14,  1897;  Ralph.  October 
29,  1899;  George,  September  2'],  1902,  and  Emma,  October  21,  1904. 

Mr.  Wahlert  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  In  the 
fall  of  19 1 3  he  built  a  large  ten-room  house,  which  is  equipped  with  every 
modern  convenience,  including  gas  lights  and  bath,  one  of  the  largest  dwell- 
ings in  Greeley  township.  Mr.  Wahlert's  barns  are  also  of  excellent  con- 
struction. There  are  three  barns  on  the  farm  as  well  as  granaries,  hog- 
houses  and  other  well-kept  farm  buildings. 

All  in  all  John  Wahlert  must  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  progressive 
and  enterprising  farmers  of  Audubon  county,  not  only  for  the  reason  that  he 
gets  handsome  profits  from  all  of  his  investments  and  labor  but  also  for  the 
reason  that  his  farms  are  among  the  best-kept  places  in  Audubon  county. 
He  is  well  known  in  this  section  of  the  state  for  his  sturdy,  independent  man- 
hood, his  shrewd,  business-like  management  and  his  honorable,  upright 
character. 


5l6  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

HANS  FABRICIUS. 

Hans  Fabricius,  a  farmer  and  stockman  of  Douglas  township,  Audu- 
bon county,  Iowa,  who  was  born,  February  29,  1868.  in  Denmark,  is  the  son 
of  Hans  and'  Anna  Fabricius,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Denmark,  and 
the  parents  of  eight  children.  The  children  w'ere,  H.  M.,  Mary,  Hans,  Kat- 
rina,  the  elder,  George,  Katrina,  the  younger;  Mike  and  Anna.  The  father 
for  many  years  was  a  sailor  on  the  Baltic  sea,  and  being  caught  in  a  tornado 
was  drowned.  The  Fabricius  children,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  have  all 
come  to  this  country.  H.  M.  lives  in  Idaho;  Katrina,  the  elder,  died  in 
infancy ;  George  is  a  farmer  in  Audubon  county ;  Michael  is  a  farmer  in 
Audubon  county;  Anna  died  in  her  native  land,  and  Mary  still  lives  in  Den- 
mark. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Denmark,  Hans  Fabricius  left  school 
at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and,  after  working  on  a  farm  for  three  years,  w'orked 
in  a  blacksmith  shop  for  four  years.  At  the  age  of  tw^enty-one  he  came  to 
this  country  wath  his  brother,  Mike,  and  after  landing  in  New  York  city,  they 
came  direct  to  Audubon  county,  where  Hans  worked  on  a  farm  for  three 
months.  He  then  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  at  Audubon  for  a  year,  after 
w^hich  he  lived  on  the  farm  for  three  months,  and  then  removed  to  Elkhorn, 
Iowa,  where  he  started  a  shop  of  his  own.  After  owning  and  conducting  this 
shop  for  nine  and  one-half  years,  he  bought  a  farm  of  fifty  acres  near  Fis- 
cus,  and  two  years  later  purchased  forty  acres  more.  Air.  Fabricius  kept  on 
adding  to  his  land,  until  he  owned  two  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  in  Douglas 
township.  He  is  accustomed  to  feed  all  of  the  grain  he  raises  to  live  stock. 
Ordinarily  he  feeds  about  one  carload  of  cattle  and  about  eighty  head  of 
hogs  every  year.  He  keeps  a  thoroughbred  Shire  stallion  on  the  farm,  and 
since  owning  his  present  land  has  invested  about  six  thousand  dollars  in 
buildings,  fences  and  ditches. 

In  1893  Mr.  Fabricius  was  married  in  Elkhorn  to  Caroline  Tovil,  of 
Elkhorn,  the  daughter  of  Soren  Tovil.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fabricius  are  the  par- 
ents of  five  children,  Hans,  Anna,  Einar,  Harry  and  Martin,  all  of  w'hom  are 
living  at  home.     The  three  youngest  children  are  attending  school. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  Fabricius  served  as  school  director  for  tw^o 
years.  Religiously,  the  Fabricius  family  belong  to  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  United  Danish  Brotherhood. 
Like  so  many  of  the  Danish  farmers  who  have  come  to  Audubon  county, 
Mr.  Fabricius  has  established  a  comfortable  home  in  this  county,  has  lived 
to  rear  a  family  of  children,  and  to  take  a  commendable  part  in  the  govern- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  517 

ment  of  our  country.  During  the  years  of  his  hfe  in  this  country  he  has 
become  a  thorough-going  and  enthusiastic  citizen,  and  by  his  wisdom  and  his 
counsel  has  added  to  the  stabihty  of  our  institutions  and  the  well-being  of 
our  government.  It  is  men  such  as  he  who  have  made  the  raw  prairie  teem 
with  growing  grain  and  bountiful  harvests.  This  is  one  of  the  contributions 
which  the  diligent  and  industrious  Danish  citizens  have  made  to  our  civiliza- 
tion. 


SAMUEL  FRANKLIN  GARMIRE. 

The  name  of  Samuel  Franklin  Garmire  is  one  quickly  recognized  by 
the  citizens  of  Lincoln  township,  as  belonging  to  a  man  whose  good  manage- 
ment and  never- failing  supply  of  energy  have  been  directed  toward  the  goal 
of  his  ambition.  Fate  decreed  that  he  should  be  a  farmer,  and  she  should 
be  well  pleased  with  what  he  has  accomplished.  His  present  splendid  stock- 
farm  is  the  result  of  the  interest  and  good  management  which  he  has  always 
displayed  in  his  work.  His  fine  stock-farm  is  one  of  the  most  attractive 
places  of  the  kind  in  the  county,  as  he  has  always  had  a  strong  belief  in  the 
saying  that  "whatever  is  worth  doing  at  all,  is  worth  doing  well." 

Samuel  Franklin  Garmire,  general  farmer  and  stockman,  of  Lincoln 
township.  Audubon  county,  was  born  on  October  20,  1850,  in  Holmes  county, 
Ohio.  He  is  a  son  of  Daniel  Garmire  and  EHzabeth  (Dunmire)  Garmire. 
His  early  education  was  received  in  the  public  schools  of  Holmes  county. 
Leaving  school  at  a  nearly  age,  he  went  to  work  on  his  father's  farm,  after 
which  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade  at  Benton  for  twelve  years,  going 
from  there  to  Walnut,  Iowa,  and  later,  to  Audubon  county,  where  he  bought^ 
eighty  acres  in  Lincoln  township.  Mr.  Garmire  has  spent  about  seven  thou- 
sand dollars  in  improvements  on  his  farm.  All  the  grain  raised  on  the  place 
is  fed  to  his  stock,  of  which  he  sells  about  seventy-five  head  a  year. 

Mr.  Garmire  has  been  a  member  of  the  county  board  for  six  years,  and 
has  been  trustee  of  the  township  for  nine  years,  also  acting  as  president  of 
the  school  board.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren  church  at  Gray, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  has 
occupied  the  position  of  chairman.  In  politics,  Mr.  Garmire  is  a  stanch 
Republican. 

Daniel  Garmire,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Holmes  county, 
Ohio,  as  was  .also  his  wife.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  always  lived  in  the  county 
in  which  he  was  born.     They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  one  of  whom 


5l8  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

died  young:  James,  Samuel  Franklin,  Theodore  and  Theophilus,  twins; 
Mary,  Alice,  William  and  John.  S.  F.  is  the  only  one  in  Audubon  county  at 
present. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  Mr.  Garmire  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Schreiber,  daughter  of  John  Frederick  and  Katherine  (Resla)  Schreiber, 
who  was  born  in  Wittenberg,  Germany,  by  whom  he  has  had  five  children, 
as  follow:  Clara  B.,  Elizabeth  A.,  Elsie  A..  Cora  R.,  and  Charles  F.  Clara 
became  the  wife  of  S.  E.  Newell,  and  has  one  child,  Winifred.  They  live 
in  Lincoln  township.  Elsie  is  married  to  C.  H.  Newell,  and  lives  in  Lake 
City.  They  have  two  children,  Grace  and  Velma.  Cora  became  the  wife 
of  L.  G.  Dixon,  and  lives  at  Ames,  Iowa.  They  have  two  children,  Ivadell 
E.  and  Eva.  Elizabeth  A.  married  Edward  H.  Bunker,  of  Gray,  Iowa. 
They  have  one  child,  Edith  May.  Charles  married  Grace  Cameron,  of  Gray, 
Iowa.     They  have  two  children,  Marjorie  A.  and  Samuel  C. 


AUGUST  BURR. 


The  German  nation  has  furnished  thousands  of  good  citizens  to  the 
state  of  Iowa,  and  Audubon  county  has  been  fortunate  to  count  a  number 
of  these  as  part  of  her  body  politic.  The  descendants  of  these  early  German 
settlers  in  Iowa  are  characterized  by  the  same  thrift  and  economy  which 
made  their  fathers  the  leading  farmers  and  business  men  of  the  various  com- 
munities in  which  they  settled.  August  Burr,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of 
Audubon  county  before  his  retirement  and  removal  to  Audubon,  the  county 
seat,  was  a  worthy  citizen  of  Audubon  county  and  a  native-born  German, 
possessing  all  of  those  admirable  cjualities  which  characterize  his  people. 

August  Burr  was  born  in  December,  1846,  in  Mecklenburg,  Germany. 
He  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Christian  Burr,  who  died  when  August  was 
young. 

In  1870,  when  twenty-four  years  of  age,  August  Burr  came  to  America 
and  located  near  Iowa  City,  working  as  a  farm  hand  for  some  time.  Later, 
he  rented  a  farm  in  Johnson  county,  near  Iowa  City,  and  lived  upon  this 
farm  until  1880.  In  the  meantime  he  had  adapted  himself  to  American 
methods  and  was  becoming  prosperous.  He  left  the  farm  in  Johnson  county, 
Iowa,  and  after  that  moved  to  Audubon  county,  where  he  lived  on  a  rented 
farm  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  this  period,  Mr.  Burr  bought  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Greeley  township;  this  farm  consisted  of 
raw  prairie  land  and  had  never  been  plowed.     Mr.  Burr  was  able  to  purchase 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  519 

the  land  for  seven  and  eight  dollars  an  acre  and,  although  he  had  little  money 
at  the  time,  he  was  able  to  make  the  first  payment  and  soon  built  a\  small 
house.  He  lived  on  this  farm  until  1907  and  then  moved  to  Audubon.  In 
the  meantime,  Mr.  Burr  had  prospered  by  good  management  and  frugal, 
economical  habits  and  now  owns  four  hundred  and  forty  acres,  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  which  is  Hamlin  township.  August  Burr  has  worked  hard 
and  has  been  thrifty  throughout  his  life.  In  the  early  years,  his  struggle 
for  success  was  made  harder  from  the  fact  that  he  had  to  pay  a  heavy  rate 
of  interest,  in  some  cases  as  high  as  twenty-four  per  cent.  Mr.  Burr  sold  his 
home  farm  in  19 14  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  an  acre.  This  price  is 
in  marked  contrast  to  the  price  that  was  paid  thirty  years  ago,  when  money 
was  very  scarce  and  living  was  very  hard. 

August  Burr  was  married  on  X^ovember  23,  1876,  to  Marie  Schalow, 
who  was  born  on  February  2t^,  1853,  at  Mecklenburg,  Germany,  and  who  is 
the  daughter  of  John  Schalow,  who  came  to  America  in  1875.  ^^^-  ^^^  Mrs. 
Burr  were  married  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa.  They  have  been  the  parents  of 
six  children :  Mrs.  Lena  Savage,  of  Audubon ;  Mrs.  Etta  Owen,  of  Hamlin 
township ;  Minnie,  who  is  at  home ;  Mrs.  vSophia  Rubel,  of  Greeley  township ; 
Henry,  who  married  Glee  Anciaux  and  lives  in  Greeley  township,  and  August, 
who  lives  in  Greeley  township. 

August  Burr  has  always  been  independent  in  politics  and  has  never 
identified  himself  with  a  particular  party.  He  believes  in  supporting  measures 
and  men  rather  than  parties  and  party  emblems.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burr  and 
familv  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church. 


TVER  P.  HANSEN. 


There  is  no  calling  however  humble,  in  which  enterprise  and  industry, 
coupled  with  well-directed  purpose,  will  not  produce  some  measure  of  suc- 
cess. In  the  pursuit  of  farming,  the  qualities  mentioned  are  quite  essential. 
Among  the  well-known  and  highly-respected  farmers  of  Audubon  county, 
who  are  now  living  retired,  having  acquired  a  substantial  competence  for 
their  declining  years,  and  who,  while  they  have  done  this,  have  at  the  same 
time  greatly  benefited  the  community  in  which  they  live,  is  Iver  P.  Hansen, 
who  lives  at  Audubon,  Iowa.  Mr.  Hansen,  who  is  well  known  throughout 
Audubon  county,  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  which  has  given  to  this  country 
so  many  of  her  best  citizens  and  it  is  eminently  fitting  that  a  brief  account 
of  his  life  and  works  be  included  in  this  volume. 


520  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Iver  p.  Hansen,  a  retired  farmer  of  Audubon,  Iowa,  was  born  on  April 
28,  1845,  ^^  Denmark.  He  is  the  son  of  Hans  Christian  Peterson  and  Bodel 
(Frederickson)  Peterson,  the  former  of  whom  died  in  1850  and  the  latter  in 
1874.  Hans  C.  Stevenson  was  a  cabinetmaker  by  trade.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  four  children :  Iver  P.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Elsie, 
who  is  now  deceased,  who  was  born  in  Denmark  but  later  came  to  America; 
Nelsena,  the  wife  of  Jens  Anderson,  of  Wisconsin.  Iver  P.  Hansen's 
mother  was  married  three  times  and  was  the  mother  of  eight  children. 

Iver  P.  Hansen  was  married  in  Denmark  to  Christina  Marie  Peterson, 
May  29,  1869,  and  in  1870  they  came  to  America.  After  arriving  in  this 
country,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansen  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  worked  in  the  fall 
of  1870  and  then  went  to  Wisconsin  and  worked  in  the  timber,  cutting  cord 
wood  for  fifteen  years.  He  also  farmed  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which 
he  owned  in  the  wilderness ;  this  farm  was  located  in  Dore  countv.  Mr. 
Hansen  cleared  one  hundred  acres  of  his  timbered  tract.  He  made  a  trip 
to  Audubon  county  in  1884  and  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
which  were  partly  improved,  in  Leroy  township,  west  of  Audubon.  Mr. 
Hansen  paid  twenty-seven  and  one-half  dollars  for  it.  Subsequently,  he 
returned  to  Wisconsin  and  sold  out  his  holdings  in  that  state.  He  brought 
his  family  to  Audubon  in  1885.  Mr.  Hansen  added  eighty  acres  in  1892 
which  he  purchased  at  thirty-five  dollars  an  acre,  and  now  owns  two  hun- 
dred acres.  In  1906  he  sold  his  farm  at  ninety-seven  and  one-half  dollars 
an  acre,  which  was  the  first  farm  sold  at  that  price.  In  1910  he  bought  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Cameron  township  for  sixteen  thousand  dollars 
and  in  March,  1907,  he  moved  to  Audubon.  Later  he  built  a  splendid  new 
modern  house  in  south  Audubon.  This  house  consists  of  nine  rooms  and 
cost  thirty-two  hundred  dollars. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Iver  P.  Hansen,  six  children  have  been  born,  Hans  C, 
who  is  a  farmer  in  Adams  county,  Iowa;  Peter  L.,  who  is  a  merchant  in 
Washington;  Clara  M.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Postmaster  R.  C.  Spencer;  Augusta 
L.,  who  married  William.  Geombel,  of  Adams  county,  Iowa,  and  Frank 
Edward,  who  lives  on  a  farm  in  Cameron  township,  and  has  one  child, 
Frances  Marie.  Hans  C.  Hansen  has  two  children,  Iver  Peter  and  Mary 
Louisa,  and  Mrs.  Clara  M.  Spencer  also  has  two  children,  Arnold  Hans  and 
Lillian  Esther. 

Mrs.  Iver  P.  Hansen  was  born  on  May  15,  1848,  in  Denmark  and  was 
the  daughter  of  Peter  Laurersen  and  Marie  (Jensen)  Peterson,  who  lived 
and  died  in  Denmark,  where  they  were  farmers. 

Iver  P.  Hansen  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.     For  manv  years  he  was  a 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  52 1 

school  director  and  road  supervisor  in  his  native  township.  In  iS'qS  Mr. 
Hansen  was  a  candidate  for  representative  but  was  defeated.  Rehgiously, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansen  and  family  are  identified  with  the  Presbyterian  church. 


GEORGE  C.  NORTHUR 


Among  the  worthy  citizens  of  Audubon,  Iowa,  whose  residence  here  has 
contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the  prestige  of  the  community  is  George  C. 
Northup,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Northup  Brothers,  grain  and  live  stock 
dealers,  of  Audubon.  While  laboring  for  his  own  individual  advancement, 
Mr.  Northup  has  never  forgotten  his  obligations  to  the  public  and  his  sup- 
port of  such  measures  and  movements  as  have  been  made  for  the  general 
good,  has  always  been  forthcoming.  Although  his  life  has  been  a  busy  one, 
his  private  affairs  making  heavy  demands  upon  his  time,  he  has  never  allowed 
it  to  interfere  with  his  obligations  as  a  citizen  and  neighbor.  Through  long 
years  of  residence  in  this  locality,  he  has  ever  been  true  to  the  trust  reposed 
in  him,  whether  of  a  public  or  private  nature;  his  reputation  in  a  business 
way  being  unassailable.  Possessing  in  a  marked  degree  those  sterling  traits 
which  command  the  confidence  and  regard  of  his  neighbors  and  business 
associates,  he  is,  today,  honored  by  all  who  know  him  and  is  numbered  among 
the  representative  men  of  this  section  of  the  state. 

George  C.  Northup  was  born  on  March  20,  1869,  in  Johnson  county, 
Nebraska.  He  is  the  son  of  Nathan  and  Harriett  (Sherlock)  Northup  and 
a  brother  of  H.  A.  Northup,  whose  life  story  is  told  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

George  C.  Northup  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1881,  when  twelve  years 
old  and  attended  school  in  Audubon.  The  Northup  family  moved  to  John- 
son county,  Iowa,  in  1875.  When  George  C.  Northup  had  attained  his 
majority,  he  began  farming  for  himself  in  Douglas  township  on  a  rented 
farm  which  he  operated  for  one  year.  He  later  rented  land  for  one  year  in 
Leroy  township  and  subsequently,  for  one  year  in  Sac  county.  In  the  spring 
of  1893,  he  moved  to  Pierce  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  which  he  resided  for  six  years.  At  the  end 
of  this  period,  or  1899,  he  sold  out  this  farm  in  Pierce  county,  Nebraska, 
and  farmed  for  three  years  in  Douglas  township.  He  then  purchased  eighty 
acres  in  Cameron  township  and  lived  there  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  this 
time,  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Cameron  township,  on 
which  he  lived  for  three  years.     He  then  sold  out  and  purchased  one  hun- 


522  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

dred  and  sixty  acres  in  Melville  township  and  lived  on  this  last  farm  for  two 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1909,  Mr.  Northup  moved  to  Audubon,  the  county 
seat  of  Audubon  county,  and  here  engaged  in  the  grain  and  stock  business 
with  his  brothers,  H.  A.  Northup  and  William  Northup  under  the  firm  name 
of  Northup  Brothers.  This  firm  buys  and  ships  to  the  eastern  market  about 
two  hundred  and  forty  carloads  of  live  stock  each  year.  The  firm  also  buys 
and  ships  about  one  hundred  carloads  of  grain  each  year.  This  is  con- 
sidered a  large  business  and  the  Northup  Brothers  are  known  as  very  suc- 
cessful business  men  in  this  locality. 

George  C.  Northup  was  married  on  March  4,  1891,  to  Ella  Darland, 
the  daughter  of  I.  M.  Darland,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Audubon  county. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  C.  Northup.  two  children  have  been  born,  Mablc, 
who  is  the  wife  of  T.  A.  Moore  and  has  one  child.  Fern,  and  Parker,  seven 
years  of  age,  who  is  at  home  and  attending  school. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Northup  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  not  identified  with  any 
church.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  is  active  in  the  affairs  of  this  lodge. 


F.  L.  ANDERSON. 


One  of  the  comparatively  few  farmers  of  Cameron  tow'nship,  who  is  a 
native  of  the  great  Haw^keye  state,  is  F.  L.  Anderson,  the  owaier  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Cameron  tow^nship.  Mr.  Anderson  was 
born  in  Louisa  county,  Iowa,  June  16,  1869,  the  son  of  Peter  F.  and  Barbara 
Anderson,  the  former  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania. 
Peter  F.  Anderson  was  a  small  child  when  his  parents  moved  west  to  Iowa 
and  located  in  Louisa  county.  There  he  grew  to  manhood  and  farmed  until 
1878  when  he  moved  to  Audubon  county  and  rented  the  farm  which  his  son, 
F.  L.,  now  owns  and  farms.  Later,  he  purchased  this  farm  and  increased 
his  holdings  to  four  hundred  acres.  He  is  now  living  retired.  Peter  F.  and 
Barbara  Anderson  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  still 
living,  two  being  in  this  county,  ]\Irs.  Anna  Caldwell  and  F.  L.,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch. 

F.  L.  Anderson  received  practically  all  of  his  education  in  Audubon 
county  and  after  leaving  school,  farmed  with  his  father  for  "a  short  time, 
following  which  he  began  farming  for  himself.  For  more  than  six  years,  he 
was  a  renter  and  farmed  rented  land  in  Douglas  township.     After  about  six 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  523 

years,  he  moved  to  Ross,  Iowa,  and  there  engaged  in  the  implement  business 
for  four  years.  In  1899  Mr.  Anderson  was  elected  sheriff  of  Audubon 
county  and  served  four  years,  after  which  he  moved  to  his  father's  farm  and 
has  been  farming  it  since  that  time. 

Mr.  Anderson  raises  one  hundred  acres  of  corn  which  yields  an  average 
of  fifty-five  bushels  to  the  acre.  He  also  raises  eighty  acres  of  small  grains, 
and  ten  acres  of  alfalfa;  he  sells  all  of  this  grain.  Mr.  Anderson  is  an  exten- 
sive breeder  of  thoroughbred  Clyde  horses  and  has  built  up  a  good  market 
for  this  breed. 

On  March  10,  1891,  Mr.  Anderson  was  married  to  Julia  Baker,  the 
daughter  of  Charles  Baker.  Six  children  have  been  born  to  this  marriage : 
Frank,  Dale,  Hazel,  Howard,  Glenn  and  Helen.  All  of  these  children  are 
unmarried  and  live  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
of  the  commandery.  Aside  from  the  term  as  sheriff  of  Audubon  county, 
which  he  served,  he  has  also  been  township  trustee  and  is  the  present  secretary 
of  the  local  school  board.  Mr.  Anderson  has  always  been  affiliated  with  the 
Republican  party. 

F.  L.  Anderson  not  only  filled  the  office  of  sheriff  with  credit  to  him- 
self and  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  people  of  Audubon  county,  but  he 
has  also  filled  other  positions  of  trust  and  responsibility  with  exceptional 
credit.  He  is  today  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  citizens  of 
Audubon  county.  The  Anderson  family  is  very  popular  in  Cameron  town- 
ship and  Mr.  Anderson  enjoys  the  personal  friendship  of  a  host  of  people 
living  in  Audubon  county.  His  honor  and  integrity  have  always  been  above 
question. 


THOMAS  McMICHAEL. 


Thomas  McMichael,  who  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  splen- 
did land  in  Cameron  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful and  skillful  farmers  of  this  township,  who  was  born  in  Muscatine 
county,  Iowa,  March  19,  1855.  Mr.  McMichael's  parents,  James  and 
Margaret  (McCullough)  McMichael,  were  natives  of  Ireland.  James 
McMichael  came  to  America  when  a  young  man  and  first  located  in  Pitts- 
burgh, Pennsylvania,  where  he  w^as  married,  and  where  he  remained  until 
he  moved  to  Muscatine  county,  low^a.  There  he  purchased  a  farm  and  was 
engaged  in  farming  the  remainder  of  his  life.     He  and  his  wife  were  the 


524  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

parents  of  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are  still  living:  James,  William, 
Thomas,  George,  John,  Anna  and  Barbara.  The  father  of  these  children 
died  on  January  9,  1907  and  the  mother  in  March,  1914. 

Thomas  McMichael,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  received  practically  all 
of  his  education  in  Muscatine  county,  Iowa,  to  which  his  parents  had  moved 
after  leaving  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  McMichael's  life  during  his 
youth  was  that  of  the  average  boy  in  this  section  of  the  state.  After  leaving 
school  he  worked  with  his  father  on  the  farm  until  1882,  when  he  was  twenty- 
seven  years  old.  He  then  moved  to  Audubon  county  and  located  in  Cameron 
township,  where  he  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  the  farm 
upon  which  he  now  lives  and  on  which,  at  the  time,  the  soil  had  never  been 
broken,  Mr.  McMichael  being  the  first  to  work  the  ground.  He  has  put 
many  valuable  improvements  upon  the  farm  at  a  cost  of  at  least  four  thou- 
sand dollars.  Originally,  he  paid  only  eight  dollars  an  acre  for  the  land, 
but  it  is  many  times  as  valuable  today.  He  raises  forty  acres  of  corn  and 
at  least  twenty-five  acres  of  small  grain  each  year.  He  also  feeds  about 
twenty-five  head  of  hogs  and  sells  most  of  his  grain. 

Thomas  McMichael  was  married  on  September  23,  1887,  when  he  was 
thirty-two  years  old  to  Ettie  Gray,  the  daughter  of  W.  F.  and  Hannah 
(Crow)  Gray.  Two  children,  Homer  and  Leslie,  have  been  born  to  this 
marriage,  both  of  whom  are  unmarried  and  live  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mrs.  McMichael  was  born  in  Fayette  county,  Iowa;  her  father  was  a 
native  of  Canada  and  her  mother  of  the  state  of  Ohio.  Her  father  came  to 
Fayette  county,  Iowa,  when  a  young  man  and  was  married  there  and  farmed 
in  that  county  until  1880,  when  he  moved  to  Audubon  county,  locating  in 
Cameron  township,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  from  which  he 
has  retired  and  lives  at  Gray,  Iowa.  He  and  his  wife  had  seven  children, 
five  of  whom  are  now  living :  Alonzo,  Arthur,  Mrs.  Effie  Farnham,  Mrs. 
Ethel  Baldwin  and  Mrs.  McMichael. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  McMichael  and  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Mr.  McMichael  is  not  identified  with  any  political  party, 
but  is  altogether  independent  in  his  voting.  He  has  never  been  active  in 
politics,  however,  and  has  never  held  ofiice. 

Few  farmers  in  Cameron  township  have  paid  closer  attention  to  the 
details  of  modern  farming  than  Thomas  McMichael  and  few  men  have  a 
better  farm  than  he.  Not  'only  is  he  considered  a  successful  farmer  but  lie 
is  a  man  who  has  made  many  warm  friends  in  this  part  of  Audubon  county — 
friends  who  respect  and  admire  him  for  his  high  moral  character  and  cordial, 
friendlv  manners. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  525 

JOHN  E.  SIEMSEN. 

No  farmer  of  Cameron  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is  more  highly 
respected  than  John  E.  Siemsen,  who  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  in  Cameron  township,  and  who  is  a  native  of  Davenport,  Iowa, 
having  been  born  there  on  September  15,  1874.  Mr.  Siemsen  is  a  son  of 
Peter  and  Caroline  (Jorgen)  Siemsen,  both  natives  of  Hamburg,  Germany. 
The  former  was  a  carpenter  and  followed  this  trade  in  his  native  land.  On 
coming  to  America  in  1867  he  located  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  where  he  worked 
at  his  trade  and  lived  in  that  city  until  1882,  when  he  removed  to  Audubon 
county,  and  located  in  Douglas  township.  Here  he  purchased  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land,  operating  this  farm  until  1905,  when  he  retired 
from  active  farm  life  and  removed  to  Audubon,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
191 1.  His  wife  is  still  living.  Peter  Siemsen  paid  ten  and  twelve  dollars 
an  acre  for  his  first  land  purchased  in  Audubon  county  in  1882.  He  was  the 
first  to  break  the  prairie  sod,  improved  the  place  in  various  ways  and  devel- 
oped a  good  farm.  He  served  in  the  Danish  War  of  1848.  Peter  and 
Caroline  Siemsen  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  three  of  whom,  are  living 
in  this  county,  Mrs.  Mary  Nelson,  Fred  and  John  E.,  the  others  being, 
Charles,  Mrs.  Minnie  Flagg  and  Mrs.  Mollie  Hood. 

John  E.  Siemsen,  after  having  completed  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county,  attended  business  college  at 
Glidden,  Iowa,  and  upon  completing  a  course  in  this  institution,  returned 
home  and  took  up  farming  with  his  father,  which  vocation  he  followed  until 
1905,  when  he  took  over  the  complete  management  of  the  farm.  At  that 
time  his  father  retired  and  moved  to  Audubon,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  About  thirty-five  hundred  dollars  have  been  invested  in  improv- 
ing this  place,  and  it  is  now  one  of  the  many  good  farms  of  this  township. 
Mr.  Siemsen  raises  thirty  acres  of  small  grain,  forty  acres  of  corn  and  sells 
about  one-half  of  his  grain,  feeding  the  remainder  to  stock  on  his  own  place. 
His  corn  yields  an  average  of  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre.  Besides  raising  about 
forty  head  of  hogs  each  year  on  his  place,  he  also  raises  thoroughbred  Short- 
horn cattle,  and  has  at  the  present  time  a  herd  of  twenty  head  of  these  fine 
animals. 

John  E.  Siemsen  was  married  in  1905  to  Ethel  Farnham,  the  daughter 
of  Charles  Farnham,  and  of  the  six  children  born  to  this  marriage,  three  are 
deceased,  Glynn,  James  and  John.  The  living  children  are  Bessie,  Nellie 
and  Beatrice,  all  of  whom  are  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Fraternally,   Mr.    Siemsen  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 


526  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

America,  and  is  a  member  of  the  council  in  this  order.     He  has  been  for 
several  years  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

John  E.  Siemsen,  although  a  comparatively  young  man,  has  made  satis- 
factory progress  thus  far  in  life,  and  what  is  best  of  all,  he  has  won  the  good 
will  of  the  people  of  Cameron  township,  where  he  lives.  He  is  a  young 
man  of  progressive  spirit  and  good  moral  habits,  and  is  an  honor  to  the 
township  and  county  where  he  makes  his  home. 


JOHN   RILEY,   M.   D. 


The  man  who  devotes  his  talents  and  energies  to  the  noble  work  of 
ministering  to  the  ills  and  alleviating  the  sufferings  of  humanity  is  pursuing 
a  calling  which  in  dignity,  importance  and  beneficent  results  is  second  to  no 
other.  If  true  to  his  profession  and  earnest  in  his  efforts  to  enlarge  his 
sphere  of  usefulness,  he  is  indeed  a  benefactor  of  his  kind;  for  to  him  more 
than  any  other  man  are  entrusted  the  safety,  the  comfort  and,  in  many 
instances,  the  lives  of  those  who  place  themselves  under  his  care  and  profit 
by  his  services.  Taking  the  foregoing  into  consideration  and  giving  due 
credit  to  this  noblest  of  professional  callings,  it  is  undoubtedly  a  mark  of  the 
highest  distinction  to  have  practiced  continuously  for  thirty-five  years  in 
one  locality  and  to  be  noted  as  the  second  oldest  practicing  physician  in  the 
county.  Such  is  the  record  of  the  professional  gentleman  whose  name  forms 
the  caption  of  this  review.  He  is  one  of  the  honored  and  successful  physi- 
cians of  this  section  of  the  state,  having  for  years  ministered  to  the  sick  and 
ailing  of  Exira  and  vicinity,  and  is  still  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession. 

John  Riley  was  born  on  August  18,  1850,  in  Cambridge,  Illinois,  son 
of  Dr.  John  and  Abigail  (Burnett)  Riley,  natives  of  Saratoga  county,  New 
York.  Abigail  Burnett  was  of  colonial  origin  and  the  father  of  the  elder 
Dr.  John  Riley  was  of  English  descent.  The  family  left  the  ancestral  home 
in  Saratoga  county.  New  York,  in  1847  ^^^1  came  west  as  far  as  Illinois. 
The  senior  Dr.  John  Riley  was  a  physician  of  wide  repute  and  followed  his 
calling  in  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  with  signal  success.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  the  Castleton  (Vermont)  Medical  College  and  came  west  the  year  follow- 
ing his  graduation,  in  i8'46.  At  that  time  \\'hiteside  county  was  in  process 
of  settlement  and  Doctor  Riley,  the  elder,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  physicians 
of  the  county.     In  fact,  it  is  a  matter  of  historical  record  that  he  was  the  first 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  527 

physician  to  locate  in  Whiteside  county  and  was  the  only  one  for  several 
years.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  located  in  Rock  River,  directly  east 
of  the  city  of  Rock  Island,  his  headquarters  being  practically  in  Morrison, 
the  county  seat  of  Whiteside  county.  He  and  his  good  wife  now  lie  buried 
in  Whiteside  county. 

John  Riley,  the  younger,  of  whom  this  biography  directly  treats, 
attended  the  primitive  schools  in  Whiteside  county,  and  also  studied  in  the 
Geneseo  high  school.  He  taught  school  for  a  period  of  six  years,  meanwhile 
pursuing  the  study  of  medicine  in  his  father's  office.  Upon  I'eaving  the  high 
school  he  studied  at  Quincy  College,  and  later  was  graduated  from  Mussel- 
man's  Business  College  at  Quincy.  Illinos.  After  completing  his  commercial 
course  he  was  solicited  to  take  charge  of  the  commercial  department  of  the 
Northern  Illinois  College  at  Fulton.  He  accepted  the  offer  and  continued  his 
collegiate  studies  for  two  years  while  thus  engaged.  He  then  entered  the 
Teachers'  Training  School  at  Clinton,  Iowa,  and  taught  in  that  institution 
while  studying  medicine.  Continuing  his  preparation  for  the  practice  of 
his  chosen  profession,  he  was  graduated  from  the  medical  department  of  the 
Iowa  State  University  in  1880.  Soon  after  his  graduation  Doctor  Riley 
■  came  to  this  county,  locating  at  Exira,  where  he  has  practiced  continuously 
ever  since,  a  period  of  thirty-five  years,  and  is  now  the  second  oldest  physi- 
cian in  the  county,  in  point  of  years  of  continuous  practice.  He  has  been 
very  successful  in  his  calling  and  has  achieved  considerable  distinction  as  an 
able  practtiioner. 

In  August,  1880,  Dr.  John  Riley  was  married  to  Mary  Jane  Powers,  a 
talented  woman,  who,  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  with  Doctor  Riley,  was  a 
teacher  in  Cedar  Rapids.  Mrs.  Riley  is  an  Ohioan  by  birth  and  is  a  graduate 
of  the  famous  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  located  in  Delaware,  Ohio.  She 
was  noted  as  being  a  very  successful  teacher,  and  has  proved  a  fitting  and 
capable  helpmeet  for  her  busy  husband.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Riley  are  the 
parents  of  two  children,  John  C.  Riley,  a  jeweler  located  in  Exira,  this 
county,  and  Ethel  Mary,  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Sisterhood  of  St. 
Mary's,  in  Chicago. 

Doctor  Riley  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  being  attached  to  the  blue  lodge  at  Exira,  the 
chapter  and  commandery  at  Audubon,  to  Za-Ga-Zig  temple  of  the  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  of  the  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Des  Moines.  He  also 
has  membership  in  the  Audubon  County  Medical  Society,  the  Iowa  State 
Medical  Society  and  the  American  Medical  Association. 

The  long  years  spent  by  Doctor  Riley  among  the  people  of  southern 


528  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Audubon  county  have  endeared  him  to  them  beyond  measure  and  his  friends 
are  legion.  He  and  his  wife  are  devoted  to  the  best  interests  of  the  com- 
munity and  are  active  in  all  good  works  thereabout,  being  held  in  the  highest 
regard  by  all  who  know  them.  . 


JOHX  C.  BONWELL. 


It  is  by  no  means  an  easy  task  to  describe  within  the  limits  of  this  review, 
the  career  of  a  man  who  has  led  an  active  and  eminently  useful  life,  and,  who 
by  his  own  exertions,  reached  a  position  of  honor  and  trust  in  the  political 
life  of  the  county  with  which  his  interests  are  allied.  The  biographer  finds 
justification,  nevertheless,  in  tracing  and  recording  the  chief  facts  in  such  a 
life  history  and  the  public  claims  a  certain  interest  in  the  career  of  very  indi- 
vidual, who  has  occupied  a  position  of  prominence.  The  time  invariably 
arrives  when  men  of  this  character  are  entitled  to  the  proper  recognition  for 
their  work,  and  it  is  with  considerable  satisfaction  that  the  career  of  John  C. 
Bonwell  is  briefly  outlined  in  this  sketch. 

John  C.  Bonwell  is  a  prominent  farmer  of  Viola  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  who  has  served  his  township  and  county  in  many  positions  of 
trust  and  responsibility.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Iowa  General 
Assembly,  as  county  supervisor  of  Audubon  county  and,  in  addition  to  these 
offices,  he  has  filled  practically  all  of  the  township  offices. 

John  C.  Bonwell  was  born  in  Ohio,  on  November  6,  1842.  He  is  the 
son  of  Nathaniel  and  Charity  (Lowman)  bonwell,  natives  of  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania,  respectively.  The  paternal  great-grandfather  of  John  C.  Bon- 
well was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  family  originally  came 
from  Scotland  to  Ireland  and  from  Ireland  to  Virginia.  Mr.  Bonwell's 
grandfather,  Arthur  Bonwell,  owned  a  plantation  in  Virginia  and  also  owned 
many  slaves.  He  brought  them  to  Brown  county,  Ohio,  and  freed  them 
when  he  moved  north,  at  the  same  time  giving  each  slave  forty  acres  of  land. 
Nathaniel  Bonwell  owned  a  farm  in  Highland  county  and  there  reared  his 
family.     He  died  in  Highland  county  in  1864. 

John  C.  Bonwell  attended  school  in  the  Northern  Normal  University  at 
Lebanon,  Ohio,  and  here  received  most  of  his  education. 

John  C.  Bonwell  was  a  valiant  soldier  in  the  great  Civil  War.  He 
enlisted  in  1862  in  Company  F.  Sixtieth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  hav- 
ing served  three  months,  was  taken  prisoner  at  Harper's  Ferry  and  sent  away 
to  be  exchanged.     He  came  home  after  his  parole  and  remained   for  two 


W  faSa»fi«a'ns  ^-jS"-,-  yVO^ 


\jL^d--l  {^C  H^^4^ 


C 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  529 

years  or  until  1864  when  he  re-enhsted  in  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and 
Seventy-fifth  Ohio  Yohmteer  Infantry.  He  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of 
Spring  Hill,  Franklin  and  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  was  mustered  out  of  the 
service  in  June,  1865,  at  Nashville. 

Mr.  Bonwell  was  married  in  1869  and  came  west  to  Jasper  county,  Iowa, 
settling  in  Monroe  township.  He  taught  school  for  two  years  and  then  took 
the  position  of  bookkeeper  in  the  First  National  Bank  at  Monroe. 

In  1875  Mr.  Bonwell  moved  to  Exira  and  engaged  there  in  the  drug  and 
grocery  business  which  he  continued  for  one  year.  He  traded  the  store  for 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  \^iola  township  and  a  short  time 
later  moved  to  this  farm.  It  was  prairie  land  and  Mr.  Bonwell  has  placed 
splendid  improvements  upon  this  farm  and  planted  many  trees.  At  the  time 
he  took  possession  of  the  land,  there  was  but  a  small  shanty  and  a  hay  stable 
on  it;  some  of  the  land,  however,  had  been  broken.  Mr.  Bonwell  now  has  a 
modern  home  and  has  increased  his  holdings  until  he  owns  eleven  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  Viola  township.  Since  1889  he  has  not  been  actively 
engaged  in  farming.  He  has  dealt  in  cattle,  purchased,  fed  and  shipped  them 
to  the  extent  of  two  hundred  head  annually.  During  the  past  four  years, 
however,  he  has  lived  retired,  renting  out  the  land  which  he  owns. 

John  C.  Bonwell  has  filled  a  large  place  in  the  political  life  of  Audubon 
county.  He  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  has  filled  almost  all  of  the  town- 
ship offices,  serving  as  county  supervisor  of  A.udubon  county  between  1899 
and  1906.  In  1906  he  was  elected  representative  in  the  Iowa  Legislature. 
He  served  in  the  thirty-second  General  Assembly  and  in  the  extra  session  of 
the  thirty-third.  During  the  thirty-second  General  Assembly,  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  various  committees  dealing  with  ways  and  means,  agriculture, 
appropriations,  claims,  industrial  schools,  the  state  university,  constitutional . 
amendments,  state  educational  institutions,  and  military  affairs.  During  the 
thirty-third  General  Assembly,  he  was  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on 
roads  and  highways.  He  introduced  the  first  good  roads  bill  which  was  the 
forerunner  of  the  bill  now  pending  before  the  Iowa  Legislature.  During 
this  session,  Mr.  Bonwell  was  a  member  of  the  different  committees  on  wavs 
and  means ;  insurance,  agriculture,  schools  and  text  books ;  the  state  uni- 
versity; compensation  of  public  officers;  public  accounting,  and  military 
affairs.  During  this  session,  Mr.  Bonwell  introduced  the  Daylight  Saloon 
bill  and  another  bill  making  it  a  penal  offense  to  assault  a  man  in  order  to 
get  a  winter  jail  sentence.  The  honorable  John  C.  Bonwell  established  an 
excellent  record  in  both  sessions  of  the  Iowa  General  Assemblv  in  which  he 
(34) 


530  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

served;  a  record  of  which  he  and  his  constituents  have  reason  to  be  very- 
proud. 

On  December  27,  1869,  John  C.  Bonwell  was  married  to  Mary  Miller, 
who  was  born  in  Highland  county.  Ohio,  March  7,  1846.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Eliza  Miller,  natives  of  Ohio.  Three  children  were  born  to 
this  union,  Pauline,  who  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  H.  E.  Jewell,  of  Coon  Rapids, 
Iowa,  and  has  three  children,  John  Bonwell  and  Harris  Lee,  twins,  and  Thur- 
low ;  Mrs.  Gertrude  Hoffman,  who  lives  in  Viola  township  and  has  one  child, 
Violet ;  and  Mrs.  Leora  May  Jewell,  who  lives  in  Magnolia,  Putnam  county, 
Illinois. 

Although  Mr.  Bonwell's  father  was  a  member  of  the  Quaker  church, 
Mr.  Bonwell  himself  attends  the  jMethodist  Episcopal  church.  Fraternally, 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  the  chapter  and 
commandery,  of  Audubon  county,  and  Za-Ga-Zig  Temple  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine  at  Des  Moines. 


JOHN  FAABORG. 


One  of  the  enterprising  farmers  of  Sharon  township,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  the  owner  of  a  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  splendid  farming  land  in 
this  township,  is  John  Faaborg,  who  was  born  September  15,  1858,  in  Den- 
mark, the  son  of  Simon  and  Dorothy  Faaborg,  also  natives  of  Denmark, 
who  came  to  America  in  1875,  when  their  son  John  was  seventeen  years  old, 
and  located  in  Clinton  county,  where  they  rented  a  farm  for  five  years.  At 
tlie  end  of  this  period  they  moved  to  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  and  settled  in 
Clay  township,  where  they  farmed  for  a  time.  Simon  Faaborg  died  in 
Audubon  county,  July  4,  1899.  His  wife,  however,  had  died  many  years 
previously,  in  1875,  shortly  after  their  arrival  in  America.  She  had  been 
the  mother  of  six  children. 

After  receiving  a  good  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  John 
Faaborg  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  and  came  with  his  parents  to  America 
in  1875.  After  arriving  in  this  country  he  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand,  until 
1881,  when  he  moved  to  Audubon  county,  and  purchased  forty  acres  of  land, 
practically  all  of  which  was  raw  prairie.  Mr.  Faaborg  broke  the  sod  for  the 
first  time,  paying  seventeen  dollars  an  acre  for  the  first  forty  acres  and 
eventuallv  increased  his  acreage  until  he  now  owns  a  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
upon  which  he  has  invested  six  thousand  dollars  in  buildings,  fences,  drains 
and  other  imi)rovements.     Ordinarily,  he  raises  sixty  acres  of  corn,  which 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  53 1 

averages  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  twenty-five  acres  of  small  grain,  all  of 
which  he  feeds  to  his  hogs  and  cattle.  From  eighty  to  one  hundred  head  of 
hogs  are  raised  every  year  on  the  Faaborg  farm. 

John  Faaborg  was  married  in  1881  to  Mary  Petersen,  daughter  of  Mads 
Petersen.  Eleven  children  were  born  to  this  union  as  follow :  Christian, 
Simon,  Mads,  Hans,  Christena,  Axel,  Anna,  Edith,  Lydia,  Anton  and  Otto. 
Of  these  children,  Christian  married  Christena  Olsen,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Frederick  and  Christena;  Hans  married  Mary  Grave,  and  Anton 
married  Helga  Jacobsen ;  Christena  married  Martin  Larson,  and  they  have 
one  child.  After  the  death  of  Christian  Faaborg's  wife  he  was  married  to 
Dagmar  Jensen,  and  by  this  second  marriage  there  have  been  two  children 
born,  Mary  and  Rose. 

John  Faaborg  is  a  member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  and  was  a 
trustee  in  this  church.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  Faaborg  has  served  as 
school  director  in  his  township,  and  has  always  been  interested  in  maintaining 
good  schools  in  Sharon  township.  He  is  a  man  of  modest  and  unassuming 
demeanor,  who,  although  he  is  interested  in  public  questions  and  the  com- 
munity welfare,  has  devoted  his  time  and  efforts  principally  to  the  interests 
of  his  family  and  to  his  vocation.  Possessed  with  a  natural  liking  for  farm- 
ing he  has  been  ver}^  successful,  and  in  his  adopted  country  has  been  able  to 
carve  out  a  comfortable  home  where  he  will  be  able  to  live  during  his  declin- 
ing years  in  peace  and  comfort.  John  Faaborg  has  the  good  will  of  all  his 
neighbors  who  resjDCCt  him  for  his  sterling  manhood  and  unfailing  integrity. 


LOUIS  E.  TRAMP. 


Among  the  families  of  Audubon  county,  whose  members  have  worthily 
discharged  their  duties  to  their  fellows  and  to  their  community,  no  family 
takes  higher  rank  than  that  of  the  Tramps,  who  are  today  prominently 
identified  with  the  business  and  social  life  of  Audubon  and  the  county  at 
large.  For  many  years  the  members  of  this  family  have  stood  for  all  that 
is  best  in  business,  educational,  moral  and  social  life.  They  have  wielded  an 
influence  that  has  been  potential  in  the  development  and  welfare  of  Audubon 
county,  and  the  various  members  are  numbered  among  the  enterprising  and 
progressive  citizens  of  this  county.  Because  of  the  prominence  which  the 
family  has  enjoyed  in  manufacturing  circles  and  in  the  business  life  of  this 
county — the  close  relations  which  they  have  sustained  to  the  welfare  and 


532  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

prosperity  of  this  community — they  are  eminently  entitled  to  representation 
in  a  work  of  this  character. 

Louis  E.  Tramp,  a  worthy  representative  of  the  second  generation  of 
the  family  in  this  county  and  the  successor  to  the  flourishing  business  estab- 
lished by  his  father,  Charles  L.  Tramp,  was  born  on  March  22,  1880,  in 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  son  of  Charles  L.  and  Augusta  D.  (Damaska)  Tramp. 
Louis  E.  Tramp  was  not  yet  a  year  old  when  the  family  moved  to  Audubon 
in  1 881.  He  was  educated  in  the  Audubon  schools,  completing  the  high- 
school  course,  and  worked  for  his  father  at  making  brick  from  the  time  he 
was  a  small  boy.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  and  his  brother  pur- 
chased their  father's  brick  plant  and  have  since  been  engaged  in  operating 
that  business. 

On  October  12,  1905,  Louis  E.  Tramp  was  married  to  Anna  L.  McGin- 
nis,  daughter  of  Lewis  A.  and  Lavenia  (Hoak)  McGinnis,  to  wdiich  union 
four  children  have  been  born,  Worth  W.,  Paul  E.,  Harold  M.,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  three  years,  and  William  D.  Louis  E.  Tramp  is  a  Mason,  having 
attained  to  the  chapter  in  that  order.  He  also  is  an  Odd  Eellow  and  has 
attained  to  the  encampment  of  that  order,  and  is  likewise  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  of  the  Eastern  Star.  In  his  political 
views  he  is  in  conformance  with  the  policies  of  the  Republican  party  and 
gives  a  good  citizen's  attention  to  the  political  affairs  of  the  county. 

I-ewns  A.  McGinnis,  father  of  Mrs.  Tramp,  who  is  now  living  retired 
in  Audubon,  this  county,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Champaign  county,  Ohio, 
November  8,  1845,  ^  son  of  William  Lewis  and  Sarah  (Harbor)  McGinnis, 
natives  of  Kentucky  and  Ohio,  respectively,  the  former  of  whom  was  born 
in  1802,  and  died  in  1882,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  1807  and 
died  in  1875.  William  Lewis  McGinnis  was  the  son  of  William  McGinnis, 
a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  whose  parents 
migrated  to  that  state  from  Pennsylvania.  William  Lewis  and  Sarah  (Har- 
bor) McGinnis  were  married  in  Ohio  and  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives  in  that 
state,  having  been  sixteen  years  old  when  the  family  settled  in  Champaign 
county  in  181 8.  The  father  of  William  McGinnis  settled  in  Kentucky 
before  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  a  brother  of  Simon  Kenton,  the  famous 
pioneer  and  Indian  fighter,  was  his  brother-in-law.  To  William  Lewis  and 
Sarah  (Harbor)  McGinnis  the  following  children  were  born:  Anna, 
deceased;  William  Henry,  who  died  in  infancy;  Susanna,  deceased;  Samuel 
H.,  who  removed  to  California  in  1858;  John  N.  who  lives  in  Illinois; 
Thomas  J.,  who  died  in  Kansas,  and  Lewis  A.,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Louis  E. 
Tramp. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  533 

On  April  2,  1862,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  four  months  and  twenty- 
four  days,  Lewis  A.  McGinnis  enHsted  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  Company  A, 
Sixty-first  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  for  ^hree  years 
during  the  Civil  War,  being  discharged  at  Goldsboro,  North  Carolina,  on 
April  3,  1865.  He  fought  in  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  at  Chancellors- 
ville  and  at  Gettysburg.  For  eighteen  months  he  was  attached  to  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  and  fought  at  Freeman's  Ford,  White  Sulphur  Springs, 
Waterloo  Bridge  and  Fairfax  Court  House.  He  also  was  engaged  in  the 
battle  of  Wahatchie,  Mission  Ridge,  Burnt  Hickory,  Dallas,  Kenesaw  Moun- 
tain, Peachtree  Creek  and  in  the  siege  of  Atlanta.  From  May  10  to  Septem- 
ber I,  i8'6.4,  he  was  under  fire  constantly.  He  was  at  Montietti  Swamp, 
Georgia;  Averysboro,  North  Carolina,  and  Bentonville,  North  Carolina.  His 
captain  was  Fred  S.  Wallace  and  his  regimental  commanders  were  Colonel 
Schleich  and  Col.  Stephen  J.  McGroarty.  The  generals  in  charge  of  the 
brigade  in  which  Mr.  McGinnis  served  were  General  Bohlen,  who  was  killed 
at  Freeman's  Ford;  General  Schimmelpfennig,  General  Tindale  and  Colonel 
Robinson.  The  division  commanders  were  Gen.  Carl  Schurz,  Gen.  A.  S. 
Williams  and  Gen.  Ward.  During  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  Mr.  McGinnis 
was  under  General  Sigel  and  also  served  under  Gen.  Joe  Hooker,  Gen.  O.  O. 
Howard  and  Gen.  H.  W.  Slocum.  While  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  he 
was  under  Gen.  John  Pope,  General  McClellan,  General  Burnside  and  Gen. 
George  Gordon  Meade.  Subsequently,  he  was  transferred  to  tlie  Army  of 
the  West  and  served  under  General  Thomas.  Returning  home  after  the  war 
he  farmed  for  some  time  and  in  1877  nioved  to  Illinois,  residing  for  some 
time  in  Vermilion  county,  that  state.  In  1901  he  sold  out  his  holdings  there 
and  came  to  Audubon  county,  locating  in  Audubon,  the  countv  seat,  where 
he  is  living  a  retired  life.  Mr.  McGinnis  served  as  deputy  county  clerk  of 
Audubon  county  and  was  elected  county  clerk  in  1908  on  the  Republican 
ticket,  and  was  re-elected  in  1910,  serving  altogether  four  years,  retiring  on 
January  i,  191 3.  Mr.  McGinnis  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and.  fraternally,  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star. 

On  September  13,  1870,  Lewis  A.  McGinnis  was  married  to  Lavenia 
Hoak,  of  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  who  was  born  on  August  2^,  1849, 
daughter  of  Lemuel  and  Lucretia  Hoak,  to  which  union  the  following  chil- 
dren were  born:  Gilbert,  who  died  in  1876;  Oron  C,  who  lives  in  Los 
Angeles,  California;  Mrs.  May  Gray,  of  Greenville,  Texas;  Mr.  Cora  L. 
Barnett,  who  lives  in  Rush  county,  Indiana,  southeast  of  Indianapolis;  Mrs. 
Anna  L.  Tramp,  and  Lewis  L.,  who  lives  at  Waseca,  Minnesota. 


534  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

The  Audubon  Brick  Company  was  started  by  Charles  L.  Tramp  in  the 
spring  of  1882.  He  continued  to  operate  the  plant  until  in  ]\Iarch,  1901, 
when  it  was  taken  charge  of  by  Louis  E.  and  Charles  A.  Tramp,  his  sons, 
who  operated  it  until  July^  1902,  when  Charles  A.  sold  out  to  his  brother, 
Benjamin  F.,  who,  with  Louis  E.,  has  continued  to  operate  the  plant  since 
that  time.  In  November,  1909,  a  new  and  greatly  enlarged  plant  was 
erected  on  the  east  side  of  the  Nishnebotna,  comprising  four  kilns,  each  with 
a  capacity  of  fifty  thousand  bricks,  the  factory  and  drying- shed  covering  an 
area  of  fifty-two  by  a  hundred  and  two  feet,  two  floors.  The  steam  dryer 
has  a  capacity  of  a  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  three-inch  drain  tile,  and 
there  is  a  dryer,  fifty-three  by  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet,  with  a  capacity 
of  ninety  thousand  three-inch  drain  tile.  The  third  dryer,  fifty-two  by  a 
hundred  feet,  has  a  capacity  of  forty-five  thousand  bricks.  The  operating 
department  is  run  by  a  seventy-five  horse-power  engine  with  two  boilers  hav- 
ing a  capacity  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  horse  power,  the  equipment  being 
modern  in  every  respect  and  practically  new.  An  average  of  twentv  men 
are  employed.  The  output  is  shipped  over  Iowa,  Nebraska,  Missouri  and 
surrounding  states.  The  firm  manufactures  building  brick,  drain  tile  and 
building  tile,  and  manufactures  one  million  five  hundred  thousand  bricks 
annually,  Louis  E.  Tramp  occupying  the  position  of  general  manager. 

Charles  L.  Tramp,  who  established  the  above  business,  and  who  is  now 
retired,  was  born  on  February  20,  1846,  in  the  city  of  Waren,  in  Germany, 
the  son  of  Frederick  and  Fredericka  Tramp.  Frederick  Tramp  was  born  in 
181 7  and  died  in  1879.  He  was  a  brickmaker  by  trade  and  also  learned  the 
trade  of  a  hand-loom  linen  weaver  in  Germany.  He  came  to  America  in 
the  spring  of  1855,  landing  in  New  York  city  on  May  28.  and  reached 
Chicago  on  June  7.  From  Chicago  he  went  to  Long  Grove.  Lake  county, 
Illinois,  and  on  June  14  settled  in  Half  day,  six  miles  south  of  Libertyville, 
and  lived  there  until  1856,  in  which  year  the  moved  to  Blojmington.  Illmois, 
remaining  there  until  1868,  when  he  moved  to  Atlanta,  Illinois,  where  he 
started  a  small  brick  yard.  There  he  resided  and  manufactured  brick  until 
1874,  in  which  year  he  moved  to  Lincoln,  Logan  county,  Illinois,  and' manu- 
factured brick  for  seven  years,  or  until  his  death,  in  1880.  Frederick  and 
Fredericka  Tramp  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  as  follows :  Airs.  Louisa 
Siebert.  who  lives  at  Bloomington,  Illinois;  Charles  I..,  who  Is  referred  to 
here  variously;  Mrs.  Henrietta  Hecker,  who  lives  at  Audubon,  this  county; 
Harmon,  who  lives  in  Louisiana,  Missouri ;  Mrs.  Helen  Dixon,  who  lives  at 
Hastings,  Nebraska,  and  L.  \V.,  who  lives  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri. 

Charles  L.  Tramp  moved  to  Audubon,  this  county,  with  his  family  in 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  [^35 

December,  1880,  and  as  soon  as  possible  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
building  brick,  manufacturing  practically  all  of  the  brick  used  in  the  building 
of  Audubon.  He  also  manufactured  the  first  tile  in  Audubon  count}^  and 
brought  the  first  tile  machinery  to  this  county.  He  was  actively  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  brick  until  1901. 

On  November  3,  1870,  Charles  L.  Tramp  was  married  to  Augusta 
Damaska,  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  1847,  who  came  to  America  in  185  ^ 
with  her  parents.  She  died  on  November  4,  1883,  leaving  seven  children, 
namely :  \\'illiam  and  Harry,  who  live  at  Creston,  Iowa ;  Lillie,  the  wife  of 
Charles  Poulson,  of  Seattle.  Washington ;  Charles,  a  commercial  traveler, 
who  lives  at  Creston,  Iowa;  Louis  E.  and  Benjamin  F..  who  live  at  Audu- 
bon, and  Virg-il,  who  lives  at  Tulsa,  Oklahoma. 

On  September  11,  1909,  Charles  L.  Tramp  married,  secondly,  Mrs. 
Jennie  (Howard)  Wilson,  widow  of  Milo  C.  Wilson,  of  Nebraska,  who  was 
born  in  Columbia  county,  Wisconsin,  in  1850,  the  daughter  01  William  and 
Adeline  (Bennett)  Howard,  natives  of  Kentucky  and  Indiana,  respectively. 
William  Howard  died  in  Wisconsin  and  his  widow  thereafter  lived  vv^ith  a 
daughter  in  Nebraska,  where  her  last  days  were  spent. 


CHRISTIAN  ^lARCUSEN. 

In  the  respect  that  is  accorded  to  men  who  have  fought  their  own  way 
to  success  through  unfavorable  environment  we  find  an  unconscious  recogni- 
tion of  the  intrinsic  worth  of  character  which  can  not  only  endure  so  rough 
a  test,  but  gain  new  strength  through  discipline.  Christian  Marcusen.  the 
gentleman  to  whom  the  biographer  now  calls  the  reader's  attention,  was  not 
favored  by  inherited  wealth  or  the  assistance  of  influential  friends ;  but  in 
spite  of  this,  by  perseverance,  industry  and  wise  economy  he  has  attained  a 
comfortable  station  in  life  and  has  made  his  influence  for  good  felt  in 
Hamlin  township,  this  county,  where  he  resides  and  where  he  has  long  made 
his  home.  Because  of  the  honorable  career  he  has  had  in  this  county,  Mr. 
Marcusen  is  eminently  entitled  to  representation  in  this  volume. 

Christian  Marcusen  was  born  on  March  12,  1868,  in  Sjaelland,  Den- 
mark, the  son  of  Christian  and  Margretha  (Jensen)  Marcusen.  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  in  the  same  place  and  the  latter  at  Roskilde.  Christian 
Marcusen,  Sr.,  was  a  laborer  in  his  native  country  and  he  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  five  children,  all  sons.     The  two  eldest  of  these  sons,  Jens  and 


536  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Hans,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1880  and  located  in  this  county.  They 
saved  their  money  and  in  1882  sent  back  to  the  native  country  the  funds 
with  which  their  father  and  mother  and  the  other  sons  paid  their  passage  to 
this  country,  Christian  Marcusen,  Jr.,  being  then  fourteen  years  of  age.  He 
had  received  a  fairly  good  education  in  Denmark  and  attended  school  some 
time  after  his  arrival  in  this  country,  but  not  a  great  deal.  He  commenced 
"working  out"  at  farm  labor  as  soon  as  he  arrived  in  this  county,  and  was 
thus  engaged  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  old,  at  which  time  he  pur- 
chased sixty  acres  of  land  from  his  brother  in  Sharon  township,  one  mile 
east  of  Kimballton,  his  father  having  bought  forty  acres  alongside  this  farm, 
Christian  lived  with  his  parents  and  tended  both  farms.  The  father  died  in 
1895,  after  which  Christian  purchased  the  interest  of  the  other  heirs  in  the 
home  farm  of  forty  acres,  his  mother  making  her  home  with  him  and  keeping 
house  for  him  until  her  death,  in  February,  1899.  Christian  Marcusen  was 
on  a  visit  in  Denmark  at  the  time  of  her  death.  The  senior  Christian  Mar- 
cusen and  three  of  his  brothers  served  in  the  war  between  Denmark  and 
Germany  in  1846,  the  former  being  severely  wounded  during  one  of  the 
battles.  In  1864  two  of  the  brothers  were  compelled  to  enlist  the  second 
time. 

In  1 90 1  Christian  Marcusen  sold  his  farm  in  Sharon  township  and  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty-three  acres  of  land  in  section  18  of  Hamlin 
township,  moving  to  this  farm  in  the  following  spring.  In  19 13  he  1>uilt  a 
large  ten-room  house,  modern  in  every  respect;  equipped  with  a  furnace, 
bath,  hot  and  cold  water,  piped  for  gas  and  wired  for  electric  light.  Mr. 
Marcusen  has  also  built  several  new  out-buildings  and  remodeled  others  until 
now  he  has  one  of  the  best-improved  farms  in  that  section  of  the  county. 

On  December  21,  1899,  Christian  Marcusen  was  married  to  Christine 
M.  Byriel,  of  Audubon,  who  was  born  on  September  11,  1881,  in  Schleswig, 
Germany,  the  daughter  of  Mathias  and  Marie  (Mortesen)  Byriel,  also  natives 
of  Schleswig,  so  far  as  is  known,  who  came  to  America  in  1884,  Christine 
Byriel  being  then  but  three  years  of  age.  Her  father  died  when  she  was  only 
five  years  old  and  her  mother  when  she  was  twelve,  after  which  she  was  com- 
pelled to  make  her  own  living.  To  Christian  and  Christine  (Byriel)  Mar- 
cusen five  children  have  been  born,  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely: 
Arthur  C,  born  on  January  15,  1902;  Orla  M.,  November  2,  1903;  Mar- 
gretha  M..  November  24,  1905;  Lydia  S.,  March  23,  1908,  and  Hilda  M., 
January  30,  19 10. 

Mr.  Marcusen  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  feeding 
annually  about  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  and  milking  about  fifteen  head  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  537 

COWS.  He  is  also  interested  in  other  enterprises  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the 
Elkhorn  Telephone  Company  and  the  Sharon  Creamery  Company.  Mr. 
Marcusen  is  a  Democrat,  but  does  not  class  himself  as  a  politician  and  has 
never  held  office.  His  chief  interests  are  confined  to  his  family,  his  home  and 
his  farm.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Danish  Brotherhood,  and  he  and  his  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  active  in  the  good  works 
thereof  and  held  in  the  highest  esteem  throughout  that  entire  neighborhood. 


GEORGE  N.  EIIGLEY. 


The  biographies  of  successful  men  are  instructive  as  guides  and  incen- 
tives to  those  whose  careers  are  yet  to  be  achieved.  The  examples  they 
furnish  of  patient  purpose  and  consecutive  endeavor,  strongly  illustrate  what 
is  in  the  power  of  each  to  accomplish.  George  N.  Higley,  a  well-known 
farmer  of  Viola  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  whose  life  story  is  here 
briefly  set  forth,  is  a  conspicuous  example  of  one  who  has  lived  to  good 
purpose  and  reached  a  definite  degree  of  success  in  a  special  sphere  to  which 
his  talents  and  energies  have  been  devoted. 

George  N.  Higley  was  born  in  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  July  2,  1858.  He 
is  the  son  of  Abram  and  Sarah  Ann  (LaShell)  Higley,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  native  of  Vermont  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania.  The  paternal 
grandparents  of  George  N.  Higley  were  natives  of  London,  England.  Mrs. 
Higley,  the  mother  of  George  N.,  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  Illinois  with 
her  parents  and  here  she  was  married  to  Abram  Higley.  Abram  Higley  and 
wife  remained  in  Illinois  until  they  retired  and  then  moved  to  California, 
where  Mr.  Higley  died.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  children : 
Lutitia  M.,  George  N.,  Edward  Birt,  Edwin  Miles  and  Effie  Viola,  deceased. 

George  N.  Higley  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Illinois  and 
after  completing  his  education,  began  farming  in  that  state,  which  he  con- 
tinued for  four  years.  He  came  to  Iowa  in  1885  and  located  in  Viola  town- 
ship, where  he  first  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  for  twenty-three  dollars 
and  seventy-five  cents  an  acre.  He  then  added  eighty  acres  and  during  all 
0/  this  time  has  been  engaged  in  mixed  farming  and  stock  breeding  and 
feeding. 

George  N.  Higley  was  married  on  November  10,  1880.  to  Ada  Jean- 
nette  Shaffer,  who  was  born  on  April  22,  1862.  and  is  the  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Henry  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Berger)  Shaffer,  the  former  of  whom  was 


538  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

a  native  of  New  York  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  They  were 
married  in  Illinois,  having  come  to  that  state  early  in  life  with  their  parents, 
who  were  farmers.  William  Henry  and  Mary  Elizabeth  Shaffer  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children :  Horace  P.,  Mrs.  Higley,  Eliza  Jane,  Ann,  Harry, 
deceased;  Evelyn  A.,  Cora  Belle,  William  Walter,  deceased;  Ira  V.  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  X.  Higley  have  been  born  four  children: 
Stanley  Boyd,  born  on  July  21,  1885,  and  was  accidentally  killed  on  June  4, 
1915;  Cora  Blanche,  born  March  11,  1891,  who  married  William  Olson,  of 
Viola  township;  Bertha  May,  born  June  12,  1894.  and  Bonita  Elizabeth, 
born  June  14,  1899. 

Mr.  Higley  served  as  township  trustee  and  assessor.  He  has  served  as 
school  treasurer  for  twenty-two  years.  Religiously,  he  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Evangelical  church.  He  served  as  a  trustee  of  the  church 
for  some  time  and  also  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  for  a  number 
of  years.  Mr.  Higley  is  a  Republican  and  has  been  more  or  less  active  in 
the  councils  of  his  party.  In  this  part  of  Audubon  county,  he  has  done  his 
share  as  an  influential  factor  in  the  Republican  victories  of  the  past.  Mr. 
Pligley  is  an  enterprising  and  progressive  citizen,  a  good  farmer  and  a  neigh- 
bor who  is  well  liked  by  everybody. 


ANDERS  JENSEN. 


Of  the  many  worthy  citizens  of  Sharon  township,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  who  have  been  able  to  establish  comfortable  homes  in  their  adopted 
country,  is  Anders  Jensen,  a  native  of  Denmark,  born  on  June  7,  1866,  and 
who  is  the  son  of  Jens  and  Karen  Jensen.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  splendid 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Sharon  township. 

Jens  and  Karen  Jensen,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  came  to  America  in 
1874  with  their  family  and  after  living  in  Chicago,  for  a  month,  moved  to 
Wisconsin,  where  the  former  worked  in  the  shipyards  for  a  year.  They 
then  settled  near  New  Denmark  close  to  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
farmed  and  followed  the  carpenter's  trade.  Here  he  cleared  thirty  acres  of 
timber  land  and  lived  for  ten  years,  when  the  family  came  to  Audubon  county 
and  located  in  Sharon  township.  In  Sharon  township  Jens  Jensen  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  and  farmed  there  until  1908  when  he  retired,  and  is  now 
living  in  Kimballton.  He  has  followed  the  carpenter's  trade  and  farming 
after  reaching  the  age  of  fifty  years.     Before  coming  to  America,  he  served 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  539 

in  the  Danish-Prussian  War  of  1864  and  had  a  splendid  record  of  military 
service  in  this  war.  He  and  his  wife  have  been  the  parents  of  nine  children 
as  follow :  Hans,  Chris,  Anders,  Thorvald,  Walter,  Mary,  Carrie,  Kate,  and 
Dagmar,  deceased. 

Anders  Jensen,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  lad  of  eight  years  when 
the  family  came  to  America  and  most  of  his  education  was  received  in  the 
schools  of  Wisconsin.  After  his  education  was  completed,  he  worked  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  which  he  followed  until  fourteen  years  ago.  He  purchased 
a  farm  in  1895  and  rented  it  out  until  1901.  In  this  latter  year  he  began 
farming  for  himself  and  has  invested  possibly  five  thousand  dollars  in  various 
kinds  of  improvements  on  the  farm.  He  now  has  a  well-kept  and  highly 
productive  farm  in  Sharon  township.  He  raises  forty  acres  of  corn  which 
averages  about  fifty  bushels  an  acre,  twenty  acres  of  small  grain  and  seventy 
head  of  hogs  each  year. 

In  1899  Mr.  Jensen  was  married  to  Anna  Simeson,  the  daughter  of 
Erick  and  Karen  Simeson.  To  this  marriage  eight  children  have  been  born : 
Elvena,  Dagmar,  Astrid,  Gunda,  Edna,  Erma,  Herluf  and  Eleanora  Christena. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jensen  are  active  in  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  of  which 
both  are  members  and  Mr.  Jensen,  who  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  has  also 
served  as  a  school  director  in  Sharon  township.  A  successful  farmer  of  this 
community,  Anders  Jensen  is  also  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  the  town- 
ship and  one  of  the  citizens  who  are  most  highly  respected  and  most  favorably 
known.  He  is  a  worthy  citizen  of  this  great  county,  having  prospered  in 
this  great  democratic  country,  and  is  patriotic  and  loyal  to  his  adopted 
country. 


MARTIN  P.  MARDESEN. 

The  United  States  is  the  most  cosmopolitan  nation  of  the  earth.  Her 
citizens  are  drawn  from  every  country  and  every  clime  and  a  residence  of  a 
few  years  in  this  country  so  imbues  her  adopted  citizens  with  the  American 
spirit  that  they  become  Americans  indeed.  No  nation  has  furnished  better 
or  more  substantial  citizens  for  this  country  than  the  little  kingdom  of  Den- 
mark. From  this  splendid  country  have  come  thousands  who  have  won 
honored  places  in  the  communities  in  which  they  settled.  Among  the  many 
families  who  have  come  to  this  country  from  Denmark  and  settled  in  the 
state  of  Iowa  there  is  none  more  loyal  to  their  adopted  country  than  the 
Mardesen  family  of  Hamlin  township,  this  county.     Martin  P.  Mardesen, 


540  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

the  present  head  of  this  family  in  HamHn  township,  is  one  of  the  best-known 
farmers  and  business  men  in  Audubon  county. 

Martin  P.  Mardesen  was  born  on  January  31,  1846,  in  Schleswig,  near 
Apenrada,  Denmark,  the  son  of  Soren  and  Anna  Mardesen,  who  were  also 
born  in  Schleswig,  the  former  near  Apenrada,  and  the  latter  farther  north. 
Soren  Mardesen  was  a  farmer  and  his  father,  Martin  Mardesen,  was  a  black- 
smith. Soren  Mardesen  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  Martin 
P.  Mardesen  having  a  sister,  Anna  Marguerite,  two  years  younger  than  him- 
self. 

Martin  P.  Mardesen  received  a  good  common-school  education,  attend- 
ing the  school  in  the  winter  and  working  out  in  the  summer.  He  came  to 
America  when  twenty-one  years  old,  landing  at  Quebec,  Canada.  He 
did  not  stop  there  long  but  came  west  to  Davenport,  Iowa,  near  which  city 
he  obtained  work  by  the  month  on  a  farm.  He  stayed  there  four  years  and 
in  1 87 1  moved  to  Cass  county,  Iowa,  locating  at  Atlantic,  at  the  same  time 
purchasing  forty  acres  of  land  in  the  southern  part  of  Audubon  county.  As 
soon  as  he  got  a  house  built  on  this  farm,  he  moved  there.  This  was  several 
years  before  the  Atlantic-Audubon  branch  of  the  Rock  Island  railroad  was 
built  and  Oakfield  was  the  postoffice  at  that  time.  Atlantic  was  the  nearest 
large  town.  Mr.  Mardesen  owned  this  forty  acres  for  only  three  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  it  and  purchased  two  hundred  and  seventy-six 
acres  of  land  near  Elkhorn,  on  which  he  lived  for  twenty-eight  years  and 
then  sold  it,  purchasing,  in  1901,  three  hundred  and  thirteen  acres  in  section 
27,  of  Hamlin  township,  this  county.  Mr.  Mardesen  moved  to  this  farm  in 
1902,  and  has  since  made  his  home  there. 

In  1869  Martin  P.  Mardesen  was  married  to  Nancy  J.  McDowell,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  the  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  McDowell,  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent  of  very  old  families  in  the  United  States.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  seven  children,  Anna,  John  S.,  Thomas,  Mary,  Edward, 
Frank  and  Amanda.  Anna  married  Mike  Larsen  and  has  six  children, 
Martin,  Mary,  Charles,  William,  Henry  and  Helen.  John  S.  married  Sena 
Nelsen,  of  Danish  parentage,  but  born  in  this  country,  and  they  have  four 
children,  Alfred,  Esther,  Arnold  and  Leona.  Thomas  married  Grace  Wells 
and  has  five  children,  George,  Thelma.  Eloween,  Maxine  and  Harvey.  Mary 
married  Rasmus  Nissen,  of  Elkhorn,  and  has  eight  children,  Clarence.  Flor- 
ence, Rena,  Frankie,  Harvey,  Melvin,  Annabelle  and  Mildred.  Edward 
married  Sena  Esbeck  and  has  four  children,  Merlin,  Leo,  Vernon  and 
Evelyn.  Frank  married  Anna  Petersen  and  has  six  children.  Edna  Alice, 
Imo,  Esther,   Erma,  Lillian  and  Milo.     Amanda  married   Chris  Larsen,  d 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  54 1 

druggist  at  Elkhorn,  and  has  five  children,  Herman,  Merhn,  Emert,  Sidney 
and  Curtis.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  November  i6,  190 1,  and 
on  April  12,  1904,  Mr.  Mardesen  married,  secondly,  Mrs.  Anna  (Jensen) 
Steffensen,  widow  of  Doctor  Steffensen,  of  Elkhorn,  who  died  on  January 
27,  1913. 

Mr.  Mardesen  is  a  stockholder  and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
First  National  Bank  at  Exira.  of  which  he  was  a  director  for  three  years. 
He  also  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Elkhorn-Kimballton  Lumber  Company  at 
Elkhorn  and  in  the  Elkhorn-Marne  Telephone  Company.  He  owns  property 
in  Exira  and  spends  a  great  deal  of  his  time  there.  Mr.  Mardesen  is  identi- 
fied with  the  Republican  party  and  has  served  as  school  director  and  town- 
ship trustee,  besides  filling  other  minor  offices  with  credit  to  himself  and 
satisfaction  to  the  community.  Mr.  Mardesen  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  and  are  held  in  high  regard  throughout  the 
community  in  which  they  are  so  well  known. 


EUGENE  POTTER. 


Eugene  Potter,  a  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Douglas  township, 
this  county,  who  owns  eighty  acres  of  land  in  that  township,  was  born  on 
June  2,  1 85 1,  in  New  York,  the  son  of  James  and  Delia  Potter,  both  natives 
of  the  Empire  state.  James  Potter  owned  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in 
New  York  state  and  was  there  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  seven  are  still  living, 
Laura,  Dwane,  Eugene,  Fayette,  Beavel,  Alice  and  Eliza,  all  of  whom,  except 
Eugene  and  a  brother  at  Coon  Rapids,  Iowa,  live  in  the  state  of  New  York. 

Eugene  Potter's  educational  advantages  were  limited,  as  he  was  com- 
pelled to  quit  school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  and  to  engage  in  work  on  his 
father's  farm,  where  he  remained  until  reaching  his  majority,  when  he  began 
working  by  the  day  in  a  saw-mill.  After  engaging  in  this  occupation  for 
seven  years,  he  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farm  work  for  one  year, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  came  to  Iowa,  locating  in  Shelby  county,  and 
there  worked  for  two  years  on  various  farms.  After  his  marriage,  in  1884, 
he  rented  a  farm  in  Shelby  county,  on  which  he  lived  for  three  years  and 
then  purchased  eighty  acres  in  Douglas  township,  this  county,  for  which  he 
paid  twenty-three  dollars  an  acre.  The  farm,  which  is  located  in  section  15, 
has  been   improved   with   an   investment   of   approximately   three   thousand 


542  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

dollars.  Although  Mr.  Potter  feeds  some  grain,  the  most  of  it  he  sells  direct 
to  the  elevators  in  his  neighborhood.  He  sells  a  few  cattle  and  a  few  hogs 
each  year. 

In  1884  Eugene  Potter  was  married  to  Katie  Johnson,  the  daughter  of 
David  Johnson,  of  Shelby  county,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been 
born,  Grace,  Lester,  Ralph  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  Lester  married 
Xeola  Reynolds  and  lives  south  of  Coon  Rapids,  this  state.  He  and  his  wife 
have  one  child.  Ralph  is  farming  the  home  place  and  Grace  also  lives  at 
home. 

]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Potter  attend  the  Evangelical  church.  ]^Ir.  Potter  is  a 
Republican,  Ijut  has  taken  little  active  interest  in  political  matters.  He  is 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  his  home  and  his  family  and  has  lived  to  rear  a 
family  of  children  to  useful  lives.  Mr.  Potter  has  been  a  just  man  and  has 
never  exacted  in  friendship  or  business  more  than  he  was  willing  to  grant 
to  his  neighbors.  By  his  early  toil,  he  has  gained  for  himself  a  comfortable 
home,  which,  when  his  productive  years  have  passed,  he  will  be  able  to 
enjoy  in  calm  security. 


GEORGE  A.  CAMPBELL. 

The  biographies  of  successful  men  are  instructive  as  guides  and  incen- 
tives to  those  whose  careers  are  yet  to  be  achieved.  The  examples  they  fur- 
nish of  patient  purpose  and  consecutive  endeavor  strongly  illustrate  what  is 
in  the  power  of  each  to  accomiplish.  George  A.  Campbell,  a  well-known 
farmer  of  Melville  township  and  the  proprietor  of  five  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  all  located  in  that  township,  is  a  conspicuous  example  of  one 
who  has  lived  to  good  purpose  and  who  has  achieved  a  definite  degree  of 
success  in  the  special  sphere  to  which  his  talents  and  energies  have  been 
devoted. 

George  A.  Campbell  was  born  on  Alarch  5,  i860,  in  Lincoln,  Illinois, 
the  son  of  George  Campbell  and  the  brother  of  Thomas  Campbell,  a  biograph- 
ical sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  George  A.  Camp- 
bell and  his  brother,  James,  came  to  Iowa  in  1884  ^^^^^  settled  on  a  large  tract 
of  land  which  they  had  purchased  in  1882.  A  sister  kept  house  for  the 
brothers  until  her  marriage.  George  A.  Campbell  bought  his  first  tract  of 
two  hundred  acres  in  1889,  at  twenty-two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  an  acre,  and 
at  that  time  there  were  very  few  improvements  on  the  land.  Mr.  Campbell 
has  built  several  barns  on  the  farm  and  in  1908  he  remodeled  his  house, 
making   it   thoroughly  modern.     Mr.    Campbell   has   added   to   the   original 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  543 

home  tract  until  it  now  comprises  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  has 
besides  this  two  other  farms,  on  which  there  are  three  sets  of  buildings. 
He  feeds  practically  all  the  time,  from  ninety  to  one  hundred  head  of  cattle 
and  from  seventy  to  one  hundred  head  of  hogs. 

In  1884  George  A.  Campbell  was  married  to  Sophia  Messersmith,  a 
native  of  Indiana,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  nine  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  living,  namely :  Edward,  who  married  Amy  Murray  and  is  at 
home;  May,  the  wife  of  Fred  McCoy,  of  Melville  township;  John,  Mary, 
Ella,  Frank  and  Ephraim,  all  at  home.  The  two  deceased  children  were 
George  and  Robert.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Campbell  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church  and  their  children  have  been  reared  in  that  faith.  Mr.  Campbell  is 
a  Democrat  and  served  on  the  school  board  for  twelve  years,  in  which  capacity 
he  discharged  the  duties  of  his  office  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  people  of  Mel- 
ville township. 


ROBERT  H.  GARNETT. 


Among  the  men  of  sterling  worth  and  strength  of  character  in  this 
county  who  have  made  an  impression  on  the  life  of  the  locality  in  which 
they  lived,  none  has  achieved  a  larger  meed  of  popular  respect  and  regard 
than  Robert  H.  Garnett.  Mr.  Garnett  has  lived  in  Audubon  county  for 
many  years  and  this  has  given  the  people  an  opportunity  to  know  every 
phase  of  his  character.  That  he  has  been  true  to  life  in  its  every  phase  is 
manifest  from  the  high  confidence  and  regard  in  which  he  is  held  by  the 
people  of  this  county.  Mr.  Garnett  is  now  living  retired,  having,  by  his 
early  labors,  accjuired  a  substantial  competence  for  his  declining  years. 

Robert  H.  Garnett  was  born  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  about  six- 
teen miles  north  of  the  city  of  Rock  Island,  on  November  i6,  1847,  the  son 
of  William  and  Sarah  (Brown)  Garnett,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  at  Westchester,  near  Philadelphia,  and  the  latter  near  a 
town  that  was  then  called  Bloody  Run.  The  Garnetts  are  of  English  descent, 
William  Garnett' s  father  having  been  the  first  of  the  family  to  cross  the 
Atlantic  for  America.  Robert  H.  Garnett  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  lived  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old.  In  1881 
he  came  to  Iowa  and  located  in  Greeley  township,  this  county,  where  he  pur- 
chased two  hundred  acres  of  railroad  land  in  section  5.  Later  he  sold  forty 
acres  of  that  farm  and  purchased  eighty  acres  more,  adjoining  his  farm  on 
the  northwest.  In  1896  Mr.  Garnett  moved  to  Audubon,  but  after  two  years 
moved  back  to  the  farm  where  he  lived  until  1905,  in  which  year  he  retired 


544  AUDUBOX    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

and  moved  to  Hamlin,  where  he  now  hves  and  where  he  owns  one  of  the 
pleasantest  homes  in  the  town. 

On  August  23,  1 87 1,  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  Robert  H.  Garnett 
was  married  to  Jeanette  I.  Clark,  who  was  born  in  Greensburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, on  October  12,  1853.  the  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Mary  A.  (Hor- 
ton)  Clark,  natives  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  Tarentum.  Allegheny 
county,  Pennsylvania,  respectively.  The  Clarks  were  of  Scottish  descent, 
Mrs.  Garnett's  great-grandparents  having  emigrated  from  Scotland  to  this 
country.  George  W.  Clark  was  a  carriage-maker  in  his  earlier  days,  but 
later  in  life  took  up  farming.  To  Robert  H.  and  Jeanette  I.  (Clark)  Gar- 
nett two  children  have  been  born,  Carrie  E.,  born  on  September  2,  1872,  who 
married  James  White,  and  has  six  children.  Harry,  Walter,  Ruth,  Ralph, 
Helen  and  Wayne,  and  Charles  R.,  November  30,  1878,  who  married  Jessie 
Gerard  and  has  two  children.  George  R.  and  Franklin  ]\I.  Both  of  Mr. 
Garnett's  children  live  on  his  farms. 

Mr.  Garnett  is  a  Democrat  and  served  as  township  clerk  in  Illinois 
before  coming  to  Iowa.  He  also  has  served  two  terms  as  township  trustee 
of  Greeley  township,  in  this  county,  and  for  seven  years  was  postmaster  at 
Hamlin,  filling  all  these  offices  with  credit  to  himself  and  with  satisfaction 
to  the  public.  No  better  testimonial  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  the 
people  of  this  countv  can  be  offered  than  his  successive  elections  or  appoint- 
ments to  important  offices.  ]\Ir.  and  ]Mrs.  Garnett  and  family  are  members 
of  the  ^Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  are  enthusiastic  and  faithful  sup- 
porters of  this  denomination.  They  are  earnest  in  all  good  works  and  enjoy 
the  highest  esteem  of  the  entire  neighborhood. 


ARTHUR  KITSON. 


Representing  one  of  the  oldest  and  best-known  families  of  Viola  town- 
ship, Audubon  county.  Iowa,  and  himself  a  man  of  enterprise  and  sterling 
worth,  Arthur  Kitson  is  well  entitled  to  notice  among  the  substantial  citizens 
of  Viola  township.  Although  Mr.  Kitson  is  now  living  retired,  it  is  with 
much  satisfaction  that  the  opportunity  is  availed  of  to  place  the  story  of  his 
life  before  the  readers  of  this  important  historical  work. 

Arthur  Kitson  is  a  native  of  England.  He  was  born  on  October  24, 
1850,  at  34  Albert  Square.  Kennington,  South  London.  England.  He  is  the 
son  of  Wils  and  Hannah  (Rhodes)  Kitson.  Wils  Kitson  was  a  government 
official  and  received  a  salary  of  one  thousand  pounds  (five  thousand  dollars) 


ARTHUR  KITSON 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  545 

annually.  He  was  at  the  head  of  a  department  when  his  health  failed,  and  he 
retired  on  a  pension  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  (seventeen  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars)  annually.     Both  he  and  his  wife  died  in  England. 

Arthur  Kitson  learned  the  worsted  trade  and  became  an  expert  in  pre- 
paring wool.  He  worked  for  a  Air.  Wildman  and  afterwards  a  Mr.  Saltair, 
in  a  mill  employing  four  thousand  people.  In  1874  Mr.  Kitson  came  to 
America  and  joined  a  cousin,  William  Fyfe,  at  Wiota,  Cass  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  remained  one  year.  He  rented  land  in  Cass  county  and  was  a 
farmer  there.  He  rented  land  of  Roger  Robinson  for  one  year,  and  also 
rented  for  one  year  from  J.  B.  McDermott.  In  1877  Mr.  Kitson  moved  to 
Audubon  county,  where  he  purchased  land  in  section  15,  Lincoln  township, 
at  fifteen  and  fifteen  and  one-half  dollars  an  acre.  He  bought  raw  prairie 
land  and  at  this  time  his  nearest  neighbor  lived  three  miles  away.  He  was  a 
pioneer  in  Lincoln  township,  where  the  land  was  very  thinly  settled  and  the 
markets  far  away.  Mr.  Kitson  "batched"  for  five  years  and  was  married  in 
1 88 1.  In  1906  he  left  Lincoln  township  having  sold  his  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred acres  at  thirty-one  and  one-half  dollars  and  eighty  acres  at  eighty-five 
dollars  per  acre.  He  began  with  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Viola  town- 
ship and  added  eighty  acres  at  twenty  dollars  an  acre.  He  sold  forty  acres 
at  twenty-three  dollars  an  acre.  Subsequently,  he  went  security  on  a  note 
and  got  into  financial  difficulties.  After  this  incident  he  moved  to  eighty 
acres  of  land  which  he  purchased  at  thirty-two  and  one-half  dollars  an  acre 
from  John  Hinch.  Here  he  lived  for  eight  years  or  until  1907.  He  sold 
this  farm  in  the  fall  of  1906  and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  sec- 
tion 34  of  Viola  township,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

]\Ir.  Kitson  was  married  in  May,  1881.  to  Julia  Carpenter.  Six  children 
have  been  born  to  this  marriage,  one  of  whom  is  deceased.  They  are  Ethel, 
the  wife  of  Albert  Clevenger,  of  Minnesota;  Annie,  deceased;  Harry,  who  is 
a  student  at  the  University  at  Oskaloosa,  Iowa ;  Walter  and  Burt,  twins,  the 
former  a  student  of  medicine  at  Iowa  University  at  Iowa  City,  and  the  latter 
operating  the  home  farm;  and  Lillian  Marian,  who  lives  at  home.  Mrs. 
Kitson  was  born  in  Devonshire,  England.  October  13,  1858,  and  came  to  this 
country  in  1875  with  her  uncle,  George  Chamberlain.  L^pon  arriving  in  this 
country,  they  located  in  Cass  county,  Iowa. 

Mr.  Kitson  is  an  independent  voter  in  politics  but  a  stanch  Prohibitionist 
and  supports  measures  and  men  rather  than  parties  and  party  emblems.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  church  and  are  good  Christian 
people.  They  are  respected  citizens  of  this  community  and  eminently  deserve 
to  be  included  in  the  biographical  annals  of  Audubon  county. 

(35) 


546  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

HANS  J.  HANSEN. 

The  best  history  of  a  community  or  state  is  that  which  deals  most 
largely  with  the  lives  and  activities  of  the  people ;  especially  of  those  who  by 
their  own  endeavors  and  by  the  exercise  of  indomitable  energy  have  forged 
to  the  front  and  placed  themselves  in  a  position  where  they  deserve  to  be 
called  progressive  citizens.  In  this  brief  review  will  be  found  the  record  of 
Hans  J.  Hansen,  a  man  who  has  outstripped  those  less  active  on  the  highway 
of  life  and  who  has  achieved  a  career  of  marked  success  in  farming,  his 
name  being  one  which  his  neighbors  delight  to  honor  on  account  of  his 
upright  life  and  habits  of  thrift  and  industry. 

Hans  J.  Hansen  was  born  in  Denmark  on  April  23.  1858,  son  of  Andrew 
and  Gesten  (Hansen)  Hansen,  natives  of  the  same  country  and  the  parents 
of  four  children,  of  whom  Hans  J.  is  the  eldest.  Andrew  Hansen  was  a 
wheel-maker  by  trade.  Hans  J.  Hansen  worked  on  the  farm  in  his  boyhood 
days  and  when  twenty- four  years  of  age  came  to  the  United  States,  landing 
in  New  York  city ;  shortly  afterward  coming,  to  Audubon  county,  where  he 
has  lived  ever  since.  For  three  years  after  his  arrival  here  he  worked  by  the 
month  and  then  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  and  rented  some  additional 
land.  He  gradually  has  added  to  his  holdings  until  he  now  owns  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  of  as  good  land  as  there  is  in  Audubon  county.  Mr. 
Hansen's  first  home  was  in  Sharon  township,  but  in  1907  he  bought  land 
adjoining  the  town  of  Hamlin  and  built  a  large  eleven-room  house.  His 
barn  is  also  a  fine  building  and  there  are  cribs,  granaries,  hog  houses  and 
other  out-buildings,  all  erected  according  to  the  latest  approved  plans. 

On  March  6,  1885,  Hans  J.  Hansen  was  married  to  Mary  Christina 
Rasmussen,  of  Sharon  township,  who  was  born  in  Denmark  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1883,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born, 
Christina,  Mary,  Andrew  and  Alfred,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home  save 
Christina,  who  married  Chris  Mulbur,  and  who  has  three  children,  Olivia, 
Emmet  and  Hilma. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansen  attend  and  support  the  Danish  Lutheran  church. 
Mr.  Hansen  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  held  office,  devoting  almost  all  his 
time  to  the  work  on  his  farm,  which  shows  convincing  evidences  of  his  care- 
ful attention  and  management.  Mr.  Hansen  helped  organize  the  Farmers 
and  Savings  Bank  of  Hamlin  and  is  vice-president  of  the  bank.  He  also 
owns  an  interest  in  the  lumber  yard  at  Hamlin  and  is  otherwise  prominent  in 
the  business  life  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  Hans  J.  Hansen  came  to  America  with  no 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  547 

money  and  with  few  friends  in  this  country  and  that  he  has  within  a  com- 
paratively short  time  amassed  a  comfortable  fortune,  too  much  credit  cannot 
be  given  to  him  for  his  industry,  frugality  and  good  management.  He  is  a 
good  citizen  of  his  adopted  country  and  is  admired  and  respected  by  all  his 
neighbors  and  friends,  he  and  his  family  being  held  in  the  highest  regard 
throughout  that  whole  section. 


GEORGE  M.  ROSS. 


George  M.  Ross,  a  prosperous  and  Successful  farmer  of  Cameron  town- 
ship, Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is  a  native  of  the  great  Keystone  state,  and 
may  justly  bear  the  distinction  of  being  a  self-made  man.  He  has  worked 
his  way  up  unaided  from  the  humble  ranks  of  the  toiler  through  the  vicissi- 
tudes and  adversities  of  life  to  an  admirable  and  influential  position  among 
tlie  leading  farmers  of  Audubon  county.  The  success  attained  by  him  in  his 
business  affairs  has  been  due  to  his  steady  persistence,  unfailing  integrity  and 
excellent  judgment, — qualities  which  have  also  won  for  him  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  the  public  to  an  unwonted  degree. 

George  M.  Ross  was  born  on  May  4,  185 1,  in  Indiana  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Cowen)  Ross,  both  natives 
of  Ireland.  They  came  to  this  country  with  their  parents  when  cjuite  young. 
They  were  married  in  America.  Samuel  Ross  remained  in  Pennsylvania  all 
of  his  life  and  was  a  farmer  in  that  state.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  Robert,  Richard  C.,  Mary  Ann,  Samuel  J.,  deceased; 
George  M.,  Sarah,  David  and  John  M. 

George  M.  Ross  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Indiana  county, 
Pennsylvania.  After  leaving  school,  he  took  up  the  cigar  business  in  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  and  was  there  for  five  years.  In  1876  he  moved  to  Page 
county,  where  he  began  farming.  Two  years  later,  he  moved  to  Audubon 
county  and  in  1878  settled  on  a  farm  in  Cameron  township.  He  bought  a 
half  section  of  land  at  this  time  and  now  owns  eight  hundred  acres  in  Cam- 
eron township  and  two  hundred  acres  in  Lincoln  township,  all  of  which  is 
devoted  to  mixed  farming.  He  is  an  extensive  breeder  of  Hereford  cattle 
and  has  a  herd  of  one  hundred  head,  all  of  which  are  registered.  Mr.  Ross 
has  built  up  a  great  business  and  has  many  calls  which  come  from  all  parts 
of  the  country  for  his  choicest  animals. 

George  M.  Ross  was  married  on  May  23,  1878,  to  Alice  C.  Price,  the 


548  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

daughter  of  William  F.  and  Lydia  A.  (Smith)  Price.  They  were  natives 
01  West  Virginia  and  came  to  eastern  Iowa  and  settled  in  Henry  county 
after  their  marriage.  He  was  a  well-known  Methodist  minister  in  the  state 
of  Iowa.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children.  John  L.,  Harriett  J., 
Elizabeth,  Alice  C,  Luella  B.,  E.  D.,  W.  A.,  Eugenia  and  Nellie.  It  is  a 
remarkable  fact  that  all  of  these  children  are  still  living. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  M.  Ross  have  been  born  five  children :  Cam- 
eron, who  lives  at  Gray,  Iowa;  Bessie,  who  lives  at  home;  George,  who  is  an 
artist  in  Chicago,  who  married  Julia  Clark ;  Samuel  married  lola  Johnson ; 
and  Carl,  at  home. 

George  M.  Ross  is  one  of  the  most  influential  citizens  of  Audubon 
county,  not  only  by  virtue  of  his  large  farm  holdings,  but  by  virtue  of  his 
genial  disposition  and  his  natural  capacity  for  leadership.  He  has  served  in 
practically  all  of  the  township  offices  and  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and  has 
been  active  for  many  years  in  the  councils  of  this  party.  Mr.  Ross  served 
as  county  supervisor  for  two  terms.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  has  been  prominent  in  this 
organization. 


ROY  A.  LANTZ. 


A  native-born  citizen  of  the  great  Hawkeye  state  and  a  prominent 
young  doctor  of  veterinary  surgery  at  Exira  is  Roy  A.  Lantz,  who  was 
born  at  Oakland.  Iowa,  November  26,  1889,  the  son  of  Richard  H.  and 
Sarah  (Becker)  Lantz,  both  natives  of  Illinois. 

Richard  H.  Lantz  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  state  and  was  there 
married.  After  his  marriage,  he  clerked  in  his  father's  store  at  Afulka, 
Illinois,  and  also  farmed.  He  engaged  in  farming  for  a  few  years  after  his 
marriage  and  subsequently  moved  to  Oakfield,  Iowa,  where  he  rented  his 
father's  farm  and  managed  it  for  a  few  years.  He  then  moved  to  Nebraska 
and  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  and  here  he  farmed  for  himself  for 
seven  years,  when  he  returned  to  a  farm  near  Oakfield,  which  he  vented. 
After  being  located  near  Oakfield  for  some  time,  he  bought  a  farm  near 
Anita,  Iowa,  consisting  of  two  hundred  acres  and  is  now  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock  raising.  Richard  H.  and  Sarah  Lantz  had  six  children : 
William,  May,  Roy,  Earl,  Raymond  and  Merrill.  William  married  Maud 
Faulkner;  May  married  Rollie  May;  Merrill  is  deceased. 

After  being  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Nebraska  and  Iowa,  and 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  549 

having  attended  the  Highland  Park  College  of  Pharmacy  for  one  year.  Dr. 
Roy  A.  Lantz  attended  the  Kansas  City  Veterinary  College  for  three  years 
and  on  April  lo,  191 3,  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Veterinary  Medi- 
cine. It  must  be  conceded,  therefore,  that  few  veterinarians  have  had  a 
better  training  for  their  profession  than  Doctor  Lantz,  and  this  superior 
training,  which  was  quickly  recognized  by  the  people  of  Audubon  county, 
has  been  responsible  for  the  flourishing  practice  which  he  has  built  up  in 
such  a  short  time.     Since  his  graduation,  he  has  been  practicing  in  Exira. 

Within  a  few  months  after  being  graduated  from  the  Kansas  City 
Veterinary  College,  Doctor  Lantz  was  married  on  September  16,  191 3,  to 
Mildred  Worthing,  the  daughter  of  Frank  and  Ella  (Morgan)  Worthing, 
and  they  now  live  in  a  comfortable  home  in  Exira. 

Doctor  and  Mrs.  Lantz  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  has  never  held  office  nor 
has  he  ever  aspired  to  office. 

Dr.  Roy  A.  Lantz  is  a  man  who  is  not  only  well  learned  in  his  pro- 
fession, but  he  is  a  man  of  most  pleasing  personality  and  who  is  well  read 
and  well  informed  on  subjects  of  common  interest.  He  never  lags  in  his 
duties  nor  in  his  work  and  freely  meets  persons  in  all  stations  of  life,  with 
an  ease  which  has  made  him  very  popular. 


JOHN  TWIST. 


Among  the  citizens  of  Melville  township,  this  county,  who  have  built 
up  comfortable  homes  and  surrounded  themselves  with  real  and  personal 
prosperity,  none  has  attained  a  higher  degree  of  success  than  John  Twist. 
With  few  opportunities  except  those  his  own  efforts  were  capable  of  master- 
ing, and  with  many  discouragements  to  overcome,  he  has  made  an  excep- 
tional success  of  life,  and  has  the  gratification  of  knowing  that  the  commun- 
ity in  which  he  has  resided  has  been  benefited  by  his  presence  and  counsels. 

John  Twist  was  born  in  England  on  November  26,  1862,  a  son  of 
William  and  Mary  (Green)  Twist,  whose  lives  were  spent  in  England, 
their  native  country.  William  Twist  was  a  bricklayer  by  trade,  wdiich  occu- 
pation he  followed  all  his  life. 

John  Twist  came  to  America  just  after  he  had  reached  his  majority. 
He  was  married  in  1882,  after  which  he  came  to  the  United  States,  arriving 


00 


O  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 


here  on  Christmas  eve,  1883.  He  proceeded  at  once  to  IlHnois  and  settled 
at  Port  Byron,  where  he  hved  for  ten  years,  farming  on  land  rented  for 
that  purpose.  In  1896  he  came  to  Iowa,  and  rented  a  farm  in  Greeley 
township,  this  county.  By  dint  of  patient  industry  and  economy  he  was 
enabled  to  buy  some  land  with  the  savings  which  he  had  accumulated,  and 
in  October,  1906,  purchased  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  for  which  he 
agreed  to  pav  the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  ]\Ir.  Twist  has 
made  many  improvements  on  the  land,  erecting  corn  cribs  and  other  out- 
buildings, and  now  has  a  model  farm  in  every  respect,  the  farm  having 
greatly  increased  in  value  since  it  has  been  in  his  possession.  The  land  is 
in  the  famed  corn  belt  of  Iowa,  and  Mr.  Twist  ordinarily  raises  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  corn  annually,  this  acreage  yielding  more  than 
fiftv  bushels  to  the  acre.  Mr.  Twist  feeds  from  sixty  to  seventy  head  of 
cattle  each  year,  and  from  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  to  two  hundred 
head  of  hogs  annually  for  the  markets.  Thus  it  is  apparent  that  he  is  one 
of  the  largest  farmers  in  Melville  township,  as  well  as  one  of  the  foremost 
citizens  thereof,  and  has  had  much  to  do  with  the  material  progress  of 
the  county  since  coming  here. 

On  January  27.  1882.  John  Twist  was  married  to  Emma  Jane  Wright, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Jane  W^right,  both  natives  of  England.  Mrs. 
Twist  was  born  in  England  on  October  15,  1865,  and  her  marriage  took 
place  in  that  country.  John  Twist  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children:  Robert,  of  Audubon,  Iowa;  Margaret,  the  wife  of  Jason 
Jones,  of  Audubon;  Earl,  a  farmer  of  Melville  township,  and  William,  Xellie, 
Benjamin.  Ivan  and  Ruth,  who  are  still  living  under  the  parental  roof. 
Robert  Twist  married  Zena  May  Carter,  and  they  have  three  children.  Merle 
Emma,  Helen  Lucile  and  Veda  Alay.  Airs.  Alargaret  Jones  has  two  chil- 
dren. Evelyn  Beatrice  and  Bernice  Olivene.  Nellie  Twist  married  Lona 
Peppers  and  has  one  child,  Sherman. 

John  Twist,  judged  from  any  standpoint,  is  a  self-made  man.  He  is 
well  informed,  few  farmers  in  the  county  having  a  wider  fund  of  informa- 
tion. He  considers  himself  an  independent  voter,  but  is  a  keen  admirer  of 
Colonel  Roosevelt,  and  is  inclined  to  endorse  the  principles  and  measures 
announced  by  the  Progressive  party.  Personally,  few  men  are  more  sociable 
and  hospitable  than  John  Twist,  and  few  men  are  more  richly  deserving  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  their  fellow  citizens  than  he. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Twist  and  family  are  earnest  and  faithful  members  of 
the  Evangelical  church;  actively  interested  in  the  affairs  of  that  denomina- 
tion, and  are  liberal  contributors  to  its  support. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  55 1 

REV.  HENRY  PHILLIPS  GRINYER. 

It  is  not  often  that  an  indi\-idual  may  turn  from  a  trade  which  he  has 
fairly  learned,  to  a  profession,  and  make  a  success  in  the  second  case.  Before 
the  Rev.  Henry  Phillips  Grinyer,  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
'of  Exira,  this  county,  became  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  he  was  a  skillful 
tailor  and  cutter.  In  fact  Mr.  Grinyer  became  a  "local"  preacher  near  St. 
Thomas,  Ontario,  while  he  w'as  still  engaged  in  following  his  trade.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Grinyer,  who  became  the  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
at  Exira  in  19 13,  has  proved  himself  to  be  an  able  preacher.  He  has  neg- 
lected none  of  his  pastoral  duties  and  is  exceedingly  popular  with  his  congre- 
gation. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Phillips  Grinyer  is  not  a  native  of  this  county.  He 
was  born  in  Canada  on  April  i,  1870,  son  of  James  and  Matilda  (Duffin) 
Grinyer.  James  Grinyer  was  a  native  of  Brighton,  England,  and  his  wife, 
of  Merriton,  Ontario,  Canada.  James  Grinyer  was  born  in  1842,  and  emi- 
grated to  Canada  with  his  parents  when  he  was  eight  years  old.  They  set- 
tled near  Caledonia,  and  there  his  father  was  a  farmer.  James  Grinyer 
grew  to  manhood  near  Caledonia,  Canada,  and  received  his  early  education 
in  the  schools  of  that  vicinity.  After  leaving  school  he  took  up  the  trade 
of  a  saddler  and  followed  that  trade  all  his  life,  until  his  death  in  191 2.  His 
wafe  had  died  in  1876,  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  previously.  In 
1885,  nine  years  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  James  Grinyer  moved  to  Illinois 
and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  that  state,  his  death  occurring  at  Galena. 
Henry  Phillips  Grinyer  is  the  youngest  and  sole  survivor  of  six  children 
born  to  his  parents,  the  others  having  been  William,  two  sons  named  Samuel, 
Margaret  Jane  and  Mary. 

After  having  received  his  earlv  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Hagersville,  Ontario,  and  after  having  completed  a  high-school  course  of 
three  years,  Mr.  Grinyer  took  up  the  tailor's  trade  and  became  very  pro- 
ficient as  a  tailor  and  cutter.  He  w^orked  at  this  trade  until  he  was  thirty- 
seven  years  old,  during  part  of  which  time  he  was  also  engaged  in  preaching. 
In  1896  he  started  out  as  a  "local"  preacher,  near  St.  Thomas,  Ontario, 
Canada.  He  lived  at  Moorefield  for  two  years  and  in  1902  moved  to  Cargill, 
Canada,  wdiere  he  remained  for  five  years,  or  until  1907,  when  he  came  to 
the  United  States,  and  was  stationed  at  East  Peru,  Iowa,  as  the  pastor  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  that  place.  From  East  Peru  he  went  to 
Waukee,  Iowa,  and  remained  there  as  pastor  for  tw'o  years.  After  a  pastor- 
ate at  Waukee,  Rev.  Henry  Phillips  Grinyer  removed  to  Grisw^old,  Iowa,  and 


552  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

was  located  there  until  in  September,  1913,  at  which  time  he  became  the 
pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Exira.  He  also  has  charge  of 
the  churches  at  Hamlin  and  Buck  Creek,  dividing  his  time  among  these  three 
charges. 

On  October  15,   1892,  the  Rev.  Henry  Phillips  Grinyer  was  married  to 
Sarah  Ann  Geddes,  daughter  of  C.   R.  and  Charlotte  Geddes,  and  to  thig^ 
union  three  children  have  been  born,  Gladys,  Myrtle  and  Carleton.     Gladys 
married  C.  T.  Cocklin,  and  has  one  child,  Harvey  Ross. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  conscientiously  and  sincerely  devoted  to 
the  ministry  of  the  Gospel.  He  is  a  forceful  preacher  and  a  man  of  genial 
personality,  two  factors  that  have  contributed  to  make  his  career  a  success. 
He  takes  no  active  part  in  politics  but  votes  independently  of  parties  and  party 
emblems  and  the  candidates  of  parties.  Rev.  Henry  Phillips  Grinyer  in  the 
several  localities  in  which  he  has  labored  has  proved  himself  to  be  an  efficient, 
upright  and  honorable  citizen,  and  is  held  in  the  very  highest  esteem  by  all 
who  know  him. 


JAMES  C.   STRAHL. 


James  C.  Strahl,  who  owns  a  splendid  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  Viola  township,  this  county,  was  born  on  August  13.  1875,  ""^  Og^^ 
county,  Illinois,  the  son  of  Mead  and  Alice  Strahl.  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Ogle  county, 
Illinois,  where  their  marriage  took  place  and  where  they  were  engaged  in 
farming  until  1884,  when  they  came  to  Audubon  county.  Mead  Strahl  was 
reared  by  his  grandfather,  and  worked  for  him  in  the  transfer  business  in 
Columbus,  Ohio,  until  the  Civil  \\'ar  broke  out,  when  he  enlisted  as  a  private 
soldier  in  Company  E,  Fifteenth  Regiment,  Ohio  \'olunteer  Infantry.  After 
the  war  he  worked  by  the  month  for  five  years,  or  until  his  marriage.  Upon 
coming  to  Audubon  county  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixtv  acres  of 
land  in  section  17,  Viola  township,  and  lived  in  that  township  until  in  1899, 
when  he  retired  to  Dedham,  Iowa,  where  he  now  lives.  Mead  Strahl  and 
wife  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  Eva,  Ida,  James  C,  Ella,  Fred, 
Will,  Myrtle,  Pearl,  Verna.  Bessie  and  Frank,  the  latter  of  whom  is 
deceased. 

Educated  partly  in  the  public  schools  in  Illinois  and  partlv  in  the  public 
schools  of  Viola  township,  this  county.  James  C.  Strahl  quit  school  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  and  began  working  for  his  father,  continuing  this  form  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  553 

employment  until  he  reached  his  majority,  after  which  he  rented  land  in 
Viola  township,  where  he  lived  for  nine  years,  after  which,  in  1904,  he 
bous^ht  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  his  father's  farm,  on  which  he  now 
lives.  Mr.  Strahl  feeds  all  his  grain  to  live  stock,  raising  a  few  head  of 
cattle  and  about  fifty  head  of  hogs  annually.  He  has  spent  about  four  thou- 
sand dollars  in  buildings,  fences  and  drains,  improvements  which  have  been 
added  to  the  farm  since  he  purchased  it. 

In  1897  James  C.  Strahl  was  married  to  ]\Iary  Alice  Winters,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Winters,  of  \^iola  township,  and  to  this  union  three  children 
have  been  born,  Bonita  Alice,  Dorothy  Lelia  and  Alargaret  Almyra,  all  of 
whom  are  now  attending  school. 

Air.  Strahl  is  a  Democrat  and  served  as  a  school  director  for  five  years. 
Although  not  members  of  any  church.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Strahl  and  family  attend 
the  Alethodist  Episcopal  church,  and  are  liberal  contributors  to  the  support 
of  that  denomination.  His  father,  having  given  three  years  of  his  life  to 
the  service  of  his  country,  James  C.  Strahl  may  well  be  considered  one  of  the 
heroes  of  peace,  who  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives  is  known  as  as  a 
good  citizen,  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  our  republican  institutions,  and 
whose  support  in  behalf  of  law  and  order  may  always  be  depended  upon. 
Mr.  Strahl  has  a  host  of  friends  in  Viola  township,  where  he  is  well  known 
and  where  he  and  his  family  are  held  in  high  esteem. 


THOMAS  HENRY  TURNER. 

A  representative  of  one  of  the  very  oldest  families  of  Audubon  county 
and  himself  a  resident  of  this  county  for  many  years,  no  citizen  enjoys  to  a 
higher  degree  the  genuine  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  people  at  large  than 
Thomas  Henry  Turner,  who,  until  February  i,  191 5,  was  a  well-known 
farmer  of  Cameron  township.  On  that  date,  Air.  Turner  had  a  large  sale 
and  moved  to  Audubon.  A  public-school  teacher  with  a  notable  record  and 
for  many  years  an  incumbent  of  pul^lic  office,  the  duties  of  which  he  dis- 
charged with  eminent  ability,  with  honor  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the 
people  who  elected  him,  he  has  in  his  personal  life  met  with  eminent  success, 
standing  very  high  as  a  business  man  and  farmer. 

Thomas  Henry  Turner  was  born  on  July  14.  1856.  in  Cedar  Ford,  Jeffer- 
son county,  Iowa,  the  son  of  Thomas  N.  and  AI.  Alargaret  (AIcKinney) 
Turner,  natives  of  Kentucky,  of  Scottish  descent,  the  former  of  whom  was 


554  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

born  in  1826  and  died  in  October,  19 10,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born 
in  1832  and  died  in  1872.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  Thomas  H.  Turner 
came  from  Scotland  and  settled  in  Virginia.  ]\Ir.  Turner's  parents  moved 
to  Henry  county,  Iowa,  in  the  spring  of  1857  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  their 
lives.  Thomas  X.  Turner  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  marriage  ten 
sons  were  born,  \\'illiam  L.,  John  F.,  S.  Mitchell,  Thomas  Henry,  Perry  M., 
Z.  Charles  (deceased),  David  F.  (deceased),  J.  Oscar  (deceased),  B.  How- 
ard and  M.  Luther.  Following  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  in 
1872,  Thomas  N.  Turner  married,  secondly,  Mary  Hawk. 

Thomas  H.  Turner  was  reared  in  Henry  county,  Iowa,  and  attended 
Howe's  Academy.  After  completing  his  education,  he  entered  upon  his 
remarkable  career  as  a  school  teacher,  farming  during  the  summers  and 
teaching:  during-  the  winters.  He  came  to  Audubon  countv  in  the  winter  of 
1880,  continuing  his  calling  as  teacher  here,  and  has  probably  had  more 
experience  in  the  school  room  than  any  other  teacher  in  the  county,  he  hav- 
ing- fiftv-four  terms  of  school  to  his  credit,  a  most  notable  record.  His 
children  were  taught  by  him  in  the  public  schools  which  he  conducted  and 
hundreds  of  the  youth  of  this  community  have  been  influenced  for  good  by 
his  competent  instructions. 

In  1900  Thomas  H.  Turner  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  in  Melville  township  at  forty  dollars  an  acre.  He  sold  it  in  1909  for 
one  hundred  and  twentw  dollars  an  acre  and  bought  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  in  sections  25  and  26,  Cameron  township,  at  one  hundred  and  twenty 
dollars  an  acre.  He  keeps  thoroughbred  stock,  makes  a  specialty  of  Dur- 
ham and  Shorthorn  cattle  as  well  as  Duroc- Jersey  hogs  and  is  very  well 
circumstanced  as  to  world's  goods,  being  regarded  as  one  of  the  county's 
most  substantial  citiens. 

On  November  26,  1889,  Thomas  H.  Turner  was  married  to  Eva  R. 
Fancher,  who  was  born  in  Keokuk  county,  Iowa,  July  12,  1862,  the  daughter 
of  William  N.  and  Rebecca  Fancher,  natives  of  New  York  and  Indiana, 
respectively,  who  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1880  and  spent  the  rest  of 
their  lives  here.  To  this  happy  union  the  following  children  have  been 
born:  Clarence  C,  who  owns  a  bakery  in  Audubon;  Earl  A.,  who  is  a  grain 
and  live-stock  merchant  at  Ross,  Iowa;  Nellie  B.,  who  is  in  partnership  with 
Clarence  C. ;  Lloyd  M.,  who  is  a  farmer  and  lives  at  home;  T.  Glen,  who  is 
a  student  in  the  law  department  of  the  state  university  at  Iowa  City,  and 
Bessie  C,  who  is  attending  the  high  school  at  Audubon. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turner  and  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church  and  are  earnest  supporters  of  all  good  works  hereabout.     Mr. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  555 

Turner  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a 
Republican  and  has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  practically  all  of  the 
township  offices  of  Cameron  township,  and  no  man  in  this  county  is  held  in 
higher  regard  or  enjoys  more  fully  the  confidence  of  the  public,  he  and  his 
family  being  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all. 


CHRIS   CHRISTENSEN. 


Among  the  well-known  citizens  of  this  county,  Chris  Christensen.  a 
retired  farmer,  has  made  a  success  of  his  chosen  life  work,  and  at  the  same 
time  has  established  an  enviable  reputation  for  honesty,  integrity  and  cordial 
feelings  with  his  fellow  men.  There  is,  therefore,  a  measure  of  satisfaction 
in  presenting  even  a  brief  resume  of  the  life  and  achievements  of  Mr.  Christ- 
ensen. His  success  should  be  interesting  and  instructive  to  the  present 
generation  of  young  men  who  are  just  starting  out  in  life,  and  whose  careers 
are  yet  unformed. 

Chris  Christensen  was  born  in  Denmark  on  September  5,  1875,  the  son 
of  Hans  Peter  and  Johanna  (Adamson)  Christensen.  Hans  Peter  Christen- 
sen emigrated  with  his  family  to  America  in  1879,  settling  near  Kimballton. 
in  Sharon  township,  this  county,  where  he  following  the  life  of  a  farmer  the 
rest  of  his  days.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  six 
of  whom  are  still  living,  Mars,  Bertel,  Andrew,  Chris,  Margaretta  and  Kath- 
erine.  The  mother  of  these  children  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years. 

Chris  Christensen  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  land, 
and  in  1877  came  to  the  United  States,  arriving  in  this  country  two  years 
before  his  parents  came.  He  settled  first  in  Scott  county,  Iowa,  where  he 
remained  seven  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  Taylor  county, 
this  state,  where  he  resided  for  four  years,  and  in  1888'  came  to  Audubon 
county.  Upon  arriving  here  he  purchased  a  farm  and  has  since  lived  in  this 
county.  Mr.  Christensen  first  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  to 
which  he  added  from  time  to  time  until  he  became  the  owner  of  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  of  splendid  land.  Recently  he  sold  four  hundred  acres 
to  his  different  sons,  retaining  only  about  eighty  acres.  Mr.  Christensen 
also  owns  a  fine  home  in  the  city  of  Audubon,  and  there  he  is  now  living 
retired,  surrounded  by  all  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  modern  life. 

On  January  16,  1883,  Chris  Christensen  was  married  to  Dorothy  Adam- 


556  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

son,  who  was  born  in  Denmark,  daughter  of  Soren  and  Kisten  Maria  (Jersen- 
sen)  Adamson,  and  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1882.  To  this  union 
seven  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Hans  P.,  a  farmer  of  Sharon  town- 
ship ;  Soren,  John  and  Andrew,  farmers  in  Sharon  township ;  Allie,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Hans  Johnson,  a  farmer  of  Douglas  township;  Hannah, 
who  is  keeping  house  for  her  brother,  John,  and  Elda,  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Christensen  is  a  Republican,  although  he  has  never  been  especially 
active  in  political  affairs.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Danish 
Lutheran  church,  and  are  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  that  denomina- 
tion, and  liberal  contributors  to  its  support.  In  all  the  relations  of  life  Mr. 
Christensen  has  shown  himself  as  eminently  worthy  of  the  respect  and  esteem 
which  are  accorded  him  by  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens. 


BIRD  LEFFLER. 


Hard  and  laborious  work  was  the  lot  of  Bird  Leffler  during  his  youth 
and  early  manhood,  but  his  fidelity  to  duty  has  won  for  him  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  those  with  wdiom  he  has  been  thrown  in  contact,  and  by  patient 
continuance  in  well-doing,  he  has  gradually  risen  from  a  humble  station  to 
his  present  standing  as  a  progressive  young  farmer  of  Audubon  county.  He 
has  worked  his  way  from  a  modest  beginning  to  a  position  of  considerable 
prominence  by  efforts  which  have  been  practically  unaided;  a  fact  which 
renders  him  the  more  worthy  of  praise,  and  this  is  freely  accorded  him  by  his 
fellow  citizens. 

Bird  Leftier  was  born  on  January  3,  1880,  at  old  Hamlin,  this  county, 
a  son  of  George  and  Josephine  (Wilson)  Leffler,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  on  October  18,  1847,  i'"'  Pennsylvania,  a  son  of  John  and  Barbara 
(Weaver)  Leffler,  also  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  of  Dutch  and  English 
descent,  respectively,  who,  in  185 1,  migrated  from  Pennsylvania  to  Jeft'erson 
county,  Iowa,  settling  first  at  Fairfield,  where  they  remained  for  four  years, 
or  until  1855,  when  they  removed  to  Decatur  county,  Iowa,  and  made  that 
their  permanent  home,  spending  the  rest  of  their  lives  there. 

George  Leffler  was  married  on  March  25,  1877,  to  Josephine  Wilson,  of 
Decatur  county,  Iowa,  who  was  born  on  February  10,  i860,  in  Mahaska 
county,  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Richards)  Wilson,  natives 
of  Ohio  and  early  settlers  in  Mahaska  county.  In  1880  the  Lefflers  came  to 
Audubon  county  and  settled  at  old  Hamlin,  where  they  lived  for  a  time,  and 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  557 

then  moved  to  a  farm  in  Leroy  township.  Mr.  Leffler  now  resides  in  Audu- 
bon. He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  but  two  children,  Bird,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  and  Mrs.  Barbara  A.  White,  who  Hves  in  Melville  town- 
ship. 

Bird  Leffler  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Audubon  countv. 
and  has  been  farming  for  himself  since  1901.  He  first  rented  a  farm  one 
and  one-half  miles  west  of  his  present  farm,  but  in  1910  he  moved  to  a  farm 
one  and  one-half  miles  west,  where  he  lived  for  a  short  time,  after  which 
he  moved  to  his  present  farm.  Mr.  Leffler  ow^ns  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres,  and  is  farming  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  purchased  forty 
acres  in  September,  1907,  and  eighty  acres  on  February  3,  191 1,  both  tracts 
located  in  section  31,  of  Melville  township. 

On  February  24,  1904,  Bird  Leffler  was  married  to  x^nna  Sunberg,  who 
was  born  on  August  3,  1882,  daughter  of  Henry  Sunberg,  whose  biographical 
sketch,  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  gives  the  history  of  the  Sunberg 
family,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Dessa  Fay,  born  on 
October  24,  19 10,  and  Gladys  May,  May  12,  1905. 

Mr.  Leffler  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  been  active  in  politics,  and 
has  never  held  public  office  nor  cared  to  do  so.  He  has  devoted  his  time  and 
attention  to  his  family  and  to  the  cultivation  of  his  farm,  and  in  this  respect 
has  contributed  materially  to  the  progress  and  prosperity  of  Audubon  county. 
He  is  well  worthy  of  representation  in  the  annals  of  his  county,  and  is  held  in 
high  regard  by  all  who  know  him. 


THOMAS  CAMPBELL. 


The  name  of  Thomas  Campbell  for  many  years  has  been  an  honored 
and  respected  one  in  this  county,  Mr.  Campbell  richly  deserving  the  universal 
respect  and  esteem  accorded  him  in  the  community  where  he  lives.  He  is 
numbered  among  the  enterprising  farmers  of  Audubon  county  and  is  a  man 
of  sound  judgment,  discretion  and  thorough  knowledge  of  his  life's  voca- 
tion. He  is  possessed  of  business  ability  of  a  high  order  and  has  managed 
his  affairs  with  splendid  success,  being  generally  recognized  as  one  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Melville  township,  where  he  ow^ns  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  land  in  section  36. 

Thomas  Campbell  was  born  on  February  4,  1875,  in  Logan  county, 
Illinois,  the  son  of  George  Campbell,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  Audu- 


558  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

bon  county  in  1885,  Thomas  Campbell  being  then  eleven  years  of  age.  He 
had  attended  the  public  schools  of  Logan  county,  Illinois,  and  after  coming 
to  Audubon  county,  attended  the  public  schools  of  Melville  township  and 
in  these  places  received  his  education.  When  twenty-three  years  old,  Mr. 
Campbell  began  farming  for  himself,  renting  land  from  his  father,  and  has 
farmed  the  lower  farm  of  section  36  continuously  since  that  time.  In  1907 
Mr.  Campbell  invested  in  eighty  acres  of  land,  a  portion  of  his  father's  farm, 
at  fifty  dollars  an  acre,  and  has  improved  this  farm  by  the  erection  of  numer- 
ous buildings.  Previously,  in  1900,  his  father  had  given  him  eighty  acres 
and  in  191  o  he  bought  eighty  acres  additional. 

Mr.  Campbell  raises  one  hundred  and  twenty  head  of  hogs  annually, 
and  is  an  extensive  breeder  of  Shorthorn  cattle,  at  the  present  time  feeding 
more  than  thirty  head  of  registered  thoroughbred  cattle.  His  corn,  of 
which  he  raises  about  forty  acres  each  year,  produces  upwards  of  sixty  bushels 
to  the  acre.  He,  therefore,  has  each  fall  from  twenty- four  hundred  to  twen- 
ty-five hundred  bushels  of  corn. 

On  February  4,  1893,  Thomas  Campbell  was  married  to  Nannie  Glas- 
cock, who  was  born  in  Illinois,  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Glascock,  deceased. 
To  this  union  four  children  have  been  born,  George  Thomas  (deceased), 
Harry  Arthur,  Byron  Francis  and  Laura  Kathryn.  The  Campbells  are  held 
in  high  regard  in  their  neighborhood  and  enjoy  the  cordial  esteem  of  all  who 
know  them. 


W.  W.  PERRIXE. 


The  gentleman  to  a  review  of  whose  life  the  reader's  attention  is  most 
respectfully  directed  at  this  point,  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  energetic,  well- 
known  business  men  of  Audubon  county,  who,  by  his  enterprise  and  pro- 
gressive methods,  has  contributed  in  a  material  way  to  the  agricultural 
advancement  of  the  locality  where  he  lives.  In  the  course  of  an  honorable 
career  he  has  been  successful  in  several  lines  to  which  his  efforts  have  been 
directed,  and  he  enjoys  a  distinct  prestige  among  the  representative  men  of 
Iowa  township.  It  is  eminently  proper,  therefore,  that  attention  be  called 
to  his  achievements  and  due  credit  be  accorded  his  worth  as  a  citizen. 

W.  W.  Perrine  was  born  in  Sagamon  county,  Illinois,  on  August  29, 
1857,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Carroll)  Perrine,  both  natives  of 
Ohio.  Both  moved  to  Illinois  when  young  and  were  married  in  that  state, 
becoming  substantial   farmers  and  honored  and  respected  citizens  of  their 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  559 

community.  Mrs.  Perrine  died  in  Illinois  and  Samuel  Perrine  spent  his  last 
days  in  this  county.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
George  W.,  Richard,  W.  W.,  Alice,  Lincoln,  Joseph  and  Grant,  all  of  whom 
are  living  with  the  exception  of  Lincoln,  Richard  and  Grant. 

W.  W.  Perrine  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Illinois, 
and  after  leaving  school  began  farming  in  that  state.  He  remained  in  Illinois 
until  1882,  when  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  and  in  September  of  that  year 
located  in  Lincoln  township,  where  he  purchasd  eighty  acres  of  land,  upon 
which  he  lived  for  eighteen  years.  In  1900  Mr.  Perrine  sold  his  farm  in 
Lincoln  township  and  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Viola  town- 
ship, where  he  is  now  living.  He  is  engaged  in  general  mixed  farming,  and 
is  an  extensive  breeder  of  Shorthorn  cattle  and  Duroc- Jersey  hogs,  and  has 
met  with  a  very  fair  degree  of  success  in  his  agricultural  operations. 

On  March  i,  1883,  W.  W.  Perrine  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Thomas, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Martha  (Davis)  Thqmas,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  South  Wales,  where  they  were  married.  Mrs.  Perrine  was  born  in  South 
Wales  on  December  4,  i860.  Her  parents  came  to  America  in  1863  and 
located  in  Pennsylvania,  where  they  remained  for  four  years,  after  which 
they  removed  to  Illinois,  and  lived  there  for  six  years.  They  next  removed 
to  Carroll  county,  Iowa,  and  engaged  in  farming.  Henry  and  Martha 
(Davis)  Thomas  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  Elizabeth.  John,  Anna, 
Henry  and  David,  all  of  whom  are  still  living  with  the  exception  of  John. 
The  father  of  these  children  is  now  deceased,  while  the  mother  is  still  living 
in  Carroll  county,  Iowa.  To  W.  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Thomas)  Perrine  have 
been  born  five  children:  Elsie  (deceased),  Lottie,  Leah,  Lois  and  Lucille. 
Lottie  is  the  widow  of  Bert  Anderson.  Leah  is  the  wife  of  John  Durbin,  a 
farmer  of  Cottonwood  county,  Minnesota.  Lois  and  Lucille  are  living  at 
■  home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Perrine  is  a  Republican  and  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in 
the  public  affairs  of  his  township.  He  has  served  as  township  trustee  of 
Lincoln  township,  and  was  secretary  of  the  school  board  of  his  township 
for  twelve  years.  He  also  served  one  term  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  was 
constable  for  a  time.  Mr.  Perrine  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  at  Audubon.  The  Perrine  family  are  all  earnest  and  faithful  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  they  are  regular  attendants 
and  active  in  the  work  of  both  the  church  and  Sunday  school.  Mr.  Perrine 
is  a  well-known  and  highly-respected  citizen  and  deserves  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens. 


560  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

F.  W.  RIDGLEY. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  the  reader  is  asked  to  note  at  this  point  in 
the  biographical  history  of  Audubon  county,  F.  \\\  Ridgley,  the  well-known 
and  popular  trustee  of  Greeley  township,  is  a  native  of  England,  who,  as  an 
infant,  was  brought  to  America  by  his  parents  in  the  latter  part  of  1871,  the 
family  passing  through  the  city  of  Chicago  during  the  time  of  the  great  fire 
which  destroyed  that  city  in  October  of  that  year. 

F.  \V.  Ridgley  was  born  in  Fen  Stanton,  Huntingtonshire,  England, 
February  13,  1871,  the  son  of  Francis  and  Sarah  A.  (Johnson)  Ridgley, 
natives  of  the  same  shire,  the  former  of  whom  was  an  extensive  landowner, 
though  a  miller  by  trade,  carrying  on  his  farming  operations  in  connection 
with  his  milling. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  in  whicli  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born,  Fran- 
cis and  Sarah  Ridgley,  with  their  infant  son,  their  first-born  child,  came  to 
America,  reaching  Chicago  on  their  way  west  during  the  time  that  city  was 
wrapped  in  flames.  The  family  first  settled  on  a  prairie  farm  in  western 
Illinois,  and  remained  there  but  a  year  or  two,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they 
moved  farther  west,  coming  to  Audubon  county,  this  state,  where  the  parents 
spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  and  where  five  other  children  were  born  to  them. 

Mr.  Ridgley's  first  recollection  is  of  his  family  moving  onto  the  tract 
that  is  now  comprised  in  the  county  farm,  his  father  having  rented  land  there. 
After  a  season  or  two  spent  there,  the  Ridgley s  moved  to  a  farm  near  Tickets 
Grove,  in  Melville  township,  and  in  1878  and  later,  bought  a  farm  of  four 
hundred  acres  in  sections  28  and  t,t^,  in  Greeley  township,  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  which  is  included  in  the  farm  on  which  Trustee  Ridgley  now 
lives  and  on  which  his  parents  passed  their  last  days.  Receiving  his  educa- 
tion in  the  early  schools  of  his  home  township,  F.  W.  Ridgley  herded  cattle 
on  the  unfenced  plains  thereabout  during  his  boyhood,  and  as  he  grew  older 
helped  his  father  on  the  farm  and  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life.  The  elder 
Ridgley  had  been  an  active  Democrat  and  his  son  followed  in  his  footsteps, 
becoming  one  of  the  leaders  of  that  party  in  his  part  of  the  county  and  served 
his  township  as  trustee  very  acceptably  for  three  terms,  during  which  time 
he  did  much  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  township  in  both  a  material 
and  educational  way. 

On  June  12,  1901,  in  Audubon  township,  this  county,  F.  W.  Ridgley  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Winifred  Martin,  who  was  born  in  that  township  on 
November  14,  1879,  the  daughter  of  James  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Go forth) 
jVIartin,  natives,  respectively  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky,  who  were  married 


F.  W.  RIDGLEY  AND  FAMILY 


:ORK 


T 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  56 1 

in  Linn  county,  Iowa,  coming  to  this  county  about  1866  and  settling  in  Audu- 
bon township.  The  genealogy  of  the  Martin  family  is  set  out  on  another 
page  of  this  history. 

To  F.  W.  and  Winifred  (Martin)  Ridgley  have  been  born  two  children, 
Sarah  Geraldine,  born  March  17,  1903,  and  Joy  Rena,  born  July  29,  1905. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ridgley  are  members  of  the  Congregational  church  and  are 
active  in  all  the  good  works  of  their  neighborhood,  being  a  very  popular 
couple,  admired  and  respected  by  all  who  have  the  pleasure  of  their  acquaint- 
ance. ' 


WILLIAM  L.  CLARK. 


An  enumeration  of  those  men  of  the  present  generation  in  this  county 
who  have  won  honor  and  public  recognition  for  themselves,  and  who,  at  the 
same  time  have  won  honor  for  the  locality  to  which  they  belong,  would  be 
incomplete  were  there  failure  to  make  specific  mention  of  William  L.  Clark, 
a  prominent  farmer  of  Greeley  and  Melville  townships.  The  qualities  which 
have  made  him  one  of  the  prominent  and  successful  men  of  Audubon  county 
have  also  brought  to  him  the  sincere  esteem  and  confidence  of  the  people  of 
his  community.  He  is  the  owner  of  the  undivided  northwest  quarter  of 
section  6,  in  Greeley  township,  besides  an  adjacent  tract  of  land  comprising 
forty  acres  in  Melville  township,  making  in  all  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres. 

William  L.  Clark  was  born  in  Greensburg,  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, on  February  3,  1865,  a  son  of  George  W.  and  Mary  A.  (Horton) 
Clark,  natives  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  Pennsylvania,  respectively. 
George  W.  Clark  was  a  carriage-maker  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fifty 
years,  when  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  October,  1865,  he  moved  to  Rock 
Island  county,  Illinois,  and  there  purchased  and  cultivated  a  farm.  In  1889 
the  family  located  on  a  farm  in  Greeley  township,  this  county,  which  farm  is 
now  owned  by  William  L.  Clark.  George  W.  Clark  was  born  in  1823  and 
died  in  February,  1903.  His  wife  was  born  in  1825  and  died  in  May,  1913. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom  are  living,  namely : 
James  T.,  living  in  Texas  county,  Missouri;  Mrs.  Nettie  Garnett,  of  Hamlin, 
Iowa;  Mrs.  Ada  Genung,  of  Staples,  Minnesota;  Mrs.  Grace  Crompton,  of 
Rock  Island,  Illinois,  and  William  L.,  with  whom  this  narrative  deals. 

On  October  27,  1892,  William  L.  Clark  was  married  to  Mattie  White, 

(36) 


562  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

daughter  of  E.  G.  White,  of  Greeley  township,  and  to  this  union  have  been 
born  three  children,  Olive  (deceased),  Merle  and  Dale. 

Mr.  Clark  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  but  owing  to  his 
extensive  agricultural  interests,  has  taken  little  active  part  in  political  affairs, 
though  always  ready  to  support  any  measure  which  has  for  its  object  the 
welfare  of  the  community  and  the  advancement  of  the  moral,  educational  or 
material  life  of  his  township.  He  and  his  family  are  earnest  and  faithful 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  to  the  support  of  which  they 
are  liberal  contributors.  William  L.  Clark  is  one  of  the  substantial  farmers 
of  Audubon  county,  and  is  prominent  in  the  civic  life  of  both  Melville  and 
Greeley  townships,  a  man  whose  counsel  is  sought  in  all  matters  pertaining 
to  the  welfare  of  the  community  as  a  whole. 


HENRY  SCHREIBER. 


In  the  daily  struggle  for  an  honorable  competence  and  a  substantial 
career  on  the  part  of  the  farmer  there  is  little  to  attract  the  casual  reader  in 
search  of  a  sensational  chapter,  but  to  a  mind  thoroughly  awake  to  the  reality 
and  meaning  of  human  existence  there  are  noble  and  imperishable  lessons 
in  the  career  of  an  individual  who.  without  other  means  than  a  clear  head, 
strong  arm  and  true  heart,  directed  and  controlled  by  correct  principles  and 
unerring  judgment,  conquers  adversity  and  finally  wins,  not  only  a  pecuniary 
independence,  but  what  is  far  greater  and  higher,  the  deserved  respect  and 
confidence  of  those  with  whom  his  active  years  have  been  spent.  Such  a 
man  is  Henry  Schreiber,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Melville  township  and  the 
proprietor  of  six  hundred  and  twelve  acres  of  splendid  farming  land  in  that 
township,  located  in  sections  2  and  3. 

Henry  Schreiber  was  born- on  July  12,  1838,  in  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio,  the  son  of  Ignatius  and  Alaria  (Richard)  Schreiber,  natives  of  Switzer- 
land and  France,  respectively,  who  died  in  Carroll  county,  Ohio.  To  them 
were  born  three  children,  Frederick,  who  lives  in  Carroll  county;  Henry,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Mary,  w'ho  was  drowned  at  the  age  of  ten  years. 
Henry  Schreiber  set  out  from  his  home  in  Ohio  in  1858,  and  traveled  in 
several  western  states  as  well  as  in  \'irginia.  Eventually,  he  settled  in  W^ill 
county,  Illinois,  and  was  married  there  in  1869.  For  many  years  he  followed 
the  trade  of  blacksmith  there  and  in  1889  came  to  Audubon  county,  he  having 
ten  years  before  jjurchascd   four  hundred  and  thirty-two  acres  in   Melville 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  563 

township,  this  county,  at  nine  dollars  an  acre.  In  1903  he  added  to  his  hold- 
ings by  the  purchase  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  at  sixty-one  dollars  an 
acre.  Mr.  Schreiber  has  placed  most  of  the  present  improvements  on  both 
farms,  though  some  of  the  trees  were  planted  by  his  brother-in-law,  Anthony 
Ruddy,  who  lived  on  the  place  eight  years  previous  to  Mr.  Schreiber's  com- 
ing to  this  county. 

On  December  29,  1869,  in  Illinois,  Henry  Schreiber  was  married  to 
Catherine  Ruddy,  and  to  this  happy  union '  six  children  have  been  born, 
namely :  Annie,  who  lives  in  Chicago ;  Elizabeth,  of  Audubon ;  Henry,  of 
Chicago;  Catherine,  of  Chicago;  Helen,  who  is  the  wife  of  Daniel  Kerwin, 
and  May,  who  is  living  at  home. 

Politically,  Mr.  Schreiber  is  independent,  but  he  is  more  or  less  identified 
with  the  fortunes  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  most  of  the  time  supports  the 
Democratic  candidate  and  ticket.  He  and  Mrs.  Schreiber  and  all  the  mem- 
bers of  their  family  are  devout  members  of  the  Catholic  church  of  Audubon, 
and  are  liberal  contributors  to  the  support  of  their  faith.  They  have  many 
friends  throughout  the  county  and  are  held  in  high  regard  by  all. 


WILLIAM  M.  CLARK. 


It  is  a  well-attested  fact  that  the  greatness  of  a  community  or  state 
lies  not  in  the  machinery  of  government,  nor  even  in  its  institutions,  but 
rather  in  the  sterling  qualities  of  the  individual  citizen,  in  his  capacity  for 
high  and  unselfish  effort  and  his  devotion  to  the  public  welfare.  In  those 
particulars  William  M.  Clark  has  conferred  honor  and  dignity  upon  his 
locality,  and  as  an  elemental  part  of  this  history,  it  is  fitting  that  there  should 
be  recorded  a  resume  of  his  career,  with  the  object  of  noting  his  connection 
with  the  advancement  of  one  of  the  most  flourishing  sections  of  the  great 
Hawkeye  commonwealth. 

William  M.  Clark  was  born  in  Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  on  November 
16,  1871,  a  son  of  William  J.  and  Serena  J.  (Thompson)  Clark.  The  life 
history  of  William  J.  Clark  is  contained  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  the  bio- 
graphical sketch  of  Mr.  Clark  presenting  the  history  of  the  Clark  family. 
Educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Audubon  county,  William  M.  Clark 
early  in  life  took  up  farming  in  Viola  township  and  continued  farming  opera- 
tions in  that  township  for  two  years,  after  which  he  removed  to  Missouri, 
and  lived  in  that  state  for  seven  years,     Mr.  Clark  prospered  while  living  in 


564  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Missouri,  but  subsequently  returned  to  Audubon  county  and  purchased  a 
farm  in  Viola  township,  where  he  is  now  living.  He  is  also  the  owner  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Pipe  Stone  county,  Minnesota. 

In  1895,  William  M.  Clark  w^as  married  to  Lulu  Graves,  the  daughter 
of  Joseph  and  Jane  (Spratt)  Graves,  and  to  this  happy  union  three  children 
have  been  born,  Bertha,  Raymond  and  Elnora,  all  of  whom  are  living  at 
home. 

Mr.  Clark  is  not  a  member  of  any  lodge,  and  has  held  no  political  offices, 
but  is  identified  wath  the  Democratic  party,  and  supports  the  principles  and 
policies  of  that  party.  Although  a  comparatively  young  man,  he  has  made 
rapid  progress  as  a  farmer,  and  all  of  his  friends  join  in  predicting  for  him 
a  very  bright  future. 


WILLIAM  O.  BAKER. 


One  of  the  influential  citizens  and  farmers  of  Viola  township,  this 
county,  and  the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  that  township,  is  Will- 
iam O.  Baker,  a  man  of  excellent  endowment  and  upright  character,  who  has 
been  a  valuable  factor  in  the  agricultural  and  civic  affairs  of  Viola  township 
for  many  years.  Since  casting  his  lot  with  the  people  of  Audubon  county 
in  1874,  Mr.  Baker  has  benefited  not  only  himself,  but  the  community  in 
general.  His  record  shows  him  to  be  one  of  the  prominent  and  successful 
farmers  of  Audubon  county,  and  he  is.  in  every  respect,  worthy  of  repre- 
sentation in  this  volume. 

William  O.  Baker  was  born  in  England  on  February  19,  1848,  the  son 
of  Robert  and  Eliza  (Owen)  Baker,  who  immigrated  from  England  in  1850 
and  located  near  Davenport,  Scott  county,  Iowa,  where  they  lived  for  twenty 
years  and  were  successful  farmers.  They  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1870 
and  lived  in  Melville  township  for  four  years,  after  which  they  moved  to 
Viola  township.  Robert  Baker  died  on  the  farm  there  on  June  18,  1905,  his 
wife  having  preceded  him  to  the  grave  but  a  bare  month  before,  her  death 
having  occurred  on  May  13  of  the  same  year,  Robert  Baker  having  been 
eighty-nine  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death  and  his  wife  eighty-three. 
They  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  William,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch;  Mrs.  Mary  Jane  Huffmann  (deceased),  who  lived  in  Viola  town- 
ship; Mrs.  Annie  Abel,  of  Omaha,  Nebraska;  John  Thomas,  of  Spirit  Lake; 
James  K.,  who  lives  near  Audubon;  Mrs.  Josephine  Oliver,  of  IMelville  town- 
ship, and  Mrs.  Nellie  Smith,  of  Dodd  City,  Kansas. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  565 

William  O.  Baker  lived  with  his  parents  until  their  death  and  cared  for 
them,  having  previously  purchased  from  them  the  farm  which  he  now  owns. 
He  has,  for  many  years,  been  an  extensive  breeder  of  Shorthorn  and  Here- 
ford cattle,  dividing  his  time  between  these  two  breeds  and  farming.  Of 
late  he  has  been  buying  and  selling  cattle,  and  handles  hundreds  of  head 
annually.  Mr.  Baker  owns  altogether  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land, 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  which  is  located  in  section  i8  and  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  in  section  17,  and  has  lived  on  this  farm  since  the 
spring  of  1874.  He  first  came  to  Audubon  county  with  his  parents  in  1870, 
at  which  time  his  nearest  neighbor  in  Melville  township  was  E.  J.  Fruman, 
who  lived  four  miles  away.  Mr.  Baker  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  in  Viola 
township.  He  purchased  his  land  in  1879  at  eighteen  dollars  an  acre  from 
F.  E.  Dennet  and  Carl  Dennet,  previously  having  rented  land  for  five  years. 
The  highway  near  his  farm  is  lined  on  both  sides  with  great  trees  which  he 
planted.     The  home  is  attractive  and  well  built  and  the  farm  is  well  fenced. 

Though  Mr.  Baker  is  a  Democrat,  he  is  somewhat  independent  in  his 
voting,  being  inclined,  for  it  is  a  question  between  measures  and  parties,  to 
support  men  of  high  principles  rather  than  political  party  emblems.  He 
attends  the  Eaton  Valley  United  Brethren  church.  Mr.  Baker  has  never 
married. 


FRED  SUNBERG. 


Among  the  enterprising  and  progressive  men  whose  activity  in  agricul- 
tural circles,  and  private  circles  as  well,  has  made  Audubon  county  one  of  the 
thriving  counties  of  the  great  Hawkeye  state,  and  an  important  center  in  the 
commerce  and  industry  of  the  state,  is  Fred  Sunberg,  a  well-known  farmer  of 
Melville  township,  and  the  proprietor  of  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  33  of 
that  township.  Mr.  Sunberg  is  a  native  of  Germany,  but  has  resided  in  this 
country  practically  all  his  life. 

Fred  Sunberg  was  born  in  Mecklinburg-Schwerin,  Germany,  on  August 
10,  1869,  the  son  of  Henry  Sunberg,  who  came  to  America  in  the  spring  of 
1 87 1,  first  settling  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  coming  to  Audubon  county  in 
the  spring  of  1887,  and  renting  land  in  Melville  township,  later  retiring  to 
Audubon,  where  he  now  lives. 

Fred  Sunberg  began  doing  farm  work  for  himself  in  1894,  previous  to 
his  marriage  in  that  year  he  having  worked  out  by  the  month  for  neighbor- 
ing  farmers.      On   March    15,    1894,   he  was   married   to   Minnie   Tunman, 


566  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA, 

daughter  of  Charles  Tunman,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born, 
namely :  May,  who  lives  in  Audubon  with  her  grandparents ;  Carl,  Mildred 
and  Lowine,  at  home. 

Mr.  Sunberg  is  a  Democrat,  but  his  extensive  agricultural  interests  have 
prevented  his  taking  a  very  active  part  in  public  affairs.  Fraternally,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Alodern  Woodmen  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men, and  is  active  in  the  affairs  of  both  lodges.  Mr.  Sunberg  is  well  known 
in  Melville  township  as  one  of  the  industrious,  enterprising  and  progressive 
citizens  of  that  favored  locality.  He  is  very  keenly  interested  in  the  people 
of  Melville  township,  and  they  are  his  very  good  friends. 


WILLIAM  J.  CALLOW. 


It  is  proper  to  judge  the  success  of  a  man's  life  by  the  estimation  in 
which  he  is  held  l)y  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens.  They  see  him  at  his 
work,  in  his  family  circle,  in  church,  hear  his  views  on  public  questions, 
observe  his  code  of  morals,  \vitness  how  he  conducts  himself  in  all  of  the 
relations  of  society  and  civilization,  and  are,  therefore,  competent  to  judge 
his  merits  and  demerits.  After  a  long  course  of  years,  it  would  be  out  of 
the  question  for  his  neighbors  not  to  know  of  his  worth  for,  as  has  been 
said,  "Actions  speak  louder  than  words."  In  this  connection  it  is  not  too 
much  to  sav  that  William  J.  Callow,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Viola  township, 
this  county,  who  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in 
section  29,  and  who  has  lived  on  that  farm  for  nearly  twelve  years,  has  passed 
a  life  of  unusual  honor  in  the  community  where  he  has  lived.  He  has  been 
industrious  and  has  the  confidence  of  all  who  have  had  the  pleasure  of  his 
friendship. 

William  J.  Callow  was  born  on  February  24,  1861,  in  Iowa  county, 
Wisconsin,  the  son  of  James  and  Ann  (Skillicorn)  Callow,  both  natives  of 
the  Isle  of  ]\Ian,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  1824  and  died  in  1895, 
and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  1843.  James  Callow  emigrated  to  this 
country  in  1852  and  was  married  in  Wisconsin.  His  widow  is  now  living 
in  that  state. 

William  J.  Callow  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  educated  in  Wisconsin, 
during  which  period  he  performed  the  usual  work  which  falls  to  the  lot  of 
the  country  boy.  He  was  married  in  Wisconsin  in  1885.  and  three  years 
later,  in  the  spring  of  1888,  he  moved  to  Furnas  county,  Nebraska,  where  he 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  567 

remained  for  nine  years.  In  1897  h^  moved  to  Iowa  and  settled  in 
Melville  township,  this  county.  The  next  year  he  moved  to  Viola  township 
and  iri  1902  he  purchased  his  present  farm,  moving  to  the  same  in  the  spring 
of  1903.  Mr.  Callow  has  improved  the  place  with  splendid  buildings,  excel- 
lent drains  and  good  fences  and  now  has  a  fertile  and  highly  productive  farm. 

In  December,  1885,  William  J.  Callow  was  married  to  Susanna  Matthews, 
a  native  of  Norway,  and  to  this  union  were  born  six  children,  namely :  Stans- 
more  James,  who  lives  at  home;  Myrtle  Anna,  the  wife  of  Wilbur  Daniel 
Sampson,  of  Viola  township ;  Lillie  Maude,  Beulah  May  and  Harold  Gordon, 
all  of  whom  are  at  home  and  one  who  died  in  infancy,  unnamed. 

Mr.  Callow  for  many  years  has  been  an  ardent  opponent  of  the  saloons 
and  is  politically  identified  with  the  Prohibition  party.  He  is  bitterly  opposed 
to  the  liquor  traffic  in  any  form  and  has  given  his  best  energy  to  the  cause  of 
state-wide  and  nation-wide  prohibition.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Callow  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  the  faith  of  which  their  children  have 
been  reared,  and  are  liberal  contributors  to  the  support  of  this  denomination. 
This  is  an  excellent  family  and  is  held  in  high  regard  throughout  that  whole 
section  of  the  county. 


WILLIAM  S.  OWEN. 


The  gentleman  whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of  this  biographical 
review  needs  no  introduction  to  the  people  of  Audubon  county,  since  his  entire 
life  has  been  spent  in  this  community.  Though  his  life  has  been  devoted  to 
fostering  his  own  interests  primarily,  he  has  not  neglected  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  his  neighbors  and  friends  as  well.  He  is  an  honorable  representa- 
tive of  one  of  the  esteemed  families  of  this  section  and  a  gentleman  of  high 
character  and  worthy  ambition.  He  has  filled  no  small  place  in  the  public 
life,  and  is  a  splendid  type  of  the  intelligent,  up-to-date,  self-made  American. 
As  a  citizen  he  is  progressive,  abreast  of  the  times  in  all  that  concerns  the 
common  weal  and  has  the  unqualified  respect  and  confidence  of  everyone. 

William  S.  Owen  was  born  in  this  county  on  September  14,  1870,  the 
son  of  William  and  Mary  (Chfton)  Owen,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
England.  They  were  married  in  England  and  soon  afterward  came  to  the 
United  States,  settling  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  1865,  later  coming  to  this 
county,  filling  no  small  part  in  the  early  life  of  the  people  of  this  part  of  the 
state. 

William   S.   Owen   received   his   education   in   the   common   schools   of 


568  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Audubon  county,  and  after  leaving  school  took  up  farming  in  Leroy  town- 
ship, continuing  to  live  there  until  1909,  when  he  purchased  two  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  Viola  township,  where  he  is  now  living,  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock  breeding.  Mr.  Owen  has  a  fertile  farm  and  has 
been  very  successful  in  its  operation. 

On  March  25,  1897,  William  S.  Owen  was  married  to  Minnie  Sunberg, 
the  daughter  of  Henry  Sunberg,  an  account  of  whose  life  is  presented  else- 
where in  this  volume,  and  in  whose  biographical  sketch  is  found  the  history 
of  Mr.  Sunberg's  family.  To  this  union  four  children  have  been  born, 
Henry,  Grace  and  Helen,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home  with  their  parents, 
and  Clarence,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years. 

William  S.  Owen  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  as  township  trustee 
for  two  years,  besides  having  been  for  many  years  a  school  director  in  his 
home  township.  He  has  been  active  in  educational  affairs  in  Viola  township 
and  is  keenly  interested  in  the  educational  progress  of  Audubon  county.  Mr 
and  Mrs.  Owen  and  family  are  earnest  and  loyal  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Aside  from  the  educational  interests  to  which  he  is  devoted,  Mr. 
Owen  devotes  all  his  time  to  his  family  and  to  his  farm.  He  is  a  man  of 
domestic  temperament  and  has  set  a  worthy  example  to  the  young  men  of 
Audubon  county. 


EDWARD  B.  BAKER. 


In  placing  the  subject  of  this  sketch  in  the  front  ranks  of  Audubon 
county's  farmers  and  business  men,  simple  justice  is  done  to  Edward  B. 
Baker,  a  man  of  excellent  judgment,  sound  discretion,  thorough  technical 
knowledge  and  business  ability  of  a  high  order.  Mr.  Baker  manages  his 
affairs  with  splendid  success  and  has  so  impressed  his  individuality  upon  the 
community  in  which  he  lives  as  to  gain  recognition  among  the  leading  citi- 
zens and  public-spirited  men  of  affairs.  He  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  in  section  9,  of  Viola  township.  Edward  B.  Baker 
was  born  on  April  i,  1886,  a  native  of  the  township  where  he  lives,  and  was 
born  on  the  Baker  homestead  east  of  Viola  Center,  the  son  of  John  T.  Baker, 
who  was  born  in  1856  in  Davenport,  Iowa.  John  T.  Baker,  son  of  Robert 
Baker,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Audubon  county,  came  to  this  county 
with  his  parents  and  married  Minnie  Booton.  After  his  marriage  he  settled 
on  a  farm  east  of  Viola  Center.  He  moved  to  Spirit  Lake  in  the  spring  of 
1907  and  lived  there  for  two  years.     In  1909  Edward  B.  Baker,  who  also 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  569 

lived  at  Spirit  Lake,  returned  to  Audubon  county  and  purchased  his  present 
farm,  and  is  now  accounted  one  of  the  successful  young  farmers  of  this 
section  of  the  state. 

On  March  17,  1909,  Edward  B.  Baker  was  married  to  Mazel  Yager, 
daughter  of  C.  A.  Yager,  of  Coon  Rapids,  and  to  this  union  two  children 
have  been  born,  Geneva  and  Daryl. 

Mr.  Baker  is  a  Democrat  and  an  active  member  of  the  Yeomen  of 
America. 


JERRY  S.  HOOVER. 


Jerry  S.  Hoover,  a  farmer  of  Greeley  township,  and  a  resident  of  this 
county  for  nearly  thirty  years,  was  born  on  August  18,  18*65,  in  Racine 
county,  Wisconsin,  the  son  of  Jerry  M.  and  Fannie  (Foreman)  Hoover, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  England,  respectively.  The  mother  came  to 
the  United  States  when  a  child,  her  parents  having  emigrated  to  America 
at  that  time.  Jerry  M.  and  Fannie  (Foreman)  Hoover  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  of  whom  Jerry  S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  fifth 
and  the  only  one  who  has  ever  lived  in  Audubon  county. 

After  living  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  old,  Mr.  Hoover 
came  to  x\udubon  county  in  1888  and  rented  land  for  five  years.  He  then 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  33,  of  Greeley  township,  and  began 
his  career  as  a  farmer,  a  career  in  which  he  has  been  very  successful.  The 
eighty-acre  farm  was  very  slightly  improved  when  Mr.  Hoover  purchased  it. 
having  only  a  small  two-room  house  and  a  hay-shed  barn.  He  has  since 
built  an  addition  to  the  house  and  now  has  a  nine-room  house,  a  good  barn, 
cribs,  granaries,  garage  and  well-kept  out-buildings.  He  is  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock  raising  and  milks  on  an  average  thirteen  head  of 
cows.  He  has  added  forty  acres  to  his  original  holdings  and  also  rents  from 
forty  to  eighty  acres  additional. 

On  February  29,  1888,  Jerry  S.  Hoover  was  married  to  Katherine 
Bauer,  of  Audubon,  who  was  born  on  July  22,  1869,  in  Baden,  Germany,  the 
daughter  of  Christian  and  Susan  (Frankenberger)  Bauer.  The  mother  died 
in  the  old  country,  when  Katherine  was  eight  years  old,  and  her  father  again 
married.  She  came  to  the  United  States  with  her  father  and  step-mother, 
and  after  landing  in  New  York,  in  March,  1884,  they  went  to  Racine  county, 
Wisconsin,  where  they  lived  for  three  years,  and  then  came  to  Audubon 
county. 


570  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

To  Jerry  S.  and  Katharine  (Bauer)  Hoover  have  been  born  eight  chil- 
dren, as  follow:  Alice,  born  on  May  4,  1889,  married  F.  A.  Bartelt,  and 
has  one  child,  George;  Elizabeth,  November  20,  1890,  married  Earl  Griffin, 
and  has  four  children,  Edith  and  Elsie  (twins),  Myrtle  and  Arnold;  Emma, 
May  13,  1892;  Chris,  August  26,  1894;  Fannie,  April  11,  1897;  Nora, 
December  18,  1899;  George,  September  16,  1903,  and  Ellowene,  April  25, 
1907.  All  of  the  unmarried  children  live  at  home  with  their  parents,  except 
Emma,  who  stays  with  her  sister,  Elizabeth,  near  Anita. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Hooyer  has  been  a  prominent  Republican  in 
Greeley  township,  having  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  three  terms  and 
as  a  school  director  for  eight  years.  The  Hoover  family  are  members  of 
the  Christian  church,  and  Mrs.  Hoover  especially  has  been  an  active  church 
worker  for  many  years.  The  family  is  well  known  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try. Fraternally,  Mr.  Hoover  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  the 
United  Workmen. 

Jerry  S.  Hoover  is  a  man  of  wide  intelligence,  a  skillful  and  scientific 
farmer,  who  has  followed  closely  the  modern  development  in  farming,  and 
who  has  used  only  the  most  improved  processes  in  farm  operations.  He 
believes  in  good  machinery  and  his  place  is  well  equipped  with  most  of  the 
modern  farm  inventions.  Not  only  is  Mr.  Hoover  well  known  but  he  is 
popular  in  Greeley  township  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  know  him. 


SOREN  R.  NELSON. 


Left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  his  mother  having  died 
when  he  was  fourteen,  and  his  father  having  died  a  year  later,  Soren  R. 
Nelson  came  to  this  county,  on  money  borrowed  from  relatives,  with  his 
sister  and  three  brothers.  After  the  estate  of  his  parents  had  been  settled, 
and  he  had  received  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  which  he  had  pledged 
to  his  relatives  in  repayment  for  an  advance  made  to  pay  the  passage  of 
himself  and  his  sister  and  three  brothers  to  America,  the  bank  in  which  the 
money  was  deposited  failed  and  most  of  the  money  was  lost.  Undaunted 
by  this  early  misfortune,  Soren  R.  Nelson  applied  himself  diligently  to 
make  the  most  of  his  opportunities  in  the  new  world.  As  a  consequence 
he  is  today  regarded  as  one  of  the  substantial  and  influential  business  men 
of  Exira,  this  county,  where  he  owns  a  garage  and  where  he  is  extensively 
engaged  in  dealing  in  automobiles  and  implements. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  57 1 

Soren  R.  Nelson's  parents,  Rasmus  and  Catherine  (Sorenson)  Nelson 
were  farmers  in  their  native  land,  the  little  kingdom  of  Denmark,  but  when 
Soren  R.  was  a  year  old  they  moved  to  Germany  and  there  the  elder  Nelson 
farmed  until  his  death  in  1892.  His  wife  died  one  year  previously,  in 
1891.  They  left  a  family  of  five  children,  of  whom  Soren  is  the  eldest, 
the  others  being  Agnes,  Nels,  Robert  and  Hans.  Agnes  is  living  in  Colfax, 
Iowa ;  Nels  and  Robert  are  in  the  implement  business  at  Brayton,  Iowa, 
and  Hans  is  deceased. 

Soren  R.  Nelson  was  born  in  Denmark  on  October  24,  1876.  Follow- 
ing his  father's  death,  his  mother  having  passed  away  the  year  before,  he 
persuaded  his  relatives  to  loan  the  five  children  enough  money  to  come  to 
America.  He  promised  to  pay  them  when  their  parents'  estate  was  settled. 
Arrangements  were  made  and  thus  the  five  orphans  came  to  America  and 
located  in  Audubon  county  with  an  aunt.  When  the  estate  was  settled  the 
modest  sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  was  left,  and  out  of  that  it 
was  necessary  to  repay  the  money  they  had  borrowed  from  relatives.  The 
money  was  sent  to  this  country  and  was  placed  in  a  bank  at  Chicago,  Illinois. 
While  the  money  was  on  deposit  the  bank  failed,  and  Soren  R.  and  his 
brothers  and  their  sister  lost  almost  all  of  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 
This  was  their  first  financial  experience  in  America.  Fortunately,  Soren  R. 
Nelson  had  received  an  excellent  elementary  education  in  Germany  and  after 
leaving  school  he  taught  for  a  short  time. 

Upon  arriving  in  this  country  the  five  Nelson  children  located  first  near 
Brayton,  this  county,  where  the  boys  worked  as  farm  hands.  Soren  R. 
Nelson  was  thus  engaged  for  three  years,  after  which  he  was  engaged  to 
teach  school  in  this  county  and  was  thus  employed  for  twelve  years,  after 
which  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  implement  business  at  Brayton.  He 
remained  at  Brayton  for  four  years,  and  then  engaged  in  the  implement 
and  automobile  business  at  Atlantic,  and  is  proprietor  of  the  Cass  County 
Implement  Company,  which  was  incorporated  for  five  thousand  dollars  in 
1912.  In  the  year  191 1  he  purchased  a  half  interest  with  H.  A.  Nelson  & 
Company,  implement  dealers,  of  Exira,  which  interest  he  later  sold  and  in 
February,  191 3,  started  in  the  garage  and  automobile  business.  Mr.  Nelson 
has  the  agency  for  the  Ford  automobile  in  this  county  and  also  handles  a 
complete  line  of  implements. 

On  November  24,  1898,  Soren  R.  Nelson  was  married  to  Ida  Nelson, 
daughter  of  L.  P.  and  Marie  Nelson,  to  which  happy  union  four  children 
have  been  born.  Violet,  Ralph,  Perle  and  Marie.  Mrs.  Soren  R.  Nelson 
was  born  in  Cass  county,  Iowa,  her  parents  being  natives  of  Germany  and 


572  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Denmark,  respectively.  Upon  his  arrival  in  America,  L.  P.  Nelson  located 
in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  there  was  married.  For  a  time  he  worked  in  a 
brickyard.  In  1878  he  removed  to  Elkhorn.  Iowa,  where  he  took  up  farm- 
ing. Subsequently  he  moved  to  a  farm  three  and  one-half  miles  west  of 
Exira,  in  this  county,  where  he  is  now  living.  He  and  his  wife  are  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  Anna,  Rosa,  Hans,  Ida,  Martha,  Mary,  Ray, 
Arthur  and  Albert,  all  of  whom  are  living  in  this  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Soren  R.  Nelson  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church.  Mr.  Nelson  is  a  member  of  and  active  in  the  fraternal  affairs  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks  at  Atlantic.  He  served  for  seven  years  as  assessor  of  Oakland 
township,  and  was  mayor  of  Brayton  for  two  years.  Politically,  he  is  iden- 
tified with  the  Republican  party.  He  is  recognized  as  an  enterprising  and 
energetic  citizen  and  is  held  in  the  highest  regard  by  all  who  know  him. 


JENS  LARSEN. 


Among  the  highly-respected  citizens  and  retired  farmers  of  this  county, 
is  Jens  Larsen,  who  formerly  owned  a  splendid  farm  of  a  hundred  and 
twenty-one  acres  in  Sharon  township,  which  he  sold  in  191 2  for  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-five  dollars  an  acre.  After  selling  this  farm  he  retired  and 
is  now  living  in  Kimballton,  this  county,  in  a  splendid  modern  home  which 
he  has  lately  built. 

Jens  Larsen  was  born  in  Denmark  on  June  9,  1849,  the  son  of  Lars  and 
Kirsten  Jensen,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  who  came  to  America  in  1882, 
and  spent  their  last  days  in  the  home  of  one  of  their  sons  in  Sharon  town- 
ship, this  county.  They  were  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  and 
reared  a  family  of  nine  children,  whose  names  follow  in  the  order  of  their 
birth:  Hans,  a  retired  farmer  of  Kimballton;  Jens  and  Maria  (twins),  the 
next  born,  of  whom  the  former  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  the  latter 
is  the  wife  of  Peter  Rassmussen,  of  Elk  Horn;  Kirsten,  who  died  in  Chicago; 
Chris,  who  lives  in  Sharon  township;  Stena,  deceased;  Louisa,  who  mar- 
ried Hans  Larsen.  of  Sharon  township;  Anders,  a  farmer  in  Sharon  town- 
ship, and  Anemaria.  who  married  Anton  Peterson,  of  Elk  Horn. 

After  attending  the  common  schools  of  his  native  land.  Jens  Larsen 
began  to  make  his  own  living  at  the  age  of  eleven  by  herding  cattle.  Later 
he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  and  in  1872,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  he  came 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  5^73 

to  America.  For  several  years  he  worked  at  various  places.  In  Wisconsin, 
Canada,  Mississippi  and  Louisiana  he  was  employed  in  railroad  work,  and 
for  five  years  was  located  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  where  he  had  charge  of  the 
horses  for  the  street  car  company  at  the  Cottage  Grove  avenue  barns.  In 
1880  he  came  to  Audubon  county  and  located  in  Sharon  township,  where  he 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  to  which  he  later  added  an  adjoining  tract 
of  forty  acres.  It  was  this  farm  that  Mr.  Larsen  sold  in  1912  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty-five  dollars  an  acre. 

In  1876,  in  Chicago,  Jens  Larsen  was  married  to  Hannah  Rassmussen, 
a  native  of  Denmark.  Eleven  years  after  their  marriage  she  died,  and  Mr. 
Larsen  married,  secondly,  Carenstena  Hansen,  also  a  native  of  Denmark. 
To  this  union  no  children  have  been  born. 

Mr.  Larsen  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  never  aspired  to  office.  He  and 
Mrs.  Larsen  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  at  Kimballton. 
and  both  take  a  lively  interest  in  the  church  work,  being  held  in  high  esteem 
by  their  neighbors.  Having  started  in  life  as  a  poor  boy,  with  no  financial 
assistance  and  without  help  of  any  kind,  Mr.  Larsen  has  worked  hard  to 
achieve  a  competence  and  has  supplemented  personal  labor  by  careful  and 
wise  management  of  his  business.  He  is  a  fine  man  to  meet ;  is  well  known 
and  enjoys  the  confidence  of  a  host  of  friends  in  Audubon  county. 


GEORGE  AGNEW. 


George  Agnew,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  formerly  a  successful  farm- 
er of  this  county  and  well  known  in  this  section,  is  now  living  retired  at 
Audubon.  Mr.  Agnew  was  born  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  January 
I,  1839,  son  of  Samuel  and  Anna  (McKinley)  Agnew,  both  natives  of 
County  Antrim.  Ireland,  both  of  whom  passed  away  more  than  a  half  cen- 
tury ago.  The  former  was  born  in  1784  and  died  in  i860,  and  the  latter 
was  born  in  1799  and  died  in  1844. 

Samuel  Agnew  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  who  learned  the  trade  in 
the  land  of  his  birth,  and  who  after  coming  to  America  and  farming  for  a 
short  time,  resumed  the  shoe  business  and  was  engaged  in  the  making  of 
custom  shoes  in  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  for  many  years.  In  1857,  he 
sold  the  farm  which  he  had  previously  owned,  together  with  his  shoe  busi- 
ness and  moved  to  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life. 

George  Agnew  began  farming  in  the  spring  of  1861,  and  in  September 


574  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

of  that  year  enrolled  his  name  among  those  from  Johnson  county  who  were 
offering  their  services  to  their  country  in  behalf  of  the  preservation  of  the 
Union.  The  recruits  thus  enrolled  failed  to  fill  a  company  and  Mr.  Agnew 
enlisted  under  Captain  Castle,  whose  company  went  into  quarters  at  Mt. 
Pleasant,  where  they  organized,  Mr.  Agnew  being  elected  sergeant.  This 
squad  then  was  ordered  back  to  Iowa,  with  a  view  to  having  the  company 
filled.  This  design  failing,  the  recruits  were  given  the  privilege  either  to 
join  other  companies  or  to  go  home.  Some  of  the  men  went  home,  but 
Mr.  Agnew  and  thirteen  others  made  a  proposition  to  Company  C,  Fourth 
Iowa  Cavalry,  that  if  one  of  the  squad  should  be  given  the  position  of  orderly 
sergeant  they  would  attach  themselves  to  Company  C.  This  proft'er  was 
accepted  and  Mr.  Agnew  thus  began  his  military  service  as  a  member  of 
Company  C,  Fourth  Iowa  Cavalry.  He  served  first  under  Captain  :\Iiller, 
then  under  Captain  Porter,  following  which  he  saw  service  under  Captain 
Morrison  and  Captain  Beckworth.  but  was  attached  to  the  same  general 
command  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Vicks- 
burg,  and  in  fact  all  of  the  Vicksburg  campaign;  in  Wilson's  raid,  and  in 
the  campaign  around  Atlanta.  Georgia,  as  well  as  in  numerous  important 
expeditions.  He  was  mustered  out  of  service  in  August,  1865.  and  resumed 
the  vocation  of  farming  on  his  return  home.  In  partnership  with  his  brother, 
William  J.  Agnew.  he  rented  a  farm  for  two  years,  and  then  moved  to 
Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  and  engaged  in  general  farming  for  seven  years.  The  Nebraska 
farm  comprised  virgin  soil  and  Mr.  Agnew  "broke"  the  land  for  the  third 
time.  In  1874  he  returned  to  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  and  rented  land  there 
for  seven  years,  after  which  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundreil  and  sixty 
acres  ten  miles  south  of  Iowa  City,  and  remained  there  until  1891.  when  he 
came  to  Audubon  county  and  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  LeRoy  township.  During  the  active  period  of  his  career  in  this 
county  Mr.  Agnew  was  engaged  in  general  farming,  and  during  that  time 
he  invested  upwards  of  four  thousand  dollars  in  improvements  upon  his 
LeRoy  township  farm.  He  was  accustomed  to  feed  out  one  hundred  head 
of  hogs  every  year,  and  also  raised  a  great  many  cattle.  In  1909  Mr.  Agnew 
sold  the  farm  and  removed  to  Audubon  where  he  has  since  lived  in  com- 
fortable retirement. 

In  1867  George  Agnew  was  married  to  Mary  E.  Marshall,  daughter 
of  Josiah  and  Mary  INIarshall.  Of  the  six  children  born  to  this  union  only 
four  are  now  living.  The  deceased  children  are  Esther  and  Catherine.  Those 
living   are    Charles,    Elmer,    Mary   E.    and    Carrie.      Charles   is   unmarried. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  575 

Elmer  married  Lucinda  Frederickson  and  they  have  two  children,  Dorothy 
and  Mary.  Mary  is  unmarried  and  Carrie  married  George  Kirby,  to  which 
union  two  children  have  been  born,  Helen  and  Russell. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Agnew  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  are  interested  in  all  good  works.  For  many  years  Mr.  Agnew  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  several  times  has  served 
as  commander  of  the  local  post.  In  politics  he  is,  and  has  been  for  many 
years,  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

George  Agnew  is  a  worthy  citizen  of  this  great  county,  and  is  honored 
and  respected  by  his  fellow  townsmen.  Having  worked  hard  during  the 
time  he  was  able  to  work,  he  has  the  satisfaction  now  of  enjoying  the  com- 
petence which  he  has  accumulated  for  his  declining  years.  He  well  deserves 
the  confidence  placed  in  him  by  his  fellow  citizens  and  the  esteem  bestowed 
upon  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen. 


JOHN  FELTNER. 


John  Feltner,  formerly  a  well-known  farmer  of  Audubon  county,  now 
living  retired  at  Audubon,  was  born  on  July  24,  1846,  in  Buffalo,  New 
York,  of  German  parentage,  and  after  living  there  for  twenty-four  years, 
where  he  worked  as  a  laborer,  he  moved  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  worked 
on  a  farm  for  six  years.  He  then  moved  to  Booneville,  Iowa,  and  worked 
in  a  saw-mill  for  a  short  time,  after  which  he  farmed  in  that  county  for 
eight  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  came  to  this  county  and  farmed 
here  until  191 5,  when  he  retired  and  moved  to  Audubon,  the  county  seat, 
where  he  is  now  living.  Mr.  Feltner  never  owned  land  in  this  county,  but 
he  was  a  large  stock  raiser  and  farmer  and  directed  the  operations  on  as 
high  as  five  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Audubon  county. 

John  Feltner  was  married  in  1873  to  Mary  Hunt,  daughter  of  Jonathan 
and  Mary  (Fletcher)  Hunt,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Lincolnshire, 
England,  and  who,  after  their  marriage  in  their  native  land,  came  to  the 
United  States,  locating  temporarily  in  New  York,  where  they  remained  only 
one  year.  They  then  came  west  to  Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  where  they 
remained  for  six  years,  after  which  they  moved  to  Lafayette  county,  Wis- 
consin, where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Both  died  of  typhoid 
fever  just  one  month  apart,  the  father  passing  away  on  August  26,  1862, 
and  the  mother  on   September   26,    1862.     Jonathan  Hunt   was   a    farmer 


576  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

during  his  entire  life,  and  was  the  father  of  seven  children,  James,  Mary, 
Robert,  John,  William,  Albert  and  George,  the  latter  of  whom  is  deceased. 

To  John  and  Mary  (Hunt)  Feltner  twelve  children  have  been  born, 
nine  of  whom  are  living,  as  follow :  Frank,  Abe,  Elizabeth,  Stella,  Laura, 
Bob,  John,  James  and  William. 

Though  a  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Feltner  never  has  taken  an  espe- 
cially active  part  in  political  matters  in  the  community  where  he  lives. 
Nevertheless  he  always  has  been  vitally  interested  in  matters  affecting  the 
public  welfare,  and  has  always  been  rated  as  a  good  citizen,  upright  in  his 
dealings  with  his  neighbors;  a  man  of  charitable  and  kindly  impulses,  who 
has  left  the  impression  of  his  individuality  upon  the  agricultural  life  of  this 
county,  it  being  but  fair  to  say  that  his  acquaintance  and  friends  are  the 
better  for  having  associated  with  him. 


HANS  P.  HANSEN. 


Few  residents  of  Exira,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  are  so  well  and  favor- 
ably known  as  the  enterprising  business  man  and  representative  citizen  whose 
life  story  is  here  briefly  told.  None  stands  higher  than  he  in  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  the  community  in  which  he  resides  and  for  the  material  advance- 
ment of  which  he  has  devoted  so  much  of  his  time  and  influence.  Hans  P. 
Hansen  is  the  proprietor  of  a  large  garage  in  Exira  and  enjoys  a  large  busi- 
ness which  he  has  built  up  himself — a  business  to  which  he  is  justly  entitled, 
because  of  his  correct  methods  of  dealing  with  the  public.  He  has  been 
honored  in  a  political  way  1)}'  the  people  of  his  township  and  has  worthily 
discharged  every  trust  and  responsibility  imposed  upon  him. 

Hans  P.  Hansen  was  born  on  August  3,  187 1,  in  Denmark.  He  is  the 
son  of  Andrew  and  Catherine  (Peterson)  Hansen,  both  natives  of  Denmark. 
Andrew  Hansen  was  a  gardener  in  Denmark  and  followed  that  business  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death  in  191 2.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  Hans  P.  Hansen, 
is  still  living  in  Denmark,  and  was  the  mother  of  four  children :  Hans  P., 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mary,  Rasmus  and  Jacob.  Hans  P.  Hansen  is 
the  only  member  of  the  family  who  came  to  /America. 

Mr.  Hansen  attended  school  in  Denmark  and  after  leaving  school,  took 
up  the  blacksmith's  trade.  He  followed  that  trade  in  Denmark  and  also  in 
this  country.  In  1892  he  came  to  America  and  located  at  Omaha,  Nebraska, 
where  he  remained  for  a  short  time.     Two  years  later,  in  1894,  he  came  to 


HANS  P.  HANSEN 


iK 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  577 

Audubon  county  and  located  at  Exira,  working  in  a  blacksmith  shop  for 
some  time,  but  in  1895,  he  purchased  a  shop  of  his  own  and  operated  it  until 
1907,  a  period  of  twelve  years.  In  1907,  Mr.  Hansen  sold  out  the  black- 
smith shop  and  engaged  in  the  implement  business,  and  had  been  engaged 
in  this  business  for  five  years,  when  he  took  up  the  automobile  trade  and  he 
now  devotes  all  of  his  time  to  the  garage.  At  the  present  time,  Mr.  Hansen 
has  the  agency  for  the  Studebaker  car  and  also  the  Abbott-Detroit  car.  He 
has  sold  a  great  many  of  these  motor  cars  to  the  people  of  Exira  and  the 
people  of  the  surrounding  country  and  today  is  well-known  as  a  prosperous 
business  man. 

Hans  P.  Hansen  was  married  on  September  21,  1896,  to  Mary  Estella 
Herrick,  the  daughter  of  Oben  Herrick.  Five  children  have  been  born  to 
this  marriage :  Georgia,  Eva,  Charles,  Helen  and  Lillian.  All  of  these  chil- 
dren are  living  at  home.  Mrs.  Hansen  was  born  in  Exira,  her  parents  being 
early  settlers  in  Audubon  county.  Her  father  was  very  prominent  and  was 
first  justice  of  the  peace  in  Audubon  county. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansen  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Hansen  is  a  member  of  the  IMasonic  order,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Danish  Brotherhood.  In  politics,  he  is  identified  with  the 
Democratic  party  and  at  present  is  serving  as  the  efficient  and  capable  town- 
ship trustee. 


CONRAD  MILLER. 


Holding  high  prestige  among  the  successful  farmers  of  his  generation 
in  this  county,  Conrad  Miller  had  much  to  do  in  advancing  the  material 
interests  of  Viola  township.  He  had  much  to  do  with  making  it  one  of  the 
commercial  and  agricultural  centers  of  the  state.  The  study  of  such  a  life 
cannot  fail  to  interest  those  young  men  of  the  present  generation  whose 
careers  are  yet  in  the  process  of  formation.  He  was  singularly  a  representa- 
tive farmer  and  contributed  in  no  small  measure  to  the  prosperity  of  Viola 
township,  which  was  his  home  and  the  field  of  his  endeavors  for  so  many 
years.  During  his  life  he  established  a  lasting  reputation  for  honor  and 
integrity  and  his  memory  is  revered  today  not  only  by  his  family  but  by  all 
the  people  who  knew  him. 

The  late  Conrad  Miller  was  born  in  Germany  on  September  7,  1865, 
the  son  of  Henry  Miller,  and  died  at  his  home  in  this  county  on  September  i, 
1914.     He  came  to  this  country  at  the  age  of  fifteen  and  settled  in  Illinois, 

(37) 


578  •  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

where  he  remained  for  eight  years.  He  then  came  to  Audubon  county  and 
settled  near  Hamlin,  where  he  remained  for  four  years.  Later  he  located  in 
Douglas  township  and  remained  there  for  four  years,  after  which  he  moved 
to  Leroy  township,  where  he  lived  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  finally  settled  in  Viola  township,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  own- 
ing at  the  time  of  his  death  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  that 
township. 

On  March  14,  1889,  Conrad  ^Miller  was  married  to  Bertha  Dittman, 
who  was  born  in  Iowa  on  April  2=^,  1875,  daughter  of  William  and  Minnie 
(Crockom)  Dittman,  both  natives  of  Germany,  where  they  were  married. 
In  1873  William  Dittman  and  wife  came  to  America  and  settled  in  Atlantic, 
Iowa,  where  he  began  working  on  the  railroad  as  a  section  hand.  He  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children.  William,  Henry  (deceased),  August 
(deceased),  Albert,  Herman  (deceased),  Augusta,  Bertha,  Lena,  Anna  and 
Lottie.  William  Dittman  is  still  living  and  is  now  making  his  home  with  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Miller. 

To  Conrad  and  Bertha  (Dittman)  ]\Iiller  were  born  ten  children,  Will- 
iam, Henry,  Lenny,  Harvey,  Mabel,  Walter,  Marie,  Bertha,  Leone  and  one 
who  died  in  infancy. 

Politically,  Mr.  Miller  was  identified  with  the  Democratic  party.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Fraternally,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  also  of  the  Yeomen  of  America.  The 
late  Conrad  Aliller  is  remembered  as  a  useful  citizen,  one  who  gave  his 
strength  and  energy  and  the  best  years  of  his  life  toward  building  up  a  happy 
and  prosperous  life  in  the  neighborhood  in  which  he  lived. 


WILLIAM  C.  YAGER. 


There  could  be  no  more  comprehensive  history  written  of  a  city  or 
county,  or  even  of  a  state  and  its  people,  than  that  which  deals  with  the  life 
work  of  those  who.  by  their  own  endeavors  and  indomitable  energies,  have 
placed  themselves  in  positions  entitling  them  to  be  called  progressive  citizens. 
In  this  sketch  will  be  found  the  record  of  one  who  has  outstripped  those  less 
active  and  less  able  on  the  highway  of  life;  one  who  has  not  been  subdued  by 
the  many  obstacles  and  failures  which  come  to  everyone,  but  who  has  made 
them  stepping  stones  to  higher  things,  and  one  who  at  the  same  time  that  he 
was  winning  his  way  in  the  material  affairs  of  life  gained  a  reputation  for 
uprightness  and  honor. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  579 

\\'illiam  C.  Yager  was  born  on  April  4,  1848,  in  Highland  county,  Ohio, 
the  son  of  Albert  T.  and  Sina  (Tyler)  Yager,  both  natives  of  Virginia,  who 
moved  to  Ohio  during  their  youth  with  their  respective  parents  and  there 
were  married.  Subsequently,  they  moved  to  Iowa,  settling  in  Jefferson 
county  in  1848.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  William 
C,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  eldest.  The  other  children  were 
Joseph  E.,  John  M.  (deceased).  May  M.,  Sarah  F.,  Ella  F.,  James  Franklin 
and  Clay  borne.  Albert  T.  Yager  was  a  coach-maker  by  trade  early  in  life, 
and  in  later  years  studied  medicine  and  became  a  practicing  physician.  He 
came  to  Audubon  county  in  1876  and  practiced  medicine  here  until  his  death. 
His  son,  William  C.  Yager,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  now  the  owner  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  fine  land  in  Viola  township,  where  he 
makes  his  home. 

In  September,  1872,  William  C.  Yager  was  married  to  Margarette 
Booton,  who  was  born  on  January  14,  1852,  the  daughter  of  Vamzyl  G.  and 
Catherine  (Brant)  Booton,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Gallia  county, 
Ohio,  October  28,  1828,  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  on  September  18, 
1828.  Vamzvl  G.  Booton  moved  from  Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  six 
years  working  as  a  day  laborer.  In  1861  he  moved  to  Jefferson  county, 
Iowa,  and  in  that  same  year  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Nineteenth  Regiment, 
Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  for  service  in  the  Civil  War.  He  served  three 
years,  being  mustered  out  at  Davenport,  Iowa,  in  July,  1865.  He  returned 
to  Jefferson  county,  Iowa,  and  lived  there  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  moved  to  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  four  years.  He  then, 
in  1876,  came  to  Audubon  county  and  located  in  Viola  township,  where  he 
was  engaged  as  a  farmer  and  carpenter  until  he  retired  and  moved  to  Coon 
Rapids,  where  he  lived  for  twenty  years,  after  which  he  returned  to  this 
county  and  is  now  making  his  home  with  William  C.  Yager  and  wife. 
Vamzyl  G.  and  Catherine  (Brant)  Booton  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, Alargarette,  Ella,  Dora  (deceased),  Minnie,  Charles,  Frank  (deceased), 
William  and  Albertus. 

To  William  C.  and  Margarette  (Booton)  Yager  there  has  been  born 
one  child,  a  son,  Fred  M.,  who  married  Ella  Campbell.  They  live  in  Viola 
township  and  have  four  children,  Gretta,  Gifford  C,  Winifred  C.  and  Erma. 

]Mr.  Yager  served  one  term  as  township  trustee  of  Viola  township  and 
has  also  served  as  road  supervisor.  He  is  not  a  member  of  any  lodge  and 
has  never  been  identified  with  any  fraternal  organization.  He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  church  and  liberal  contributors  to  its  support. 
Mr.  Yager  is  an  ardent  Democrat,  though  he  has  never  held  any  important 
political  office,  and  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office. 


580  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

PLENNY  ANDREW  HOLLENBECK. 

Plenny  Andrew  Hollenbeck,  now  a  well-known  farmer  and  a  progressive, 
broad-minded  citizen  of  Melville  township,  this  county,  was  born  in  Linn 
county,  Iowa,  on  November  27,  1859,  o"^  of  the  eight  children  of  Andrew  J. 
and  Susanna  (Yates)  Hollenbeck.  Andrew  J.  Hollenbeck  was  a  native  of 
Indiana  and  his  wife  of  Maine.  He  was  a  young  man  when  he  came  to  Iowa 
and  located  at  Cedar  Rapids,  then  a  very  small  town,  and  there  he  operated  a 
cooper  shop.  Subsequently,  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Cedar 
Rapids,  and  after  being  engaged  in  that  business  for  a  number  of  years, 
moved  to  Paoli,  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  After  remaining  at 
Paoli  for  some  time,  he  moved  to  Dallas  county,  Iowa,  and  farmed  there 
until  his  removal  to  Audubon  county,  where  he  homesteaded  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land.  He  broke  the  sod  and  put  many  improvements  upon 
the  farm,  where  he  lived  until  1880,  in  which  year  he  moved  to  Kansas, 
locating  near  Scanda,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life. 

Plenny  A.  Hollenbeck  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Dallas 
county,  Iowa,  and  after  leaving  school,  took  up  farming  with  his  father.  He 
was  associated  with  his  father  during  a  period  of  nine  years  and  at  the  end 
of  that  time  rented  a  farm  and  farmed  it  for  a  period  of  four  years.  In  the 
meantime,  ]\Ir.  Hollenbeck  had  saved  considerable  money  from  his  labors  and 
was  able  to  buy  the  place  upon  which  he  now  lives.  His  first  purchase,  how- 
ever, consisted  of  only  eighty  acres,  for  which  he  paid  twenty-two  dollars 
and  fifty  cents  an  acre,  but  he  has  enlarged  his  original  holdings,  from  time  to 
time,  until  now  he  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  on  which  he  raises 
eighty  acres  of  corn  each  year  and  feeds  about  eighty-five  head  of  hogs. 

In  1880,  Plenny  A.  Hollenbeck  was  married  to  Ella  Wilgus,  the  daughter 
of  John  and  Deborah  (McFadden)  Wilgus,  to  which  union  eight  children 
have  been  born,  Irene,  Edna,  Mary,  Carlos,  Earl,  Elsie,  Bessie  and  Joe. 
Irene  married  John  Griffith  and  has  two  children,  Myron  and  Louis.  Edna, 
now  deceased,  married  William  Griffith  and  left  three  children,  Harold, 
Donald  and  Grace.  Mary  married  William  Martins  and  has  three  children, 
Mabel,  Merrill  and  Elsie  Mae.  Carlos  married  Flay  Searls.  The  remainder 
of  the  children  are  unmarried. 

Mrs.  Hollenbeck's  father,  John  Wilgus,  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade.  His 
wife  was  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Jamison)  McFadden,  and  to 
their  union  were  born  but  two  children,  Ella  and  Adeline.  Mrs.  Hollenbeck's 
mother  having  died  in  1867,  she  was  reared  by  her  Grandfather  McFadden. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  58 1 

Mrs.  Hollenbeck's  father  died  in  19 13.  Her  grandparents,  Joseph  and  Mary 
McFadden,  were  natives  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  respectively.  They  were 
married  in  the  Keystone  state,  where  he  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade.  Later 
they  settled  in  Illinois,  where  the  grandfather  took  up  farming  and  where  he 
lived  for  six  years,  or  until  1872.  In  January,  of  that  year,  he  located  in 
Leroy  township,  this  county,  where  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  and 
farmed  until  his  death,  in  1886.  His  wife,  the  grandmother  of  Mrs.  Hollen- 
beck,  died  in  i88q.  They  were  the  parents  of  fourteen  children,  all  of  whom 
are  now  deceased. 

Mr.  Hollenbeck  has  served  a  term  as  township  trustee  of  Melville  town- 
ship and  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party.  Mr.  Hollenbeck  is  a  man  of 
strong  convictions  and  no  man  in  Audubon  county  has  warmer  friends  than 
he.  Being  a  man  of  strong  convictions,  he  is  possessed  of  natural  powers  of 
leadership  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the  county.  He 
gives  liberally,  though  wisely,  to  the  support  of  all  worthy  public  movements 
and  enterprises.  Mr.  Hollenbeck  has  worked  hard  for  the  snug  fortune  of 
w^hich  he  is  possessed  and  well  merits  the  respect  of  his  neighbors. 


JOHN  BUTTERTON. 

John  Butterton,  now  and  for  many  years  a  well-known  farmer  in 
Leroy  township,  this  county,  was  born  at  Puckville,  Canada,  on  March  20, 
1872,  the  son  of  Fred  and  Emma  (Lee)  Butterton,  both  natives  of  England. 
Fred  Butterton  spent  six  years  in  the  English  army,  and  four  years  as  a 
sailor  on  a  merchant  ship,  besides  working  for  some  time  in  London  before 
emigrating  to  Canada.  In  Canada  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  about  nine 
years,  and  in  1879  came  to  Audubon  county,  locating  in  Leroy  township, 
where  he  purchased  forty  acres,  to  which  he  later  added  an  adjacent  tract  of 
eighty  acres,  and  engaged  in  general  farming  until  1901,  in  which  year  he 
moved  to  Oklahoma,  where  he  purchased  a  farm,  on  which  he  lived  until 
he  retired  to  Briton,  Oklahoma.  Of  the  eleven  children  born  to  Fred  and 
Emma  (Lee)  Butterton,  only  seven  are  now  living,  and  only  two,  John  and 
Mat,  are  living  in  Audubon  county. 

John  Butterton  received  his  education  in  Audubon  county  and  after 
leaving  school  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  for  seven  years,  and  rented  land 
for  another  seven.  In  1901  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  in  Leroy  township,  later  increasing  this   farm,   by  additional  pur- 


582  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

chases,  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  In  1906  Mr.  Butterton  moved  to 
Audubon  and  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  for  four  years,  or  until 
19 10,  when  he  returned  to  the  farm  and  remained  three  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  returned  to  Audubon  and  since  that  time  has  been  Hving 
retired  in  that  city.  He  still  owns  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Leroy  township  and  devotes  considerable  time  to  looking  after  the 
operation  of  the  same. 

On  August  30,  1893,  John  Butterton  was  married  to  ]\Iillicent  Sheets, 
daughter  of  W.  C.  and  Eliza  Sheets  of  this  county,  which  union  has  been 
without  issue,  yiv.  and  Mrs.  Butterton  are  life-long  members  of  the  Evan- 
gelical church  and  ]\Ir.  Butterton  has  been  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school  of  that  church  for  more  than  twenty  years.  He  is  also  a  trustee  of 
the  church  and  he  and  his  wife  are  devoted  to  all  good  works.  In  politics 
Mr.  Butterton  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

In  a  material  way  ]Mr.  Butterton's  life  has  been  a  conspicuous  success, 
but  more  than  this,  his  career  has  been  honorable  and  upright  and  he  is  popu- 
lar among  his  fellow  townsmen  in  Audubon,  as  he  was  popular  among  his 
neighbors  in  Leroy  township.  He  is  a  good  citizen  of  this  great  county 
and  has  well  earned  the  respite  from  the  arduous  labor  of  his  earlier  years. 


NELS  J.  ANDERSEN. 


Nels  J.  Andersen,  now  a  prominent  citizen  and  a  successful  farmer  of 
Sharon  township,  this  county,  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  fine  farming  land  in  that  township,  was  born  on  July  14.  1852,  in  Den- 
mark, the  son  of  Anders  and  Anna  (Larson)  Nelson,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  laborer  all  his  life,  and  passed  away  in  his  native  land  in  1890.  He 
had  served  valiantly  in  the  Danish  War  of  1848,  and  had  lived  to  rear  a 
family  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom  still  survive,  namely :  Rasmus,  Dor- 
othy, Mary,  Lena  and  Nels  J. 

Nels  J.  Andersen  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Denmark, 
and  after  leaving  school  worked  out  as  a  hired  hand.  He  also  served  in 
the  Danish  army  and  when  he  was  twenty-nine  years  old.  and  after  his 
term  of  militarv  service  had  expired,  came  to  America  and  settled  at  Elk- 
horn,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  out  by  the  month  for  farmers  in  the  vicinity 
of  Elkhorn  for  four  years,  after  which  he  rented  the  farm  upon  which  he 
now  lives  in  Sharon  township,  this  county.     After  a  short  time  he  bought 


AUDUBOX    COUNTY,.  IOWA.  583 

the  farm  at  nineteen  dollars  and  fifty  cents  an  acre.  Since  Mr.  Andersen 
obtained  possession  of  the  farm  he  has  invested  in  the  neighborhood  of 
seven  thousand  dollars  in  improvements  on  the  place.  He  is  accustomed 
to  raise  about  fifty  acres  of  corn  every  year,  and  he  feeds  about  sixteen 
head  of  hogs  annually.  While  the  number  of  cattle  he  keeps  on  the  place 
varies  from  month  to  month,  he  has  on  the  average  of  perhaps  forty  head 
the  year  round. 

Nels  J.  Andersen  was  first  married  to  Anna  Nielson,  daughter  of  Niels 
Bollsen,  but  there  were  no  children  by  this  marriage.  After  her  death  Mr. 
Andersen  married,  secondly,  in  1890,  Christiana  Chistensen,  daughter  of 
Chris  and  Anna  (Larson)  Larson.  The  three  children  born  to  this  union — 
Christena,  Sophia  and  Andrew — are  all  unmarried  and  live  at  home  with  their 
father  and  mother,  Andrew  assisting  his  father  in  the  farm  work,  and  the 
daughters  ably  assisting  their  mother  in  the  hospitalities  of  the  home.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Andersen  are  prominent  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church 
and  their  children  have  been  reared  in  that  faith.  i\Ir.  Andersen  is  a  liberal 
contributor  to  the  support  of  the  church,  of  which  he  a  trustee. 

Mr.  x^ndersen  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  held  office  or  cared 
to  do  so.  Nevertheless  he  is  man  who  takes  a  keen  and  active  interest  in 
questions  involving  the  public  welfare  and  his  influence  is  always  to  be  found 
on  the  right  side  of  public  questions.  He  has  proved  to  be  a  good  citizen 
in  his  adopted  country  and  today  is  a  patriotic,  liberty-loving  and  sincere 
American  citizen.  He  has  been  honorable  and  upright  in  his  dealings  with 
his  neighbors  and  is  honored  and  respected  by  them. 


JACOB  F.  MILLER. 


Jacob  F.  Miller  one  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  in  A'iola  township, 
this  county,  has  lived  in  Audubon  county  for  thirty-five  years,  or  ever  since 
he  was  twenty  years  old.  Since  coming  to  Iowa,  he  has  applied  himself  in- 
dustriously to  farming  and,  as  a  consequence  of  his  years  of  struggle  and 
good  management,  he  has  accumulated  a  snug  fortune  which  is  invested 
in  Audubon  county  real  estate.  The  Miller  family  is  one  of  the  best  known 
families  in  that  section  of  Audubon  county.  Of  German  descent,  Jacob  F. 
Miller  seems  to  have  inherited  all  of  the  worthy  traits  of  his  German 
ancestors. 

Jacob  F.  Miller  was  born  on  November  11,   i860,  at  Moline,  Illinois, 


584  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

the  son  of  George  H.  and  Margaret  (Aster)  Miller,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Germany  and  the  former  of  whom  was  only  twelve  years  old 
when  he  came  to  America.  The  Miller  family  may  be  said,  therefore,  to  be 
thoroughly  domiciled  in  this  country.  George  H.  Miller  came  to  America 
with  his  parents  and  located  at  Moline,  Illinois,  and  there  the  Miller  family 
was  established  for  many  years.  George  H.  Miller  was  one  of  the  first 
men  who  hauled  logs  to  John  Deere,  out  of  which  to  make  beams  and 
handles  for  the  John  Deere  plows  which  have  become  so  well  known  through- 
out the  country.  He  farmed  five  miles  east  of  Moline  until  his  death,  at 
which  time  he  had  accumulated  about  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land. 
Of  the  ten  children  born  to  George  H.  and  Margaret  (Aster)  Miller,  only 
seven  are  now  living,  Ijut  Jacob  F.  and  John,  who  reside  in  Dickinson 
county,  are  the  only  ones  living  in  the  state  of  Iowa.  The  other  children 
are  George  W.,  William,  Mrs.  Cornelia  Duncan,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Odenhall 
and  Henry. 

After  receiving  a  good  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Illinois, 
Jacob  F.  Miller  took  up  farming  and  was  engaged  in  that  occupation  with 
his  father  until  he  was  about  nineteen  years  old,  at  which  time  he  began 
hauling  coal  for  the  Moline  Plow  Company  and  his  earnings  from  this 
work  assisted  him  in  paying  for  the  farm  machinery  which  he  purchased 
after  coming  to  Audubon  county  in  1880.  Mr.  Miller  located  in  Viola 
township,  on  eighty  acres  of  land  which  his  father  had  given  him.  and  it  is 
there  that  he  now  lives.  l)Ut  since  that  time  he  has  increased  his  holdings 
in  farm  properties  to  six  hundred  acres.  He  broke  the  sod  for  the  first  time 
on  the  original  eighty  acres  and  has  one  of  the  most  modern  homes  as  well  as 
one  of  the  best-kept  farms  in  Audubon  county.  The  dwelling  is  strictly 
modern  in  every  respect.  ^Ir.  ^Miller  has  invested  upwards  of  seventy-five 
hundred  dollars  in  various  kinds  of  improvements  and  annually  feeds  about 
ten  carloads  of  cattle  and  three  carloads  of  hogs.  He  annually  raises  seventy 
acres  of  corn  and  thirty  acres  of  small  grain  on  the  home  farm,  which  com- 
prises a  fine  tract  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres. 

In  1887  Jacob  F.  Miller  was  married  to  Sallie  E.  Smith,  the  daughter  of 
Richard  and  Christena  (Head)  Smith,  to  which  union  eight  children  have 
been  born.  Roscoe.  Vida,  Hazel.  Dalton,  Versa  Margaret,  Jakey,  Barbethe 
and  Caldona.  \'ida  married  Edgar  Carpenter  and  has  one  child,  Raymond. 
Mr.  Miller's  (laughters  are  all  accomplished  young  women,  all  of  them  having 
received  an  excellent  education  and  are  well  known  and  ])0]')ular  throughout 
Audubon  county.  Their  mother  having  died  on  September  24.  1903,  Mr. 
Miller's  daughters  have  had  charge  of  the  household  since  her  death  and  all 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  585 

are  extremely  skillful  and  efficient  in  household  management.  Mrs.  Miller 
was  born  in  Poweshiek  county,  Iowa,  on  June  23,  1867.  Her  parents  came 
from  Ohio  and  settled  in  Poweshiek  county,  this  state,  where  they  reared  a 
family  of  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are  now  living.  Richard  Smith  now 
lives  in  Indianola.     His  wife  has  been  dead  for  some  years. 

Mr.  Miller  and  his  sons  and  daughters  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  For  years  Mr.  Miller  has  been  prominent  in  the  local  con- 
gregation of  that  church  and  has  served  as  trustee  and  as  steward.  Politi- 
cally, he  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

Jacob  F.  Miller  deserves  to  rank  among  the  most  high-minded  and  hon- 
orable citizens  of  Audubon  county.  A  man  who  has  always  taken  a  com- 
mendable interest  in  matters  of  public  concern,  he  has  added  very  much  to  the 
community  spirit  by  his  wise  counsel  and  careful  guidance.  He  well  deserves 
the  confidence  and  high  regard  of  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens,  for  he 
has  justly  earned  this  confidence  and  regard  by  long  and  meritorious  service. 


J.  C.  JENSEN. 


J.  C.  Jensen,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Cameron  township,  who  has 
lived  in  America  less  than  thirty  years,  and  who,  in  order  to  make  the  voy- 
age to  America,  was  compelled  to  borrow  money  of  friends,  now  owns  a 
splendid  farm  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  Cameron  township,  this 
county,  and  is  one  of  the  highly  respected  citizens  of  that  community.  Mr. 
Jensen  was  born  in  Denmark  on  October  9,  1863,  the  son  of  Andrew  P. 
and  Mary  (Jensen)  Jensen,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  farmer  all  his 
life,  and  the  father  of  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living.  J.  C.  Jensen 
and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Kate  Rasmussen,  are  the  only  members  of  the  family 
who  are  living  in  America. 

After  having  completed  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
land,  J.  C.  Jensen  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  he  came  to  America  in  1888. 
Upon  arriving  in  this  country  he  located  at  Walnut,  Iowa,  and  there  he 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  his  marriage  in  1894,  after  which  he  began 
farming  for  himself  in  Shelby  county.  For  five  years  he  was  engaged  in 
cultivating  a  rented  farm,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  came  to  Audubon 
county,  and  purchased  eighty  acres  near  Fiscus,  where  he  farmed  for  four 
years,  after  which  he  removed  to  Cameron  township,  and  purchased  the 
farm  where  he  is  now  living.     Since  purchasing  and  moving  to  .this  farm 


586  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

in  Cameron  township,  Mr.  Jensen  has  invested  in  improvements  upwards 
of  five  thousand  dollars.  He  raises  seventy  acres  of  corn  every  year,  which 
yields  an  average  of  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  all  of  this  he  feeds  to  his 
hogs  and  cattle,  raising  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  every  year,  and  selling 
one  and  one-half  carloads  of  cattle.  He  raises  thoroughbred  Aberdeen- 
Angus  cattle,  and  has  been  very  successful  with  this  breed. 

In  1894  J.  C.  Jensen  was  married  to  Kate  Petersen,  daughter  of  Henry 
Petersen,  to  which  union  nine  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Anna, 
Hattie,  Marten,  Carrie,  Walter,  Henry,  Minnie,  Esther  and  Cecil.  Anna 
married  Chris  Seiger.  The  remainder  of  the  children  are  at  home  with 
their  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jensen  are  active  in  the  membership  of  the 
Danish  Lutheran  church,  in  the  faith  of  which  their  children  have  been 
reared,  and  Mr.  Jensen  is  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  support  of  the  church. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
politically  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

J.  C.  Jensen  is  well  known  in  Audubon  county,  not  only  as  a  successful 
farmer,  but  as  a  citizen  whose  interests  are  centered  in  the  welfare  of  his 
neighbors  and  fellow  citizens,  and  is  deservedly  popular  in  Cameron  town- 
ship where  he  lives,  he  being  a  man  whose  word  is  known  to  be  as  good 
as  his  bond. 


LUDWIG  H.  JOHANNSEN. 

Since  coming  to  America  in  1881,  Ludwig  H.  Johannsen,  a  well-known 
farmer  of  V^illa  township,  this  county,  has  become  the  owner  of  a  splendid 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  acres.  He  is  the  only  member  of  the 
Johannsen  family  living  in  Audul)on  county. 

Ludwig  H.  Johannsen  was  born  in  Schleswig,  Germany,  on  January  i, 
1857,  the  son  of  Julius  and  Christena  Johannsen,  both  natives  of  and  resi- 
dents of  that  section  of  Germany,  who  came  to  America  in  1881  and  located 
in  Scott  county,  Iowa,  where  Julius  Johannsen  worked  in  a  saw-mill.  He 
remained  in  Scott  county  the  remainder  of  his  life,  dying  in  1895.  His 
widow,  the  mother  of  Ludwig  H.,  is  still  living.  In  their  native  land,  Julius 
Johannsen  was  a  ditching  contractor.  He  and  his  wife  lived  to  rear  a  fam- 
ily of  five  children,  who  are  living  in  different  parts  of  the  countr}^ 

After  having  completed  his  education  in  the  German  schools,  Ludwig 
H.  Johannsen,  worked  in  a  tobacco  factory  until  he  came  to  America  with 
his  parent^.     Naturally,  he  located  in  Scott  county  with  his  parents  and  there 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  587 

he  worked  in  a  saw-mill  with  his  father  and  also  in  a  lumber  yard.  After 
remaining  in  Scott  county  for  two  years,  he  went  to  Wisconsin  and  worked 
as  a  logger  in  the  timber  until  1896,  when  he  came  to  Audubon  county  and 
located  in  Melville  township.  After  renting  a  farm  in  Melville  township  for 
about  ten  years,  Mr.  Johannsen  purchased  the  farm  where  he  now  lives  in 
Viola  township.  In  addition  to  the  land  he  owns  he  is  also  renting  sixty 
acre  of  land.  He  raises  eighty  acres  of  corn  every  year  and  thirty  acres 
of  small  grain,  some  of  which  he  feeds  to  his  hogs  and  cattle,  but  most  of 
which  he  sells. 

In  1885,  four  years  after  coming  to  America,  Ludwig  H.  Johannsen 
was  married  to  Anna  Heyermann,  daughter  of  Henry  Heyermann.  to  which 
union  seven  children  have  been  born,  Henry,  Hulda,  George,  Walter,  Carl, 
William  and  Margaret,  the  latter  two  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Johannsen,  although  they  are  not  members  of  any  church,  attend  the 
Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Johannsen  is  an  independent  Republican  in  politics 
and  has  served  as  school  director  in  Melville  township  and  worthily  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  that  office. 

The  Johannsen  family  is  well  known  and  all  of  the  members  of  this 
family  are  highly  respected  in  Viola  township,  where  they  have  lived  for 
years.  Mr.  Johannsen  is  considered  one  of  the  enterprising  spirits  of  that 
township  and  one  of  its  most  capable  and  successful  farmers. 


HOW^ARD  G.  SHOESMITH. 

Howard  G.  Shoesmith,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Greeley  township,  this 
county,  has  been  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  that  township  for  years.  Mr. 
Shoesmith  rents  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Greeley  township, 
which  he  is  cultivating  with  rare  skill. 

Howard  G.  Shoesmith  was  born  on  May  14,  1881,  at  North  Branch, 
Iowa,  the  son  of  Stephen  and  Mary  (May)  Shoesmith,  both  natives  of  Eng- 
land. He  was  educated  in  North  Branch  and  after  completing  his  educa- 
tion began  farming,  which  occupation  he  has  followed  ever  since. 

On  January  2,  1907,  Howard  G.  Shoesmith  was  married  to  Mary 
Wahlert,  who  was  born  on  April  9,  1880,  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Ernes- 
tine (Fritche)  Wahlert,  to  which  union  have  been  born  four  children,  Stella, 
Virgil,  Marvel  and  Rollo. 

Mr.  Shoesmith  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  and  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party. 


588  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

ROBERT  F.  FRY. 

Robert  F.  Fry,  now  a  well-known  and  successful  farmer  of  Melville 
township,  this  county,  who  owns  a  splendid  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  this  township,  was  born  in  Missouri  on  November  25,  1872, 
the  son  of  John  and  Jane  Fry,  both  natives  of  that  state.  John  Fry  was  a 
farmer  all  his  life,  who  removed  from  Missouri  to  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  after 
his  marriage,  and  after  renting  a  farm  in  Jasper  county,  farmed  there  until 
1882,  when  he  moved  to  Cass  county,  this  state,  remaining  there  until  1885, 
in  which  year  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  locating  in  Melville  township, 
where  he  rented  a  farm,  which  he  managed  until  he  retired.  He  is  now  living 
with  his  son,  Robert  F.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  oi  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living  in  Audubon  county. 

Robert  F.  Fry  received  his  education  in  i\udubon  county,  and  after 
leaving  school  farmed  with  his  father  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old.  at 
which  time  he  rented  a  farm  and  started  out  for  himself.  In  1902  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Melville  township  and  later 
purchased  an  additional  quarter  section,  making  in  all  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  which  he  now  owns.  Mr.  Fry  raises  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  acres  of  corn  every  year,  which  yields  an  average  of  fifty  bushels  to  the 
acre.  He  also  raises  seventy-five  acres  of  small  grain,  and  feeds  out  one 
hundred  head  of  hogs  every  year.  He  sells  a  part  of  the  grain  and  feeds  the 
balance.  Several  thousand  dollars  in  improvements  have  been  invested  on 
the  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  which  Mr.  Fry  owns. 

In  1898  Robert  F.  Fry  was  married  to  Carrie  Owen,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Mary  Owen,  to  which  union  four  children  have  been  born,  Marie, 
Harry,  Lillie  and  Owen,  the  latter  of  whom  is  deceased. 

Mrs.  Fry's  father,  William  Owen,  was  born  on  May  i,  1841,  in  Lincoln- 
shire, England,  the  son  of  Richard  and  Isabelle  (Spencer)  Owen,  who  came 
to  America  about  1869  and  settled  in  Audubon  county,  buying  a  farm  in 
Melville  township,  being  among  the  pioneers  in  that  locality.  Later  they 
moved  to  Viola  township,  and  still  later  to  Leroy  township,  locating  near 
Williams.  Richard  Owen  and  wife  sold  their  land  in  1889,  and  after  a  visit 
to  England  returned  to  Exira,  this  county,  and  died  at  the  home  of  their  son, 
William,  in  August,  1895.  William  Owen  was  educated  in  the  English 
schools  and  was  married  in  1866  to  Mary  Ann  Clifton  and  in  October,  of 
that  year,  set  sail  for  America.  On  April  7,  1870,  they  came  to  Audubon 
county  and  purchased  land  in  Leroy  township.     Mrs.   William  Owen  was 


AUDUBOX    COUNTY,    IOWA.  589 

born  on  April  i8,  1844,  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  the  daughter  of  George  and 
Jane  (Spencer)  Clifton,  who  died  in  their  native  land.  A  brother,  now 
deceased,  came  to  America  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Owen.  There  have  been 
twelve  children  in  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Owen/ Robert  J.  F., 
William  F.,  Richard,  George  Edward  (deceased),  Charles  Clark,  Worthy- 
Earl,  Carrie  C,  Lillie,  Nancy  A.,  Ethel  M.,  Jane  Elizabeth  and  George  Wash- 
ington, the  latter  of  whom  were  twins,  now  deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert  F.  Fry  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
In  politics  Mr.  Fry  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  one  of  the  enterprising  farmers  and 
one  of  the  well-known  citizens  of  Melville  township,  a  worthy  son  of  a  good 
father.  Mr.  Fry  is  yet  a  comparatively  young  man,  and  if  his  future  accom- 
plishments are  to  be  measured  by  his  past  success  he  may  be  expected  to  be, 
some  day,  one  of  the  most  extensive  landowners  in  the  county. 


GEORGE  J.  ALT. 


George  J.  Alt,  who  now  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Melville  township,  this  county,  and  twenty  acres  in  Sharon  township,  was 
born  on  January  24,  1883,  in  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  a  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Lang)  Alt,  the  former  a  native  of  Germany  and  the  latter  of  the 
state  of  Illinois.  William  Alt  came  to  America  when  a  lad  and  settled  in 
Illinois,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  where  he  was  married.  He  was  a 
farmer  and  was  engaged  in  this  occupation  during  his  entire  life.  In  1880 
he  came  to  Audubon  county  and  located  in  Hamlin  township,  where  he  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land  at  eight  dollars  an  acre.  H.e  broke  the  sod  and 
improved  the  place  generally,  gradually  increasing  his  holdings  to  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-four  acres.  He  died  in  1906,  after  having  reared  a  family 
of  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  are  still  living.  Philip  and  Bertha  are  the 
deceased  children.  The  living  children  are  Albert,  William,  George  J.,  Nettie, 
Viola,  Clara,  Alma,  jMae  and  Lena. 

George  J.  Alt  was  educated  principally  in  Hamlin  township,  this  county, 
and  engaged  in  farming  with  his  father  after  finishing  his  education.  Upon 
arriving  at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  began  renting  land  and  continued  as  a  renter 
for  six  years.  In  191 1  he  purchased  the  place  where  he  is  now  living.  It 
comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  in  the  last  four  years  Mr.  Alt 
has  invested  sixty-five  hundred  dollars  in  improving  the  place.  He  raises 
eighty-five  acres  of  corn,  and  about  thirty  acres  of  small  grain  every  year. 


590  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

He  feeds  out  fifty  head  of  hogs  every  year,  and  some  twenty-five  head  of 
stock  cattle.    Mr.  Alt  sells  a  part  of  his  grain  and  feeds  the  balance. 

George  J.  Alt  was  married  on  February  21,  1906,  about  the  time  Of  his 
father's  death,  when  he  was  twenty-three  years  old,  to  Lennie  Hays,  daughter 
of  Frew  and  Marie  (Reed)  Hays,  to  which  union  five  children  have  been 
born,  Gilbert,  Harley,  Maynard,  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Alt 
also  was  born  in  this  county.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Illinois,  who  came 
to  Audubon  county  in  an  early  day  and  were  pioneer  settlers  in  Greeley  town- 
ship, where  they  are  still  living,  having  been  engaged  in  farming  there  most 
of  their  lives.  Of  their  nine  children,  eight  are  now  living,  namely:  Lee, 
Bert,  Winnie,  Jennie,  Lora,  Nina,  Lennie  and  Mary. 

George  J.  Alt  is  a  Republican,  but  he  has  never  been  active  in  the 
councils  of  his  party,  and  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office.  His  vocation 
has  taken  up  all  of  his  time,  and  he  has  had  no  opportunity  to  engage  in  any- 
thing aside  from  farming.  He  is  a  highly-respected  citizen  of  Melville 
township,  and  is  well  known  throughout  the  community  in  which  he  resides, 
being  held  in  high  regard  by  all  who  know  him. 


DAXIEL  ARTIST. 


Daniel  Artist  is  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Greeley  township,  this 
county.  He  settled  here  in  1877  when  there  were  but  two  houses  between 
his  farm  in  section  25,  of  Greeley  township,  and  Exira.  In  those  early 
days  he  was  compelled  to  ship  the  lumber  for  the  small  house  he  built  on  his 
farm  from  Rock  Island  to  Adair  and  haul  it  by  wagon  from  Adair  to  the 
farm.  Mr.  Artist's  first  house  was  sixteen  by  twenty-four  feet  and  had 
only  two  rooms  downstairs  and  a  small  room  upstairs.  Mr.  Artist  gave 
feur  years  of  his  life  to  the  service  of  his  country  during  the  Civil  War  and 
today  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  Audubon  county. 

Daniel  Artist  was  born  in  Connelsville,  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania, 
in  1838,  the  son  of  Isaac  and  Marguerite  (Smitzen)  Artist,  who  died  when 
their  son,  Daniel,  was  a  small  lad.  He  received  but  a  limited  education  and 
in  1858,  when  he  was  twenty  years  old,  went  to  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  lived  on  a  farm  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War. 

On  August  I,  1861,  Daniel  Artist  enlisted  in  R.  H.  Graham's  company 
of  volunteer  cavalry  and  went  to  Ft.  Leavenworth  to  go  in  Jim  Lane's  com- 
mand and  was  sent  to  Lexington.     At  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Missouri, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  59I 

on  September  20,  1861,  he  was  taken  prisoner  and,  after  taking  an  oath 
not  to  fight  against  the  state  of  Missouri  or  the  Confederate  states,  he  was 
sent  home.  An  interesting  circumstance  in  connection  with  the  battle  of 
Lexington  is  here  narrated.  A  soldier  having  been  wounded  and  having 
asked  for  water,  the  lieutenant  in  active  command  of  the  company,  asked 
for  a  volunteer  to  procure  some  water  for  the  suffering  man.  It  was  almost 
certain  death  to  undertake  to  get  the  water  in  the  face  of  the  enemy's 
trenches.  However,  Daniel  Artist  was  a  willing  volunteer  and  was  success- 
ful, not  only  in  getting  water  for  his  comrade,  but  in  escaping  back  to  his 
own  line,  amid  a  rain  of  bullets,  the  land  being  plowed  up  all  round  him  by 
the  leaden  missiles.  On  August  12,  1862.  Air.  Artist  re-enlisted  under  Capt. 
Gabriel  Armstrong  in  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-sixth  Regi- 
ment, Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until  July  12,  1865,  receiv- 
ing his  discharge  at  Pine  Bluff,  Arkansas.  Though  he  served  throughout 
the  entire  war,  he  was  not  engaged  in  many  hard  battles,  the  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg  being  the  crowning  incident  of  his  military  career.  After  the  fall  of 
Vicksburg.  most  of  his  service  was  performed  in  Arkansas,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  fighting  guerillas.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Artist  returned 
to  Illinois  and  resumed  farming,  remaining  there  until  1877,  when  he  came 
to  Iowa  and  settled  on  the  farm  in  section  25  of  Greeley  township,  where 
he  has  since  lived. 

On  October  31.  1867,  Daniel  Artist  was  married,  in  Rock  Island  county, 
Illinois,  to  Sarah  A.  Morgan,  who  was  born  on  February  10,  1847,  ^^  Wales, 
the  daughter  of  Llewellyn  and  Sarah  (Williams)  Morgan,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  miner  and  stonemason  by  trade.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1842,  but  returned  to  his  native  land,  was  married,  and  in  1848,  came 
back  to  this  country,  bringing  with  him  his  family.  They  first  settled  in 
Pennsylvania,  but  later  migrated  to  Illinois,  where  the  father  lived  until  his 
death.  The  mother  then  came  to  Audubon  county,  where  she  spent  the  rest 
of  her  life. 

To  Daniel  and  Sarah  A.  (Morgan)  Artist  eleven  children  have  been 
born,  as  follow :  Ida,  who  married  William  Newman  and  has  four  children, 
Mary,  Clyde,  Floyd  and  Lola ;  Sadie,  who  married  Charles  Marean  and  has 
one  daughter,  Mildred;  George,  who  married  Ella  Flynn  and  has  two  chil- 
dren, Martha  and  Esther;  Mary  Irene  (deceased)  was  the  wife  of  Charles 
Marean  and  had  one  child.  Earl,  who  is  deceased;  John,  who  married  Mamie 
Goochey  and  has  four  children.  Homer,  Hugh,  Helen  and  Margery;  Clyde, 
deceased ;  Elmer,  who  has  a  homestead  in  Montana ;  Anne,  who  became  the 


592  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

wife  of  Elmer  Fogg;  Clara,  who  married  Dayton  West;  Madge,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Wilbur  Couts,  and  Robert,  who  lives  at  home. 

Mr.  Artist  is  a  member  of  Morton  post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
at  Exira  and  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  has  served  as  school  director 
and  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Greeley  township  and  gave  satisfactory  service 
in  both  positions.  The  Artist  family  are  members  of  the  Bowman  Chapel 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

A  veteran  of  our  great  Civil  War  and  a  hard  working,  industrious  and 
enterprising  citizen  in  the  time'  of  peace,  affable  and  kindly  in  all  of  the  rela- 
tions of  life,  Daniel  Artist  is  well  entitled  to  the  respect  and  admiration  of 
the  people  of  this  county.  Having  saved  from  his  earnings  during  the  pro- 
ductive period  of  life,  he  is  now  blessed  with  a  competence  which  he  can  enjoy 
during  his  declining  years. 


ABRA^I  R.  ANDERSON. 

Looking  upon  life  from  the  common  view-point,  he  who  has  wealth, 
friends,  and  social  position,  is  held  to  be  successful.  By  changing  the  angle 
a  trifle,  and  looking  at  life  from  the  standpoint  of  spiritual  values,  perhaps 
we  would  call  him  successful  who.  in  the  quiet  and  seclusion  of  his  own 
hearth-stone,  has  attended  to  the  duties  and  obligations  which  lay  nearest 
him,  even  when  doing  so  prevented  him  from  becoming  known  in  the  great 
world  of  men  and  affairs.  Abram  R.  Anderson,  whose  life  history  is  here 
briefly  chronicled,  has  had  a  measure  of  success  in  each  of  the  above  mean- 
ings of  the  word. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  born,  August  30.  1856,  in  Wyandot,  Ohio,  the  son 
of  John  N.  and  Zerma  Anderson.  His  father  was  born  in  Marion  county. 
Ohio,  and  his  mother  was  a  native  of  Pickaway  county,  the  same  state. 
While  John  N.  Anderson  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Audubon  county, 
he  did  not  live  there,  even  during  his  young  manhood,  for  he  made  his  home 
in  a  number  of  places  before  locating  permanently,  and  had  but  little  oppor- 
tunity for  schooling.  He  spent  the  winter  of  1858  in  Scott  county,  Mis- 
souri, following  this  with  a  brief  residence  in  Wray  and  Davis  counties,  the 
same  state.  It  was  in  the  year  1861  that  he  moved  to  Marion  county,  Iowa, 
and  bou2:ht  a  small  farm  near  Attica,  where  he  remained  for  fourteen  vears. 
Coming  to  Leroy  township,  he  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  that  neighborhood, 
his  home  being  in  section  25.  Like  all  pioneers,  he  had  to  be  content  at  first 
with  a  crude  mode  of  life,  for  what  he  called  home  was  onlv  a  shantv  con- 


A.R  _  ANDERS  O  N 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  593 

structed  of  boards,  but  it  was  on  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
which  he  owned,  and  he  also  put  up  a  barn  of  the  same  crude  material.  When 
he  died  in  1883,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  he  was  the  owner  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  land.  In  politics,  he  was  a  Republican.  Not  only  as  an 
"old  settler,"  Imt  as  a  man  of  influence  in  the  community,  he  was  known  and 
respected.     His  wife,  died  in  1910,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three. 

Eight  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson,  but  only  three  of 
these  grew  up.  They  were,  Abram  R.,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch; 
Bastian  J.  born  on  January  2J,  1862,  and  Doc,  born  on  Ajjril  22,  iS'o/,  who 
is  now  a  farmer  in  Hamlin  townshi]),  this  county.  The  two  elder  brothers, 
who  li^■e  together,  never  married. 

The  stor}'  of  Abram's  youth  is  soon  told,  for  he  had  little  opportunity 
to  obtain  an  education,  and  worked  for  his  father  until -manhood,  and  then, 
continuing  to  live  with  his  parents,  took  care  of  them  in  their  old  age.  This 
story  though  brief,  might  portray  to  the  imagination  years  of  strenuous  work 
and  deprivation,  and  a  devotion  to  duty  A\hich  meant  for  him  the  sacrifice  of 
his  own  happiness ;  but  these  years  were  given  without  complaint. 

Continuing  in  the  line  of  his  father's  activities,  Mr.  Anderson  has 
become  the  possessor  of  valuable  land.  Among  his  acquisitions  of  real  estate 
are  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Leroy  township,  two  hundred  acres  in 
Greeley  township,  two  hundred  acres  in  Carroll  county,  one-half  section  in 
Lincoln  county,  ^Minnesota,  one-half  section  in  Canada,  and  three  hundred 
and  ten  acres  in  Oklahoma. 

Mr.  .Vnderson  has  alwa}-s  been  much  interested  in  the  subject  of  stock 
raising.  He  has  a  good  grade  of  draft  horses,  usually  having  on  his  farm 
from  forty  to  forty-five  head,  and  also  raises  Polled  Angus  cattle,  of  wiiich 
he  keeps  about  twenty-five  on  the  farm.  He  is  also  a  breeder  of  full-blooded 
Hampshire  hogs.  The  extent  of  this  phase  of  his  work  is  shown  In-  the  fact 
that  from  two  to  three  carloads  of  cattle  are  shipped  from  his  farm  every 
year. 

Among  his  possessions,  of  which  Mr.  Anderson  is  justly  proud,  is  a 
modern  corn-bin  and  granary  built  in  1912,  its  dimensions  being  thirty  by 
forty-two  feet.  There  are  many  other  valuable  improvements  on  this  well- 
managed  farm,  including  a  spacious  barn,  forty-two  by  seventy-two  feet,  and 
a  new  hog-house  twentv-four  bv  fortv-eight  feet. 

Although  a  Republican,  Mr.  Anderson  has  never  been  ambitious  to  hold 
public  oflice,  and  so  far  as  affiliations  are  concerned,  has  been  content  with  his 
Masonic  lodge  in  Audubon,  and  with  his  church  membership  in  the  Methodist 
denomination. 
(38) 


594  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Although  Mr.  Anderson's  hfe  has  been  spent  "far  from  the  madding 
crowd,"  it  has  been  a  busy  life,  and  a  useful  one.  Devoting  many  years  to 
the  care  of  his  aged  father  and  mother,  he  has  fulfilled  an  obligation  no  less 
praiseworthy  because  it  was  self-imposed,  and  now  that  the  obligation  no 
longer  exists,  his  thoughts  may  be  blessed  with  the  consciousness  of  a  duty 
well  done. 


BENJAMIN  J.  BLACK. 


Few  farmers  living  in  Audubon  county  are  better  known  than  Benjamin 
J.  Black,  who  is  at  present  serving  as  county  supervisor  of  this  county.  Mr. 
Black  for  years  has  been  prominent  in  the  educational,  political  and  civic  life 
of  Audubon  county  and  few  of  the  younger  farmers  of  this  county  have 
accomplished  more  in  the  same  length  of  time  than  he  and  few  are  more 
deserving  of  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people  of  this  county.  Mr. 
Black  owns  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Melville  township  and  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  North  Dakota,  and  is  farming  a  total  of  two  hundred  and 
thirty-two  acres  in  Melville  township. 

Benjamin  J.  Black  was  born  in  Muscatine  county,  Iowa,  on  October 
8,  1874,  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  (Woods)  Black,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  native  of  Indiana,  and  the  latter  of  whom  came  from  Kentucky. 
When  James  Black  was  fourteen  years  of  age  he  came  with  his  parents 
from  Indiana  to  Iowa,  locating  in  Muscatine  county,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood,  remaining  there  until  t888.  when  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  and 
located  on  the  farm  where  Benjamin  J.,  his  son,  is  now  living.  He  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land  and  farmed  that  until  his  death  in  1908.  His 
widow  is  still  living.  Their  four  children  were  William,  Mary,  Emma  and 
Benjamin  J. 

Benjamin  J.  Black  received  his  education  largely  in  the  public  schools 
of  Audubon  county.  After  completing  the  course  in  the  common  schools 
he  took  a  business  course  at  the  Capital  City  Commercial  College  at  Des 
Moines.  Thus  admirably  equipped  for  his  life's  vocation,  he  returned  to 
his  home  in  Audubon  county,  and  took  up  farming  with  his  father,  and  was 
thus  engaged  until  his  marriage  in  1903,  at  which  time  he  rented  a  farm 
and  farmed  rented  land  for  three  years.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father,  he 
purchased  the  home  place,  and  has  since  been  living  there.  Since  buying  the 
farm  in  1908,  he  has  invested  approximately  thirty-five  hundred  dollars  in 
various  kinds  of  improvements.     Mr.  Black  annually  raises  eighty  acres  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  595 

corn  and  feeds  at  least  one  hundred  head  of  hogs.  He  also  raises  forty- 
acres  of  hay. 

On  November  26,  1903,  when  Benjamin  J.  Black  was  twenty-nine  years 
old,  he  was  married  to  Martha  J.  Simmons,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
(Goff)  Simmons,  to  which  happy  union  six  children,  Howard  W.,  Everett  A., 
Lucile,  William,  Robert  and  Martha  E.  have  been  born.  All  of  these  chil- 
dren are  living  at  home  with  their  parents,  and  they  make  a  very  happy 
group,  in  fact  one  of  the  most  popular  families  in  Melville  township. 

Mr.  Black  is  popular  in  fraternal  circles  of  his  county  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Audubon  and  of  the  Modem  Woodmen  of  America. 
A  Democrat,  he  is  the  present  county  supervisor  of  Audubon  county,  and  has 
served  as  school  director  and  township  clerk  and  as  road  supervisor. 

Few  men  can  be  said  to  have  a  wider  interest  in  matters  which  concern 
the  public  generally  than  Mr.  Black.  Interested  in  education,  in  good  roads, 
in  politics,  and  in  the  improvement  of  community  spirit,  he  is  a  worthy 
citizen  of  Audubon  county  and  one  of  the  leading  farmers  and  citizens  of 
Melville  township. 


ALBERT  W.  WESTON. 


One  of  the  enterprising  and  successful  young  farmers  of  this  county  is 
Albert  W.  Weston,  the  proprietor  of  the  "Hillside  Stock  Farm,"  comprising 
two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land,  located  in  section  5  of  Melville  town- 
ship. Although  Mr.  Weston  is  not  yet  thirty  years  of  age,  he  has  made  a 
remarkable  success  of  his  chosen  vocation.  He  is  enterprising  in  his  methods, 
a  careful  student  of  the  details  of  farm  operation,  and  in  consequence  has 
prospered  in  his  calling;  not  so  much  because  he  has  confined  himself  to  rais- 
ing grain,  though  he  has  won  distinction  as  a  grower  of  pure  Reid's 
Yellow  Dent  corn,  but  because  he  has  devoted  a  considerable  portion  of  his 
attention  to  stockraising.  He  is  well  known  in  Melville  township,  and  is 
highly  respected  by  all  the  people  of  that  township.  Mr.  Weston  makes  a 
specialty  of  Clydesdale  horses  and  Shorthorn  cattle,  and  has  taken  numerous 
prizes  on  some  of  the  splendid  anim.als  on  his  farm.  As  a  corn  grower,  Mr. 
Weston  also  has  atttained  an  unusual  distinction  in  this  county,  having  won 
the  sweepstakes  prize  on  corn  at  .the  Audubon  county  fair  five  times  in  six 
years.  In  1914  he  won  seventeen  ribbons,  including  sweepstakes  prize,  at  the 
Audubon  county  fair,  and  a  silver  loving  cup  at  the  "Big  Four"  county  farm- 
ers institute,  inclusive  of  the  counties  of  Audubon,  Adair,  Cass  and  Guthrie; 


596  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

also  the  second  prize  for  single  ear  at  the  state  corn  show  at  Ames,  and  the 
fifth  prize  for  bushel  at  the  same  show. 

Albert  ^^^  Weston  was  born  in  Melville  township,  this  county,  on  June  i, 
18S7.  a  son  of  A\'alter  W.  and  Isophene  (Benson)  Weston,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  \\'isconsin  on  April  11,  1853,  and  the  latter  in  Illinois  in 
July,  1855.  ^^'alter  W.  Weston  came  from  Wisconsin  to  Audubon  county 
in  1877,  and  was  married  here  shortly  after  arriving  from  his  native  state. 
Soon  after  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weston  moved  on  the  old  Benson 
farm,  where  they  lived  for  a  number  of  years.  During  the  early  eighties 
they  started  in  to  build  up  the  farm,  which  at  that  time  was  little  more  than 
raw  prairie  land,  and  remained  there  until  191 1,  when  they  retired  and  moved 
to  Audubon.  To  Walter  W.  and  Isophene  (Benson)  W^eston  eight  children 
were  born,  namely:  Airs.  Edith  Willard,  of  Lansing,  Iowa:  Mrs.  May  Finch, 
of  Goshen,  Utah:  Mrs.  Minnie  Edwards,  of  Lake  City,  California;  Albert, 
with  whom  this  narrative  deals ;  Frank,  of  ]^Ielville  township ;  Mrs.  Nina 
Patefield.  of  Edgar,  \Visconsin ;  Louis,  a  farmer  of  this  township:  Margaret, 
li\  ing  at  home,  and  Charles,  deceased. 

Albert  \A'.  Weston  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Melville  town- 
ship, and  also  took  a  course  at  the  State  Agricultural  College  at  ^^ladison, 
Wisconsin.  At  the  latter  institution  he  received  a  thorough  scientific  train- 
ing for  his  chosen  vocation,  and  since  leaving  college  has  applied  himself 
diligently  to  the  problems  of  the  farm  and  to  their  solution.  .Mr.  Weston 
has  always  lived  on  the  home  farm.  He  took  sole  charge  of  it  upon  his 
father's  retirement  in  the  spring  of  191 1,  and  since  that  time  has  operated  it 
quite  successfully.  ]Mr.  Weston  is  an  extensive  breeder  of  Clydesdale  horses, 
and  has  exhibited  several  horses  at  the  Iowa  state  fair,  winning  the  state 
championship  on  mares.  In  1914  he  won  three  second  premiums  and  two 
third  premiums  on  four  animals.  He  keeps  fifteen  head  of  purebred  Clydes- 
dale horses  at  the  present  time.  Air.  Weston  also  makes  a  specialty  of  Short- 
horn cattle,  and  has  a  number  of  purebreds.  He  always  has  from  sixty  to 
one  hundred  head  of  cattle,  and  is  one  of  the  extensive  cattle  feeders  of  the 
county.  Likewise,  Mr.  Weston  specializes  in  purebred  Poland  China  hogs, 
having  now  about  on  hundred  head  on  the  farm,  keeping  practically  this  num- 
ber all  the  time,  all  of  these  hogs  being  either  registered  or  eligible  to  registry. 

On  April  5,  191 1,  Albert  W.  Weston  was  married  to  Arvilla  Bates,  who 
was  born  in  Story  county.  Iowa,  on  February  21,  1885,  a  daughter  of  Syl- 
vester F.  and  Betty  (Harrison)  Bates,  natives  of  IMichigan  and  Iowa,  respect- 
ively, who  are  now  residing  in  Cambridge,  Story  county.  Iowa.     To  Alliert 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  597 

W.  and  Arvilla  (Bates)  Weston  two  children  have  been  born,  Helen  Pauline, 
born  on  November  4,  1912,  and  Albert,  August  24,  1914. 

Mr.  ^^'eston  is  a  Republican,  but  with  the  exception  of  having  served  on 
the  election  board,  has  never  held  office.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weston  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Weston  is  not  a  member  of  any 
lodge,  his  business  and  his  large  farming  interests  having  been  too  various 
and  exacting  to  permit  him  to  spend  any  time  in  lodge  work.  He  and  Mrs. 
Weston  are  held  in  high  regard  throughout  that  part  of  the  county  and  enjoy 
the  fullest  esteem  of  all  their  neighbors. 


IVER  NELSEN. 


A  resident  of  the  United  States  since  he  was  twenty-eight  years  old, 
or  since  1880,  Iver  Nelsen,  a  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Douglas 
township,  this  county,  has  saved  a  part  of  his  earnings  from  year  to  year  until 
he  now  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fine  land  in  Douglas  township. 
Born  in  Denmark  on  December  10,  1852,  Mr.  Nelsen  is  the  son  of  Nels  Peter- 
sen and  Cecile  Jensen,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  where  the  former  owned  a 
small  farm.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  Mary  Christiana, 
Christiana  Maria  and  Iver.  Both  of  the  daughters  are  now  deceased  and 
Mr.  Nelsen  is  the  only  member  of  the  family  living. 

Iver  Nelsen  received  his  education  in  the  Danish  public  schools,  but  was 
compelled  to  quit  school  at  the<age  of  fourteen  after  which  he  worked  on  the 
farm  until  twenty-eight  years  old,  when  he  came  to  this  country.  After 
landing  at  New  York  City,  he  came  west  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  stopped  for 
five  or  six  weeks,  after  which  he  came  to  Iowa.  He  worked  on  a  farm  for 
two  years  and  then  rented  a  farm  near  Elkhorn,  where  he  lived  for  eleven 
years.  In  1894  he  came  to  Audubon  county  and  rented  land  in  Douglas 
township,  where  he  lived  for  four  years.  Having,  in  the  meantime,  saved  a 
considerable  amount  of  money  from  his  earnings,  he  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  land  for  twenty-eight  dollars  and  fifty  cents  an  acre.  After  owning  this 
land  for  four  years,  he  sold  it  for  forty-five  dollars  an  acre  and  bought  one 
hundred  and  twent}'  acres  in  sections  16  and  17,  for  whicli  he  paid  fifty-five 
dollars  an  acre.  In  1910  Mr.  Nelsen  purchased  an  additional  fort}^  acres,  for 
Avhicli  he  paid  ninety  dollars.  These  various  prices  indicate  the  rise  in  A'alue 
of  farm  land  in  this  section  of  the  state.  In  addition  to  Mr.  Nelsen's  original 
investment  in  his  land,  he  has  also  invested  five  thousand  dollars  in  improve- 


598  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

ments  of  various  kinds.  He  feeds  all  of  his  grain  to  cattle  and  hogs,  and  sells 
a  carload  of  cattle  each  year  and  a  large  number  of  hogs. 

In  1883  Iver  Nelson  was  married  to  Christiana  Cramer,  who  was  born  in 
Denmark,  the  daughter  of  Chris  Cramer,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have 
been  born,  Chris,  Christiana,  William  and  Nels.  Chris  married  Cecilia  Han- 
sen and  lives  at  Ringstead,  Iowa.  Christiana  married  Jens  C.  Sloth  and  lives 
in  Viola  township,  this  county.  William  and  Nels  are  unmarried  and  live  at 
home. 

The  Nelsen  family  all  belong  to  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  and  are 
influential  in  the  local  congregation  of  that  church.  Mr.  Nelsen  is  a  good 
citizen  of  this  great  state,  loyal  to  its  institutions  and  enthusiastic  on  account 
of  the  opportunities  offered  to  young  men  of  other  lands  who  have  come  to 
our  shores  and  who  have  prospered  here.  He  is  well  informed,  intelligent, 
cordial  in  all  of  the  relations  of  life,  and  is  very  popular  with  all  the  people 
of  Douglas  township,  among  whom  he  is  well  known,  he  and  his  family  being 
held  in  the  highest  esteem. 


HENRY  RABE. 


Self  assertion  is  believed  by  many  people  to  be  absolutely  necessary  to 
success  in  life,  and  there  are  good  reasons  for  entertaining  such  belief.  The 
modest  man  very  rarely  gets  what  is  due  him.  The  selfish,  aggressive  man 
elbows  his  way  to  the  front  and  takes  all  that  is  in  sight,  until  it  sometimes 
seems  that  modesty  is  a  sin  and  self-denial  a  wrong.  There  are,  however, 
exceptions  to  all  rules,  and  it  is  a  matter  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  the  excep- 
tions are  not  more  numerous.  One  notable  exception  is  Henry  Rabe,  whose 
life  history  is  here  presented.  Mr.  Rabe  possesses  just  sufficient  modesty  to 
be  a  gentleman  at  all  times,  yet  sufffcient  persistency  to  win  in  the  business 
world.  As  a  result  of  these  well  and  happily-blended  qualities  Henry  Rabe 
has  won  a  host  of  friends  in  Audubon  county,  and  is  well  known  as  an  enter- 
prising farmer  of  Hamilton  township. 

Henry  Rabe  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  on  September  18,  185 1, 
the  son  of  Henry  and  Katrina  (Supthut)  Rabe,  natives  of  that  country. 
Henry  Rabe  was  a  farmer  and  also  did  painting  and  engraving.  He  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  Henry,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
Sophia,  the  latter  of  whom  married  Herr  Ploghoft  and  lives  in  Bremen, 
Germany. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  599 

Until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  Henry  Rabe  attended  school  and 
then  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  twenty  years  old.  After  that  he 
served  in  the  German  army  until  twenty-four  years  old,  at  the  conclusion  of 
which  he  resumed  work  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  continued  to  live  until 
he  was  twenty-nine  years  old.  In  March,  1881,  Henry  Rabe  left  the  old 
country  and  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  New  York  City,  proceed- 
ing thence  to  Crawford  county,  this  state,  where  he  took  up  farm  work,  "by 
the  month,"  and  thus  engaged  for  three  years.  In  1884  he  came  to  Audubon 
county  and  rented  a  farm  in  Melville  township,  remaining  there  for  about 
eight  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  purchased  about  forty  acres  of  land 
in  Leroy  township.  In  the  fall  of  1899  he  sold  that  farm  and  purchased 
eighty  acres  in  sections  11  and  14  in  Hamlin  township,  which  farm  he  sold 
in  the  fall  of  1906  and  purchased  eighty  acres  in  section  14  of  the  same  town- 
ship, where  he  now  lives.  In  1914  Mr.  Rabe  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  section  13  of  Hamlin  township.  His  home  farm  was  fully  improved 
when  he  bought  it,  but  he  has  since  built  a  large  barn  and  made  other  sub- 
stantial improvements. 

On  September  16,  1889,  Henry  Rabe  was  married  to  Minna  Kassen- 
haschen,  who  was  born  in  Oldenburg,  Germany,  on  March  28,  1857,  the 
daughter  of  Gerard  and  Sophia  (Busing)  Kassenhaschen,  natives  of  the  same 
place.  Gerard  Kassenhaschen  was  a  farmer  and  he  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  still  living,  two  of  them  living 
in  the  United  States.  Of  these  children,  Henry  was  a  farmer  and  a  resident 
of  Audubon  county.  Lena  married  Fred  Buchholtz  and  lives  in  New  York 
City,  and  Sophia  married  Henry  Buchholtz  and  lives  in  Bremen,  Germany. 

To  Henry  and  Minna  (Kassenhaschen)  Rabe  five  children  have  been 
born,  four  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Harry,  born  on  March  21,  1891; 
Fred,  January  24,  1893;  John,  June  11,  1895;  William,  August  27,  1897,  was 
accidentally  drowned  on  June  28,  1914,  and  Lena,  June  15,  1899. 

Henry  Rabe  is  engaged  quite  successfully  in  general  farming  and  stock 
raising.  When  he  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1881  hogs  were  two  dollars 
and  forty  cents  the  hundred  weight;  corn  was  fourteen  and  fifteen  cents  the 
bushel  and  land  could  be  bought  in  Iowa  for  nine  dollars  and  fifty  cents  an 
acre. 

Mr.  Rabe  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  held  no  public  offices  of  prominence  and 
has  never  been  especially  interested  in  politics.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church  and  active  in  the  affairs  of  that  church,  to  the  support 
of  which  Mr.  Rabe  is  a  liberal  contributor. 


600  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

JOHN  MOORE. 

To  write  the  personal  record  of  men  who  have  raised  themselves  from 
humble  circumstances  to  positions  of  responsibility  and  trust  in  a  community- 
is  no  ordinary  pleasure.  vSelf-made  men,  men  who  have  achieved  success  by 
reason  of  their  personal  qualities  and  who  have  left  the  impression  of  their 
individuality  on  the  business  growth  of  their  township,  affect  for  good  such 
institutions  as  are  embraced  in  the  sphere  of  their  usefulness,  and  unwittingly, 
perhaps,  build  monuments  more  enduring  than  marble  obelisk  or  granite  shaft. 
To  this  class  belongs  John  Moore,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Hamlin  township, 
this  county. 

John  Moore  was  born  in  Queens  county,  Ireland,  on  November  5,  1859, 
the  son  of  John  and  Ann  ( Fitzpatrick)  Moore,  both  natives  of  the  same 
county,  as  were  their  parents.  John  Moore's  father,  John  Moore,  Sr.,  was 
the  son  of  John  Moore,  whose  wife  was  a  Dempsey.  John  Moore,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  descended  on  his  maternal  side  from  James  Fitz- 
patrick, who  married  a  Brophy.  Mr.  Moore's  mother's  uncle,  Dan  Fitz- 
patrick, was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Cedar  county,  Iowa.  In  June,  1861, 
John  and  Anna  (Fitzpatrick)  Moore  came  to  the  United  States,  their  son, 
John,  being  then  Imt  two  years  old.  They  landed  at  New  York,  where  they 
lived  a  short  time,  and  then  moved  to  Philadelphia,  where  the  father  went  to 
work  as  a  carpenter  for  the  United  States  government.  He  worked  in  the 
arsenal  at  Frankfort,  near  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  employed  until  the 
close  of  the  Civil  War.  In  November,  1865,  the  family  came  west  to  Iowa 
City,  where  the  father  helped  to  build  a  wing  on  the  State  University  build- 
ing, hanging  all  the  doors  and  all  the  windows  in  the  building.  In  March, 
1883,  the  family  came  to  Audubon  county,  where  they  located  on  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  in  section  24  of  Hamlin  township,  which  the 
father  had  purchased  in  the  fall  of  1882,  giving  fifteen  dollars  an  acre  for  it. 
and  there  the  father  and  mother  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  his  death  occur- 
ring on  March  25,  1905,  and  hers  on  August  11,  1909.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  six  children,  fi\-e  daughters  and  one  son,  that  lived  to  maturitv.  Of 
these  children  Mary  married  Gerald  Dempsey.  Kate,  now  deceased,  taught 
school  in  Audubon  county  for  about  six  years.  P)ridget  died  in  Johnson 
count}',  Iowa.  Elizabeth,  who  married  Michael  Dwyer,  also  is  now  deceased. 
She  also  was  for  some  vears  a  school  teacher  in  .\udubon  countv.  Marguerite 
married  Richard  Barry,  to  which  union  nine  children  were  Iwrn.  Their  son. 
John  Barry,  rents  Mr.  Moore's  farm  and  operates  it  quite  successfully,  mak- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  6oi 

ing  his  home  with  Mr.  Moore.  John  Moore  and  his  parents  and  all  the 
Moore  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  None  of  the  family  has 
been  active  in  politics  and  none  of  them  has  held  pnblic  office. 

In  19 1 2  John  Moore  showed  a  registered  Belgian  mare  at  the  state  fair 
at  Des  Moines  and  took  second  premium.  He  has  also  taken  four  first  prizes 
at  the  local  county  fairs,  and  took  the  sweepstakes  at  the  fair  in  19 12.  Two 
of  his  mares  are  imported  Belgians.  The  raising  of  thoroughbred  horses  has 
proved  a  very  lucrative  vocation  in  this  section  of  the  state  and  no  man  has 
made  a  greater  success  of  the  business  than  John  Moore,  of  Hamlin  town- 
ship. Mr.  Moore  is  highly  respected  in  his  community  and  is  well  known 
throughout  the  county  generally,  all  who  know  him  holding  him  in  the  highest 
esteem. 


HENRICK  PETER  PAULSEN. 

Again  are  we  interested  in  the  courage  and  ambition  wdiich  were  pro- 
nounced enough  to  attract  a  youth  of  twenty-two  from  the  fields  of  his  native 
home  across  the  ocean  to  the  rich,  productive  soil  of  Iowa.  And  he  became 
one  of  those  sturdy  pioneers  whose  lives,  by  their  examples  of  industry  and 
thrift,  have  become  an  inspiration  not  only  to  their  own  children,  but  to  the 
neighborhood  as  well.  The  land-owning  instinct  seemed  to  show  itself  very 
early  in  the  career  of  this  young  man,  for  he  had  not  been  in  this  country  very 
long  until  he  had  acquired  a  title  to  what  was  the  beginning  of  his  fortune. 
Henrick  Peter  Paulsen,  a  retired  farmer  of  Audubon.  Iowa,  is  a  native  of 
Svendborg.  on  the  island  of  Funen.  Denmark.  His  parents  were  Peter  and 
Carrie  Paulsen,  the  father  born  in  Holstein,  and  the  mother  in  Svendorg. 
The  former  was  a  manufacturer  of  brick,  owning  his  own  brick  yard.  He 
died  in  Svendborg  in  1884,  his  wife  sun-iving  until  191 1.  Peter  and  Carrie 
Paulsen  were  active  in  the  membership  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  their 
three  children,  Jens,  now  a  painter  in  San  Francisco,  California;  Henrick 
Peter,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Anders,  a  farmer  in  Denmark,  were 
reared  in  that  faith. 

More  fortunate  than  some  of  his  neighbors,  Henrick  Paulsen  was  able 
to  attend  both  the  common  schools  and  the  high  school  of  Denmark,  subse- 
quently working  for  his  father  until  he  set  sail  for  America.  Upon  arriving 
here  he  first  settled  at  West  Point,  New  York,  where  he  lived  for  six  months, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  came  West,  locating  in  Jackson  township,  Shelby 
countv,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  eighteen  of  which 


602  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

he  improved.  Selling  this,  he  bought  land  in  Sharon  township,  where  he 
prospered,  gradually  buying  more  land  until  his  holdings  now  amount  to  two 
hundred  and  sixty-nine  acres  of  valuable  land,  upon  which  he  has  placed 
between  seven  and  eight  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  improvements.  In  19 14 
Mr.  Paulsen-  retired  from  the  farm  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Audubon, 
where  he  is  now  living. 

Mr.  Paulsen,  who  is  considered  one  of  the  best  farmers  of  this  county, 
has  given  much  attention  to  the  breeding  of  Shorthorn  cattle,  having  shipped 
a  great  many.  He  has  also  dealt  largely  in  hogs  and  draft  horses,  as  well 
as  having  been  a  breeder  of  Percheron  horses,  in  which  he  has  been  interested 
for  several  vears.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  verv  fine  stallion,  "Keif,"  born  in 
June,  1909. 

On  March  i,  1890,  Henrick  P.  Paulsen  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sena 
Hansen,  of  Denmark,  daughter  of  Hans  and  Mary  Hansen,  who  were  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Carl,  who  lives  in  Denmark ;  Johanna, 
also  a  resident  of  her  native  country;  Carrie,  who  died  in  Shelby  county, 
Iowa,  and  Sena,  who  married  Mr.  Paulsen. 

To  Henrick  P.  and  Sena  (Hansen)  Paulsen  four  children  have  been 
born,  namely:  Carrie,  who  lives  at  home;  Peter,  who  has  become  a  good 
farmer  like  his  father,  married  Alma  Jensen,  and  lives  on  the  old  homestead 
in  Sharon  township ;  Maggie  and  Henry,  who  live  with  their  parents  in 
Audubon. 

While  Mr.  Paulsen  has  lived  a  busy,  industrious  life,  he  has  not  mingled 
much  in  civic  nor  political  affairs,  and  has  never  sought  office.  In  spite  of 
this  fact,  however,  he  has  been  a  school  director  in  Sharon  township.  In 
national  elections,  he  votes  the  Democratic  ticket,  but  in  local  elections  he 
chooses  rather  to  vote  for  the  man  of  his  preference,  regardless  of  party. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  attend  the  Lutheran  church,  where  their  influence  for 
good  is  strongly  felt,  and  they  have  many  friends  in  this  county. 

The  success  attained  by  this  family  is  rather  remarkable  when  one  con- 
siders that  it  is  the  result  of  their  own  unaided  efforts.  No  legacy  of  wealth 
nor  land  was  his  when  Henrick  Peter  Paulsen,  strong  in  the  hope  of  youth, 
and  enthusiastic  with  the  courage  of  inexperience,  left  home  and  parents  to 
see  what  the  New  World  had  in  store  for  him.  His  wealth  was  then  only 
potential,  but  he  believed  it  possible  for  it  to  become  actual,  and  the  after  years 
have  proved  that  he  was  right.  He  has  shown  that  he  was  a  good  manager, 
and  it  is  but  proper  that  he  should  be  accorded  a  place  among  the  prosperous 
and  prominent  men  of  this  county. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  603 

THOMAS  JAMES  ESSINGTON. 

The  late  Thomas  James  Essington,  who  at  the  time  of  his  death  owned 
four  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Exira  and  Oakfield  townships  and 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Nebraska,  has  had  a  varied  career.  Born  in 
Maine  and  educated  there,  after  leaving  school  he  became  a  sailor  and  worked 
before  the  mast  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  went  to  Cali- 
fornia and  engaged  in  mining.  From  California  he  went  to  Idaho  and  there 
he  worked  for  three  years,  coming  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  in  1867,  where 
he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  and  began 
farming  for  himself. 

Thomas  James  Essington  was  born  on  December  20,  1839,  in  Maine. 
His  parents  were  William  and  Mary  (Murch)  Essington,  the  former  a  native 
of  England  and  the  latter  of  Maine.  William  Essington  had  come  from 
England  to  New  Brunswick  when  he  was  a  boy.  He  was  educated  in  that 
country  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  He  also  had  gone  to  sea  and  sailed 
before  the  mast  for  a  few  years  before  locating  permanently  in  the  state  of 
Maine,  where  he  worked  in  a  saw-mall  until  he  was  quite  an  old  man.  Event- 
ually, he  located  on  a  small  farm  of  fifty  acres  and  remained  there  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  William  and  Mary  Essington  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  namely :  Thomas  James,  William,  John  G.,  Stephen,  George  W., 
Georgiana,  Madaline,  Jane  and  Frankie.  Frankie  and  Thomas  James  are  the 
only  members  of  this  family  who  are  now  living. 

Mr.  Essington  received  his  education  in  Maine  and  after  serving  a  few 
years  as  a  sailor  and  working  in  the  mines  of  the  western  states,  he  began 
his  career  as  a  farmer  by  purchasing  forty  acres  of  land.  He  increased  his 
holdings  from  time  to  time  until  at  the  time  of  his  death,  he  owned  six  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  Iowa  and  Nebraska.  He  was  accustomed  to  raise  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  corn  on  his  farm  and  seventy-five  acres  of  small 
grains.  He  fed  about  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  each  year  and  from  two  to 
three  carloads  were  sold  from  his  place. 

Thomas  James  Essington  was  married  on  October  20,  1867,  to  Mary 
Alley,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Emeline  Alley,  and  to  this  union  there 
were  born  seven  children,  namely :  Charles,  Roscoe,  William,  Agnes,  Grace, 
Emeline  and  Mayme.  Charles  married  Ida  Davis  and  has  two  children, 
Hayden  and  Mary  Elizabeth.  Roscoe  married  Fannie  Rich  and  has  one 
child,  Madeline.  William  married  Anna  Stendor  and  has  two  children, 
Frank  and  Evelyn.    Agnes  married  Elem  Bills  and  they  have  seven  children, 


604  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Wilber,  AFerrit,  Aladalyn,  Margaret,  Emeline,  Addie  and  Alilroy.  Grace 
became  the  wife  of  Isaac  Smith  and  they  are  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
Gnssie,  Roscoe,  Henry,  Chris,  Bessie,  Dolly  and  Wilma.  Emeline  is  the  wife 
of  Thomas  McGovern  and  has  three  children,  Bernice,  Thomas  J.  and 
Ernestine. 

Thomas  James  Essington  was  long  identified  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  was  a  past  grand  in  this  lodge.  He  was  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  served  as  school  treasurer  for  thirty-nine  years.  He  was  a  mem- 
l)er  of  the  board  of  supervisors  at  one  time  and  also  had  served  as  school 
director.  Few  men  living  in  Audubon  county  surpassed  Mr.  Essington  in 
real  nobility  of  character.  He  was  a  man  who  was  devoted  primarily  to  the 
interests  of  his  home  and  family  but  he  took  a  worthy  interest  in  public 
affairs.  To  say  that  he  is  missed  not  only  by  the  surviving  members  of  a 
devoted  family  but  by  the  community  as  well  is  to  state  a  very  small  part  of 
the  truth.  Thomas  James  Essington  was  a  worthy  citizen  of  the  great 
Hawkeye  state,  with  which  he  cast  his  fortunes  and  where  he  lived  so  many 
vears. 


WILLL\M  P.  McLERAN. 

To  those  accustomed  to  the  roar  of  the  city  streets,  it  sometimes  seems 
that  li\'es  spent  in  the  country  must  lack  something  of  the  variety  and  change 
which  makes  life  interesting.  But  they  forget  that  for  what  she  takes  away. 
Nature  gives  generous  compensation.  They  forget  the  marvelous  changeable- 
ness  of  nature,  the  hourly  shifting  of  scene  in  cloud  and  earth  that  becomes 
"a  glorious  panorama  to  eyes  that  can  see.  The  man  whose  daily  bread  is 
dependent  upon  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  must  inevitably  imbibe  into  his 
own  life  and  being  some  of  the  beauty  and  strength  of  his  surroundings,  but 
some  are  able  to  do  this  in  greater  degree  than  others.  For  this  and  other 
reasons,  the  man  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  sketch  rises  above 
the  average,  and  is  therefore  entitled  to  proper  mention  in  the  present  volume. 

William  P.  McLeran  was  born  on  Jonuary  20,  1867.  in  Bureau  county, 
Illinois,  the  son  of  William  and  Betsy  (Blanchard)  McEeran,  both  natives 
of  Caledonia  county.  Vermont,  the  former  born  on  October  14,  1824,  and  the 
latter  on  December  5,  1829.  After  their  marriage,  which  took  place  on 
March  k).  1853,  thev  migrated  to  Bureau  county,  Illinc^is.  and  settled  four 
miles  south  o-f  Xeponset.  No  s]:)lendid  mansion  was  theirs.  They  built  a 
modest  little  home  on  a  choice  spot  of  their  prairie  farm,  and  began  farming, 


AUDUBON    COU*NTY,    IOWA.  605 

living  there  for  twenty-five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  came  to 
xA.udubon  county,  where  they  purchased  land  in  section  30,  Leroy  township, 
one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Audubon.  That  was  in  March,  1880,  and  in 
the  following  year  they  built  their  new  home,  and  improved  the  land,  residing 
there  until  1895,  in  which  year  they  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to 
Audubon,  which  has  since  been  the  family  home.  Mrs.  McLeran  died  there 
on  October  28,  1909. 

The  elder  McLeran  has  always  been  considered  a  good  farmer.  When 
a  young  man,  however,  he  varied  his  occupation  by  doing  railroad  work  in 
Pennsyh'ania  and  \''ermont  for  about  six  years.  Although  an  enthusiastic 
Democrat,  he  has  never  sought  public  office,  preferring  to  do  his  daily  work 
in  his  chosen  calling.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  as  was 
his  wife,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  These  children  were 
eight  in  number,  namely :  Abbie,  the  widow  of  E.  D.  Van  Court,  of  Omaha, 
Nebraska,  whose  children  are  Blanche  and  W^illiam  T.,  the  latter  li\"ing 
in  Omaha,  Nebraska ;  Simeon,  who  died  in  1906,  was  a  farmer  living  at 
Louisville,  Nebraska,  for  twenty-five  years,  during  part  of  which  time  he 
was  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  pottery  business;  Helen,  the  wife  of  F.  A. 
Chiddester.  of  Aurora,  Nebraska,  and  the  mother  of  two  children,  Bessie  and 
Elsie;  Elsie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine;  William  P.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch:  George  R.,  in  the  life  insurance  business  in  Chicago,  married  Ola 
Ogden,  and  has  one  son,  Donald ;  Herbert,  a  farmer  living  on  part  of  the  old 
home  place  in  Leroy  township,  married  Clara  Evans,  and  has  two  children, 
Lewis  and  Elsie,  and  Charles,  of  Audubon,  who  married  Bertha  3>Iusson 
and  has  two  children.  Thomas  and  Helen. 

W^illiam  ]\L  ]\IcLeran  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  county  and 
cooperated  with  his  father  in  their  agricultural  pursuits  until  the  former 
retired  from  active  work.  On  November  3,  1892.  \\'illiam  P.  McLeran  was 
married  to  Rosetta  Schwartz,  of  Green  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  to  this 
union  six  children  have  been  born,  Florence  E.,  Blanche  j\L,  William  and 
\Varren  ( twins ) ,  George  and  Margaret.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McLeran  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  the  faith  of  which  their  children  have 
been  reared,  and  are  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  know  them. 

]\lr.  ]\IcLeran.  like  his  father,  has  built  up  a  splendid  reputation  as  a 
good,  conscientious,  successful  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  His  Poland  China 
and  Duroc-Jersey  hogs  and  draft  horses  are  among  the  finest  in  the  county. 
Fie  feeds  as  many  as  ninety  head  of  hogs  a  year.  Both  he  and  his  father  are 
well  read,  and  are  progressive  in  their  ideas.  The  father,  though  along  in 
vears,  is  strong  and  hearty,  and  well  preserved.     Their  farm  is  a  matter  of 


6o6  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

pride  to  the  neighborhood,  so  well  is  it  kept  and  so  scientifically  is  it  man- 
aged. Such  a  family  is  a  power  in  any  neighborhood,  for  their  lives  go  to 
make  up  that  part  of  the  community  by  which  it  is  known,  composed  of  the 
people  whom  the  world  does  not  forget  when  they  are  gone.  William  P. 
McLeran  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  stands 
high  among  his  associates  in  that  popular  order.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  takes 
an  intelligent  interest  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  county,  being  regarded  as 
an  excellent  citizen. 


ALBERT  J.  SHUPE. 

Self-made  men  are  so  numerous  in  America  that  we  have  ceased  to 
wonder  at  them.  They  are  men  whose  courage  and  indomitable  will  power 
have  been  so  great  that  for  them  difficulty  and  hardship  simply  did  not  exist. 
But  most  of  such  men  have  had  the  counsel  and  encouragement  and  love  of 
their  parents,  even  though  they  may  not  have  had  their  financial  help.  His 
must  have  been  a  stout  heart  indeed,  who,  left  without  either  father  or 
mother  at  the  tender  age  of  eleven,  could,  by  his  industry,  lay  the  foundation 
of  a  career  which  now  places  him  in  an  enviable  position  among  his  fellow- 
men.  And  this  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  early  individual  freedom  was 
somewhat  hampered  by  his  being  "bound  out,"  a  custom  now  obsolete.  From 
a  little  apprentice  lad,  Albert  J.  Shupe,  of  Audubon  county,  has  become  one 
of  its  most  prominent  landowners,  and  lives  in  a  beautiful  home  on  a  valuable 
tract  of  land  consisting  of  two  hundred  acres. 

■  Mr.  Shupe  was  born  on  November  lo,  1861,  in  Warren  county,  Iowa, 
being  the  son  of  Henry  M.  and  Sophia  (DeLong)  Shupe,  the  latter  being  the 
first  wife.  Henry  Shupe  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  lived  for  a  while  in 
Ohio,  and  then  located  in  Warren  county,  near  Lacone,  where  he  bought 
prairie  land,  built  his  home  and  lived  until  his  death,  in  1872.  He  became  a 
farmer  and  stock  raiser  in  this  county  in  1854.  His  death  occurred  when  he 
was  thirty-five  years  of  age.  His  first  wife  died  in  1865,  having  borne  him 
four  sons  These  were  Madison,  a  farmer  in  Alberta,  Canada;  Hyram  R., 
a  butcher  in  Pocahontas  county,  Iowa,  for  twenty  years,  also  a  retired 
farmer;  Albert  J.,  the  subject  of  this  biography;  and  Arthur  D.,  a  farmer  in 
South  Dakota.  His  second  wife  was  Levina  Cooper.  Children  born  of  the 
second  marriage  were  Lemme,  who  has  been  for  a  numbr  of  years  engaged  in 
agriculture  in  South  Dakota;  Annie,  the  wife  of  Levi  Griffin,  of  Oklahoma; 
Homer,  also  of  this  state,  and  a  child  who  died  in  infancy. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  607 

When  Albert  was  a  lad  of  four,  his  mother  was  taken  away,  and  when 
only  eleven  his  father  died,  and  he  lived  for  a  few  years  with  his  grand- 
father, Jacob  Shtipe.  Until  the  age  of  twenty  he  was  "bound  out,"  and 
therefore  the  education  which  he  coveted  was  denied  him,  although  nature, 
which  became  his  daily  close  companion,  taught  him  many  things.  His 
schooling  consisted  of  a  few  terms  in  the  country  school,  but  he  made  the 
most  of  those  advantages.  For  five  years,  beginning  on  September  lo,  1882, 
he  rented  land  one  mile  north  and  one  mile  west  of  Audubon,  and  at  the  end 
of  that  time  bought  eighty  acres  in  Douglas  township,  where  he  has  lived 
ever  since. 

A  splendid  modern  nine-room  house  has  replaced  the  old  house  that 
stood  on  the  site  when  he  purchased  it,  this  being  built  in  1912.  Eleven 
years  prior  to  that,  he  built  a  fine  barn,  remodeling  it  in  1914.  It  is  now 
thirty-six  by  eighty  feet  with  twenty-foot  post.  His  home  is  complete  in  all 
of  its  equipments,  having  hot  and  cold  water,  turnace  heat  and  gas,  and  is 
one  of  the  attractive  residences  of  the  neighborhood.  Altogether,  over  ten 
thousand  dollars"  worth  of  improvements  have  made  this  farm  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  county.  He  now  owns  two  hundred  acres  in  sections  25  and  36 
and  has  a  tract  of  land  in  Alberta,  Canada. 

Besides  his  enterprise  in  agriculture,  Mr.  Shupe  has  attained  success 
as  a  stock  raiser,  having  on  his  place  from  forty  to  fifty  head  of  Shorthorn 
cattle  a  year,  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  head  of  Poland  China  hogs,  besides 
fifteen  draft  horses  of  Percheron  and  Belgian  breed. 

Mr.  Shupe  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Lydia  Mills,  of 
Warren  county,  Iowa,  who  died  in  1896,  leaving  two  children,  Roy,  living  at 
home,  and  Icle,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years.  The  second  marriage 
of  Mr.  Shupe  occurred  on  October  9,  1900,  his  wife  being  Christina  Brandt, 
a  widow,  daughter  of  Bolser  Thompson,  of  Sharon  township  Their  children 
are  William,  Arnold,  Gladys  and  Harold. 

That  the  man  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  sketch  is  held  in 
honor  bv  his  fellow  countrymen  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  they  have  made  him 
a  trustee  of  Douglas  township,  and  he  has  served  in  this  capacity  for  several 
years.  He  was  also  school  director  for  two  years,  and  has  been  keenly  inter- 
ested in  placing  the  schools  of  his  county  on  a  high  plane  of  excellence.  In 
politics,  Mr.  Shupe  is  a  Democrat. 

Mrs.  Shupe  is  almost  as  well  known  as  her  husband.  What  he  has  done 
for  the  schools  and  for  the  neighborhood  in  general,  she  has  done  for  the 
church,  being  much  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Lutheran  denomination. 
She  takes  a  very  active  part  in  all  movements  for  human  betterment,  and  is 


6o8  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

a  great  help  to  her  husband,  not  Hmiting  her  energies  to  the  duties  of  a  house- 
hold, although  these  are  never  neglected.  Both  of  these  residents  have 
become  a  part  of  the  life  of  the  community  in  which  their  lot  is  cast,  and  both 
have  made  it  a  better  place  in  which  to  live. 


REV.  GOTTLEIB  BENDER  CHRISTIANSEN. 

The  church  and  the  school  are  the  two  great  forces  which  make  for  a 
broader  and  jjetter  ci\'ilization.  Their  mission  is  not  to  compete  with  the 
home  in  the  matter  of  moral  training,  but  rather  to  supplement  its  teachings. 
The  man,  therefore,  who  makes  his  life  work  the  service  of  humanity  through 
the  church,  is  set  apart  from  his  fellowmen  by  a  loftiness  of  purpose  which 
not  only  transforms  the  lives  of  others,  but  which  likewise  puts  his  own 
character  and  conduct  upon  a  higher  plane.  To  the  man  who  loves  his  work 
there  is  no  compensation  like  the  consciousness  of  having  done  that  work 
well;  when  his  mission  is  to  uplift  human  life  and  minister  to  the  physical 
and  spiritual  needs  of  the  people,  the  plaudits  of  the  multitude  are  unneces- 
sary, for  he  has  his  reward  in  the  knowledge  of  priceless  service  well  ren- 
dered. But  the  public  is  always  interested  in  the  life  of  a  man  devoted  to  its 
service,  and  for  this  reason,  as  well  as  for  the  intrinsic  worth  of  the  man,  no 
one  is  more  deserving  of  mention  here  than  he  whose  name  appears  at  the 
head  of  this  chapter. 

Rev.  Gottleib  Bender  Christiansen,  pastor  of  the  Ebenezer  Evangelical 
Danish  Lutheran  church  of  Audubon  county,  is  one  of  the  best-known  men 
in  the  county.  Not  only  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  is  he  respected,  but  as  the 
president  of  a  theological  seminary,  he  has  won  the  esteem  and  admiration 
of  students  and  faculty  alike. 

Gottleib  Christiansen  was  born  October  jj.  1851,  in  Aliddlefast,  Den- 
mark, and  was  the  son  of  Christian  and  Elsie  Cathrina  (Dalton)  Christian- 
sen, ^vho  were  pious,  hard-working  people.  They  lived  all  of  their  lives  in 
the  birthplace  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  father  being  a  successful 
farmer.  All  of  their  children  were  brought  up  according  to  the  tenets  of  the 
Lutheran  denomination.  Gottleib's  family  circle  was  broken  by  the  early 
death  of  four  unnamed  children.  The  others  were,  in  the  order  of  their 
birth  :  Hans,  now  li^'ing  in  Denmark ;  Nels  and  Carl,  both  deceased ;  Elsie 
Marie  and  Rasmus  Carl,  both  residing  in  their  native  town. 

Having  graduated  in  the  schools  of  his  birthplace,  the  subject  of  this 


REV.  GOTTLEIB  B.  CHRISTIANSEN 


L. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  609 

review  studied  to  become  a  private  teacher,  a  vocation  which  he  followed 
for  two  years.  But  his  ambition  led  the  youth  to  desire  a  wider  field,  so  he 
embarked  for  America  when  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age,  and  first 
matriculated  in  Augsburg  College,  Minneapolis,  where  he  studied  for  four 
years.  After  his  ordination  to  the  ministry,  in  1881,  he  preached  in  Council 
Bluffs,  Iowa,  for  a  period  of  four  and  a  half  years,  and  then  for  a  similar 
length  of  time  in  Albert  Lee,  Iowa.  He  was  then  elected  president  of  Trinity 
Seminary  at  Blair,  Nebraska,  serving  in  that  capacity  from  1890  until  1896. 
From  the  latter  date  until  1904,  he  preached  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  leaving 
there  to  accept  the  call  at  the  church  in  Audubon  which  he  now  serves.  In 
1896,  a  signal  honor  was  bestowed  upon  Rev.  Christiansen  when  the  United 
Danish  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  was  organized,  and  elected  him  to  its 
presidency,  an  office  which  he  still  holds. 

On  June  23,  1881,  Rev.  Christiansen  was  married  to  Miss  Lena  Larsen, 
of  Denmark,  who  was  born  in  the  same  town,  attended  the  same  school  and 
'  was  confirmed  at  the  same  time  as  the  man  who  in  after  years  became  her 
husband. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christiansen's  children  are  seven  in  number.  Herman, 
the  eldest,  is  living  in  San  Francisco,  California,  and  is  engaged  in  the  furni- 
ture and  crockery  business.  Julia  became  the  wife  of  Berkhard  Eskelsen,  of 
Hampton,  Nebraska.  Carl  is  now  a  real-estate  dealer  in  Elkhorn,  Iowa. 
Christian  is  a  well-known  carpenter  in  Audubon.  Johannas  follows  the 
painter's  trade,  and  lives  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska.  Anna  married  Martin  Kjn, 
of  Audubon,  and  Joseph  lives  at  Brush,  Colorado.  Realizing  the  value  of  an 
education,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christiansen  gave  their  children  the  advantages  of 
the  schools  in  Blair  and  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  in  Elkhorn,  and  some  of  their 
family  graduated  from  high  school. 

The  success  of  the  modern  preacher  is  in  no  small  degree  effected  by 
the  character  and  ability  of  his  wife,  for  she  plays  a  most  important  part  in 
the  life  of  the  church  to  which  he  ministers.  No  sketch  of  the  life  of  a 
minister  is  therefore  complete  without  reference  to  the  faithfulness  and  devo- 
tion of  his  wife,  not  only  in  the  home,  but  also  in  the  larger  church  home. 
Indeed,  if  she  be  not  tactful  and  resourceful  and  unselfish,  the  work  of  her 
husband  may  be  seriously  handicapped  It  is  fitting,  therefore,  that  mention 
be  made  of  the  valuable  services  of  Mrs.  Christiansen,  which,  in  spite  of  her 
large  family  and  their  demands  upon  her  time  and  strength,  extended  to  the 
wide  circle  of  church  members  and  friends  to  whom  her  husband  was  called 
to  minister. 

(39) 


6lO  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

On  January  12,  1913.  "Ridder  of  Dannebrug,"  a  degree  of  honor  for 
efficient  service  as  a  minister,  was  presented  to  Rev.  Christiansen  by  the  king 
of  Denmark. 

One  would  expect  a  man  holding  the  position  he  has  held  as  a  leader  in 
his  denomination  to  be  a  student  of  life  as  well  as  of  books,  and  Rev.  Christ- 
iansen is  both.  He  has  the  culture  of  the  scholar,  the  refinement  of  the  gen- 
tleman, and  the  nobility  of  the  Christian.  Having  lived  a  life  of  altruism, 
it  has  now  become  a  habit,  and  he  finds  his  highest  joy  in  service.  The 
influence  of  such  a  man  is  incalculable,  and  not  the  least  part  of  this  good  is 
in  the  countless  little  nameless  acts  of  kindness  which  never  reach  farther 
than  the  person  whom  they  help,  and  yet  which  give  meaning  and  worth  to 
the  public  career  of  the  minister.  Rev.  Christiansen  has  been  a  power  in  the 
county  where  he  now  resides,  and  both  he  and  his  good  wife  have  a  host  of 
friends,  not  only  in  their  church,  but  in  the  wider  confines  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. To  be  able  to  diffuse  so  much  good  by  active  service  and  his  own 
wholesome  life,  and  to  deserve  and  secure  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who 
know  him  is  better  praise  than  words  can  convey,  but  the  real  tribute  is  in 
the  hearts  of  those  whom  he  has  helped,  and  this  tribute  must  ever  be  silent, 
for  it  can  only  be  felt. 


JENS  P.   SCHOUBOE. 


Perhaps  no  man  living  in  Audubon  county  has  broke  up  more  prairie 
sod  than  Jens  P.  Schouboe,  a  retired  farmer  and  merchant  of  Sharon  town- 
ship, who  was  born  in  Denmark,  May  4,  1855,  the  son  of  Peter  P.  and 
Christina  Schouboe,  and  who  came  to  America  in  1874,  locating  first  at 
Oxford,  New  Jersey.  Mr.  Schouboe's  father  was  a  brick  layer  and  carpenter 
by  trade,  and  died  in  Denmark  in  1906.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  Jens  P. 
Schouboe,  died  four  years  previously,  in  1902.  Of  their  five  children  only 
three  are  now  living,  Jess,  Jens  P.  and  Marie. 

Jens  P.  Schouboe  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
land  and  after  leaving  school  took  up  the  carpenter's  trade  and  also  the 
mason's  trade.  After  working  at  Oxford,  New  Jersey,  at  his  trade  for  four 
vears  after  his  arrival  in  America,  he  removed  to  this  county,  located  in  Viola 
township  in  1878,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  and  as  a  farm  hand.  He 
was  engaged  in  breaking  up  the  tough  prairie  sod  for  a  period  of  seven  years, 
and  during  this  period  broke  approximately  twelve  hundred  acres  in  Audu- 
bon and   Shelby  counties.     From  his  savings  he  was  enabled  to  purchase 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  6ll 

eighty-seven  acres  of  land  at  eleven  dollars  an  acre  in  Jackson  township, 
Shelby  county,  and  here  he  farmed  and  broke  prairie  until  1890,  when  he 
came  to  Audubon  county  and  purchased  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in 
Sharon  township.  Later  Mr.  Schouboe  added  eighty  acres  to  the  original 
tract  and  now  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  altogether.  In  1908  he 
built  a  store  in  Sharon  township,  and  calling  the  place  Sharon  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  for  two  years.  Jens  P.  Schouboe  has  achieved  a  flattering 
success  in  a  material  way  in  his  adopted  country  and  he  is  one  of  the  many 
citizens  of  Audubon  county  to  whom  /America  has  spelled  and  rightly  so  the 
word  "opportunity." 

Mr.  Schouboe  was  married  in  1882  to  Mary  Michelsen,  daughter  of 
Chris  Michelsen.  They  have  no  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schouboe  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  and  in  politics  Mr.  Schouboe  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  has  been  more  or  less  active  in  the  councils  of  his  party,  serving 
as  road  supervisor  for  six  years,  and  also  as  township  trustee,  a  very  import- 
ant office  in  this  state.  Mr.  Schouboe  discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  with 
credit  to  himself  and  to  the  people  of  his  community.  He  enjoys  an  enviable 
reputation  in  the  community  where  he  lives  and  is  a  worthy  citizen  of  the 
great  state  of  Iowa,  which  has  smiled  upon  him  so  benignantly. 


MARTIN  SORRENSEN. 


Martin  Sorrensen,  a  farmer  of  Greeley  township,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  was  born  on  July  7,  1884,  ii^  North  Jylland,  Denmark.  He  is  the  son 
of  Thas  and  Dorothy  Sorrensen,  also  natives  of  North  Jylland,  where  the 
former  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  Thas  and  Dorothy  Sorrensen,  who  never 
came  to  the  United  States,  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom 
are  living,  all  in  this  country.  Martin  and  Jens  are  the  .only  ones  living  in 
Audubon  county.  In  the  spring  of  1903,  Mr.  Sorrensen's  sister,  Katie,  came 
to  the  United  States  and  located  at  Hampton,  Iowa.  One  year  later  Martin 
Sorrensen  himself  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts. He  came  direct  to  Iowa,  stopping  at  Hampton,  where  his  sister  was 
living,  but  remained  there  only  three  months,  when  he  went  to  Keokuk  and 
there  he  lived  for  eighteen  months.  He  then  removed  to  North  Branch, 
Guthrie  county,  where  he  rented  land  until  the  spring  of  19 14,  when  he 
rented  his  present  farm  in  Greeley  township,  Audubon  county. 

About  two  years  after  his  arrival  in  this  country,  on  August  i,   1906, 


6l2  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Mr.  Sorrensen  was  married  in  Guthrie  county,  to  Mary  Davidson,  who  was 
born  on  June  2,  1883,  in  Xorth  J3dland,  Denmark,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of 
Martin  and  Jensena  (Jensen)  Davidson.  They  were  farmers  in  their  native 
land  and  still  live  in  that  country.  Mrs.  Sorrensen  came  to  the  United  States 
in  the  fall  of  1905,  and,  after  landing  at  New  York  City,  came  direct  to 
Iowa,  locating  in  Guthrie  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  Sorrensen  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  namely:  Clara  D.,  born  on  May  2,  1907;  Esther  J., 
November  i,  1908;  Harry  Thomas,  July  3,  1910,  and  Frank  M.,  April  19, 

1913- 

Mr.  and  ]\Irs.   Sorrensen  and  family  are  all  supporters  of  the  Danish 

Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Sorrensen  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising  and.  since 

he  is  a  comparatively  young  man  and  has  already  got  a  splendid  start  in  the 

world,  he  promises  to  become  one  of  Audubon  county's  leading  farmers  and 

citizens.     He  is  at  the  present  time  operating  between  two  hundred  and  three 

hundred  acres  of  land  and  each  year  has  been  able  to  save  considerable  money 

from  his  earnings.     Presently,  Air.  Sorrensen  will  be  able  to  purchase  a  farm 

of  his  own  and  bv  the  "time  he  has  reached  the  prime  of  life,   he  will   be 

thoroughly   established    in   the   agricultural   life   of   Audubon    county.      Mr. 

Sorrensen  is  highly  respected  in  the  neighborhood  where  he  lives. 


MARINUS  NIELSEN. 


Marinus  Nielsen,  farmer  and  stockman  of  Douglas  township.  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  was  born  in  Denmark.  December  25,  1881.  Air.  Nielsen  is  one 
of  a  family  of  nine  children,  the  others  being  Christiana,  Marie.  .Sena.  Nicka- 
line,  Louis.  Edmund,  and  two  who  are  deceased.  Besides  Marinus,  Louis 
and  Nickaline  are  the  only  members  of  the  family  who  are  now  living  in  this 
country. 

Mr.  Nielsen's  career  is  not  greatly  different  from  that  of  many  Danish 
lads,  who  have  left  home  and  friends  l^ehind  to  seek  their  fortunes  in  a  new 
land  He  was  compelled  to  quit  school  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and  shortly 
after  that  he  came  to  this  country  alone,  remaining  for  two  years  in  Hart- 
ford. Connecticut,  where  he  had  joined  a  sister.  In  1899.  ^^  ^^""c  age  of 
eighteen  vears.  he  came  to  Audubon  countv,  and  here  he  worked  on  a  farm 
for  seven  years,  or  until  his  marriage. 

After  Afr.  Nielsen  was  married  he  rented  a  farm  in  Sharon  township 


AUDUBON    COUNTY.    IOWA.  613 

for  a  vear,  and  then  purchased  a  hundred  acres  in  that  township.  After 
owning"  and  cultivating  the  farm  for  three  years  he  sold  out  at  considerable 
profit,  and  purchased  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Douglas  town- 
ship, which  he  still  owns.  Altogether  Mr.  Nielsen  has  invested  about  three 
thousand  dollars  in  various  improvements  made  to  this  farm.  Practically 
all  of  the  farm  is  tillable,  and  practically  all  of  it  is  in  a  very  high  state  of 
cultivation.  He  feeds  a  great  part  of  the  grain  he  raises  to  stock  which  is 
kept  on  the  farm,  and  sells  about  sixty  head  of  hogs  every  year,  besides  a  few 
cattle.  In  1906.  at  the  age  of  twenty-six,  Mr.  Nielsen  was  married  to  Olga 
Jensen,  the  daughter  of  Christian  Jensen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nielsen  are  the 
parents  of  five  children,  as  follow :  Jens,  Otto,  Avail,  Elma  and  Rudolph,  all 
of  whom  are  living  at  home.  Air.  Nielsen  is  extremely  happy  that  the  chil- 
dren mav  enjov  in  this  country  educational  advantages  which  are  in  every 
way  superior  to  those  which  were  available  to  him  in  the  old  country. 

The  Nielsen  family  belong  to  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  and  Mr. 
Nielsen  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  His  value  as  a  citizen  is  not  so  much  in 
the  part  he  has  taken  in  the  political  and  civic  life  of  Douglas  township,  but 
in  what  he  has  done  to  improve  his  farm,  and  thus  to  increase  its  productivity. 
In  fact,  herein  is  the  debt  which  the  next  generation  will  owe  to  these  sturdy 
pioneers  who  have  by  careful  methods  of  farming  brought  up  the  raw  prairie 
to  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 


CHRIST  J.  KNUDSEN. 

Christ  J.  Knudsen,  a  well-known  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Douglas 
township.  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  fine  farm.ing  land  which  is  highly  improved,  was  born  on 
June  4,  187 1,  in  Denmark.  He  is  the  son  of  Jens  J.  and  Alice  (Nelson) 
Knudsen.  Jens  and  Alice  Knudsen  were  both  born  in  Denmark  and  were 
also  married  in  their  native  land.  He  owned  a  small  farm  and  was  engaged 
in  farming  there  until  1898,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States.  He  lived 
with  his  son  in  Iowa  for  two  years  and  then  returned  to  Denmark,  where, 
after  living  for  a  short  time,  he  returned  to  the  country  and  lived  with  his 
son,  Christ  J.,  until  his  death,  in  1913.  He  was  the  father  of  four  children: 
Nels  J..  Jens.  Soren  and  Christ  J.  Soren  lives  in  Denmark.  Nels  J.  lives 
with  Christ  J.  and  Jens  lives  in  Clarinda. 


6 14  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Christ  J.  Knudsen  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Denmark  but  quit 
school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  and  worked  on  the  farm  for  three  years,  coming 
to  America  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  The  voyage  was  made  on  one  of  the 
ships  of  the  Hamburg  line.  Mr.  Kundsen  landed  in  New  York  and  came 
direct  to  Iowa,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm  near  Walnut  for  two  years.  He 
then  rented  a  farm  north  of  Walnut,  comprising  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  and  lived  there  for  one  year,  after  which  he  rented  land  for  three 
years.  After  this  he  went  to  Harlan,  Iowa,  and  rented  a  farm  there  for 
two  years.  He  also  rented  a  farm  near  Erling  for  two  years,  coming  finally 
to  Audubon  county,  where  he  settled  in  Douglas  township  and  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land.  Keeping  this  tract  for  two  years,  he  traded  it  for  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  in  section  2j,  of  Douglas  township.  Five  years 
afterwards  he  purchased  eighty  acres  more. 

Mr.  Knudsen  was  married  on  February  26,  1896,  to  Laura  Sorensen,  the 
daughter  of  Jens  Jensen,  a  native  of  Denmark,  who  was  married  in  Jackson- 
ville, Shelby  county,  Iowa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knudsen  have  had  six  children : 
Edward,  Houger,  Soren,  Alfred,  Martin  and  Dagny.  Soren  is  deceased, 
having  died  in  1909,  at  the  age  of  seven  years.  The  remainder  of  the  family 
are  at  home  and  two  of  the  children  are  attending  school. 

Mr.  Knudsen's  principal  crops  are  corn  and  small  grains.  His  corn 
averages  about  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre,  his  oats  about  thirty-five  and  his 
wheat  about  twenty-four  bushels.  Every  acre  of  his  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  has  been  under  cultivation.  Mr.  Knudsen  feeds  all  the  grain 
he  raises  to  his  stock  and  sells  two  or  three  carloads  of  cattle  each  year  and 
about  one  hundred  and  thirty  head  of  hogs.  He  takes  great  pride  in  a  pure- 
bred Percheron  horse  which  he  owns.  Altogether  it  is  fair  to  say  that  ten 
thousand  dollars  have  been  invested  in  improvements  upon  the  farm. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Christ  J.  Knudsen  has  served  as  township 
trustee  for  five  years  and  as  assessor  for  three  years.  The  Knudsen  family 
belongs  to  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  and  yix.  Knudsen  is  a  trustee  of  this 
church. 

Mr.  Knudsen  deserves  to  rank  as  one  of  the  enterprising  and  successful 
farmers  of  Douglas  township.  Few  men  are  better  known  or  more  highly 
respected  than  he.  Scarcely  in  the  prime  of  life,  he  has  attained  a  success  in 
agriculture  which  comes  to  few  men  of  his  age.  He  is,  nevertheless,  a  man 
of  modest  and  unassuming  manners,  wholly  unafifected  by  his  success,  cordial 
with  his  neighbors  and  friendly  in  all  of  the  relations  of  life. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  615 

JOEL  L.  SWINEHART. 

Joel  L.  Swinehart,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Audubon  township,  was  born 
on  July  18,  1864,  in  Lagrange  county,  Indiana,  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Eliza 
(Sigler)  Swinehart.  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  respectively,  the  latter 
having'  been  born  in  W^ood  county.  After  their  marriage  in  Lagrange 
county,  Indiana,  they  lived  until  1869  in  that  state,  when  they  removed  to 
Benton  county,  Iowa,  and  in  1874  they  again  removed  to  Guthrie,  where  the 
mother  died  in  1876.  The  father  spent  the  latter  part  of  his  life  with  his 
son,  Joel  L.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  passing  away  at  his  home  in  October, 
1912.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Swinehart  had  six  children,  as  follow:  Charles, 
Mrs.  Ella  Matthews,  Randal,  Mrs.  Savilla  Ewing,  Joel  L.  and  Mrs.  Minnie 
Spangler. 

Joel  L.  Swinehart  lived  at  home  until  his  mother's  death,  at  which  time 
he  was  only  eleven  years  old,  and  after  her  death  he  started  out  in  life  for 
himself,  working  for  his  board  during  the  winter  and  attending  school  at 
the  same  time.  After  attending  school  until  he  was  nineteen  years  old,  he 
began  working  continuously  at  farm  work,  at  which  he  was  engaged  until 

1886,  when  he  went  to  California  and  was  engaged  as  a  logger  in  the  soft 
pine  forests  of  that  state.     After  being  in  California  two  years,  in  the  fall  of 

1887,  he  returned  to  Guthrie  county,  where  he  worked  until  1891,  when  he 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  36,  of  Audubon  township.  At  the 
time  it  had  only  a  small  sixteen  by  twenty-two  foot  house,  and  a  board  stable, 
and  there  were  only  fifty  acres  under  cultivation.  In  1909  Mr.  Swinehart 
built  his  present  ten-room  home,  which  is  entirely  and  thoroughly  modern. 
Most  of  the  other  buildings  are  practically  new,  the  barn  having  been  built  in 
1901. 

On  March  29,  1891,  Mr.  Swinehart  was  married  in  Adair  county  to 
Clarissa  McClaran,  who  was  born  on  October  5,  1874,  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
who  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Rebecca  (Hart)  McClaran,  natives  of  Ver- 
mont and  Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania,  respectively. 

In  1878  the  McClaran  family  came  west  and  settled  in  the  south  edge 
of  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  and  later  removed  to  Oklahoma,  where  the  mother 
died  in  July,  1906.  The  father  died  at  Cofifeeville,  Kansas,  October  31,  1914. 
They  had  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living:  Benjamin,  Ralph,  Mrs. 
Swinehart,  Mrs.  Grace  Lalley,  William,  Mrs.  Ruth  Stoner  and  John. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joel  L.  Swinehart  have  had  eight  children,  seven  of  whom 
are  Hving.     The  children  in  the  order  of  their  birth  are  as  follow :     Charles, 


6l6  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

born  on  December  29,  1893;  Grace,  August  10,  1895;  Lenora,  February  17, 
1897;  Joel,  February  15,  1901,  died  February  20th  of  the  same  year;  Helen, 
August  20,  1902;  Theodore,  December  5,  1904;  Dorothy,  October  13,  1906, 
and  Lynn,  July  18,  191 1.  All  the  children  are  living  at  home,  though  Grace 
and  Lenora  have  attended  high  school  at  Adair. 

Mr.  Swinehart  was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
but  dropped  out  of  the  lodge  in  1907.  A  Republican  in  politics  he  has  served 
as  township  trustee  and  clerk  and  also  as  school  director,  and  was  president 
of  the  board  of  trustees  for  two  years,  all  of  which  positions  he  discharged 
with  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  people  of  the  township.  Though  not  mem- 
bers of  any  church,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swinehart  and  family  are  loyal  and  faithful 
supporters  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal. 

Among  the  men  who  deserve  to  be  counted  as  successful  farmers  in  this 
section,  Joel  L.  Swinehart.  of  Audubon  township,  is  one.  He  has  made  a 
conspicuous  success  in  the  business  of  farming,  a  fact  which  is  generally 
recognized  In^  his  neighbors  and  friends.  Popular  in  the  county  and  town- 
ship where  he  lives,  Mr.  Swinehart  has  behind  him  an  honorable  and  upright 
career,  and  one  of  which  he  can  be  truly  proud. 


REV.  PETER  RASMUSSEN. 

The  Rev.  Peter  Rasmussen,  who  is  a  native  of  the  little  kingdom  of 
Denmark,  in  his  native  land,  was  a  farm  hand.  In  fact,  he  worked  at  this 
occupation  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  he  decided  to  come 
to  America. 

After  Mr.  Rasmussen's  arri\al  in  America,  he  decided  to  prepare  himself 
for  the  ministry,  and  began  his  preparation  for  this  profession  at  the  Trinity 
Seminary,  at  Blair,  Nebraska,  which  is  under  the  control  of  the  L^nited 
Danish  Evangelical  Lutheran  church  of  America.  He  was  a  student  at  this 
institution  for  six  years,  after  which  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  in  the 
Danish  Lutheran  church.  His  first  pastorate  was  in  the  parish  at  Fresno, 
Call  fornia,  where  he  remained  for  nine  years.  He  then  served  as  the  pastor 
of  the  parish  at  Eugene,  Oregon,  for  live  years.  On  April  i,  1913,  he  came 
to  Exira,  Iowa,  and  has  been  in  charge  of  the  religious  work  of  the  Danir^h 
Lutheran  church  of  Exira  for  more  than  two  years. 

Peter  Rasmussen  was  born  on  May  5,  1865,  in  Denmark.  His  father 
and  mother  were  Rasmus  and  Hannah   (Olsen)   Anderson,  both  natives  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  617 

Denmark.  Rasmus  Anderson  was  a  farm  hand  in  his  native  country,  and 
spent  all  his  life  there.  He  died  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  in 
1876.  His  wife,  however,  survived  him  many  years,  and  died  in  1906.  Ras- 
mus Anderson  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  i8'48-50  between  Denmark  and 
Germany  and  served  during  the  entire  period  of  this  great  war.  Peter  Ras- 
mussen  was  one  of  six  children  born  to  his  parents,  the  others  being  Christina, 
Carrie.  Anton,  Nels  and  Ole,  all  of  whom  are  still  living  in  Denmark,  Peter 
being  the  only  one  of  the  family  who  came  to  x^Vmerica. 

Peter  Rasmussen  received  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  Den- 
mark, and  after  leaving  school  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  his  native  land 
until  his  twenty-third  year,  when  he  came  to  this  country. 

On  June  27,,  1894,  shortly  before  he  was  thirty  years  of  age  and  several 
years  after  his  arrival  in  America,  Peter  Rasmussen  was  married  to  Mary 
Bartelsen,  the  daughter  of  Lars  Bartelsen,  and  to  this  union  nine  children 
have  been  born,  namel}^ :  Lawrence,  Lona,  Minnie,  John,  Martha,  William. 
Carl,  Marie,  Helen,  all  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Rev.  Peter  Rasmussen  is  identified  politically  with  the  Republican  party, 
but  has  never  participated  actively  in  politics,  his  preaching  and  pastoral  duties 
having  demanded  most  of  his  time  and  attention.  He  is  not  only  a  fluent 
and  powerful  speaker,  l^ut  he  has  successfully  discharged  his  duties  as  the 
pastor  of  an  important  parish,  and  is  popular  among  the  congregation  of  the 
Danish-Lutheran  churches  at  Exira,  Hamlin  and  Atlantic. 


EDWIN  F.  JOHNSON. 


Poets  often  tell  the  truth  and  the  old  song  which  contains  the  refrain, 
"The  farmer  feeds  them  all,"  states  a  very  fundamental  and  economic  truth. 
Without  the  farmer  the  rest  of  the  populace  would  starve  to  death  within  a 
week  despite  the  large  amount  of  food  kept  in  storage.  Every  occupation 
might  be  done  away  with  but  farming  and  people  could  live,  but  a  total  cessa- 
tion of  farming  for  a  short  time  would  actually  depopulate  the  whole  world. 
A  man  can  exist  without  banks,  courts,  schools,  colleges,  factories,  mines,  and 
mills,  but  deprive  him  of  the  products  of  the  soil  as  produced  by  the  farmer 
and  he  cannot  live.  The  farmers  of  a  community  practically  sustain  the 
people  dependent  upon  other  professions.  Without  the  farmer  the  banker 
would  close  his  doors,  the  merchant  cease  business,  the  manufacturer  shut 
down  his  factory  and  the  railroads  suspend  operations.     He  is  an  important 


6l8  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

factor  in  the  world's  economic  adjustment.  The  successful  individual  farmer 
is  a  man  to  be  honored  and  admired  and  he  occupies  a  substantial  place  in  the 
community. 

Among  the  honored  and  successful  men  of  Audubon  county,  one  who 
has  achieved  distinction  in  the  agricultural  profession  and  has  been  highly 
honored  by  the  people  with  a  high  official  position  is  Edwin  F.  Johnson, 
county  supervisor  of  Audubon. 

Edwin  F.  Johnson  was  born  on  September  7,  1865.  at  Morris,  Illinois, 
son  of  John  C.  and  Christina  (Thompson)  Johnson,  natives  of  Norway  and 
Sweden,  respectively.  John  G.  Johnson  was  born  in  1836  and  died  in  1904. 
He  migrated  to  America  from  the  land  of  his  birth  in  1852  and  first  located 
in  Chicago.  From  Chicago  he  went  to  Morris,  Illinois.  He  rented  land  near 
there  until  1882  and  then  came  west  to  Audubon  county.  Here  he  purchased 
a  farm  in  Sharon  township.  He  prospered  and  in  his  old  age  retired  to 
Audubon.  He  was  the  owner  of  a  well-improved  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres.  The  children  of  John  G.  Johnson  now  living  are:  John  P.,  of 
Greenfield,  Iowa;  Edwin  F.,  with  whom  this  review  is  directly  concerned; 
Mrs.  Mary  Weldy,  residing  in  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county;  Samuel 
R.,  a  farmer  in  Melville  township,  and  Elmer  C,  of  Atlantic,  Iowa. 

Edwin  F.  Johnson  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  Illinois  and 
came  to  Audubon  county  with  his  parents  when  seventeen  years  of  age.  He 
assisted  his  father  in  operating  the  home  farm  until  he  attained  his  majority. 
He  then  rented  a  farm  in  Viola  township,  saved  his  money  for  a  few  years, 
and  then  invested  in  eighty  acres  of  prairie  land  in  Sharon  township  at  a  cost 
of  twelve  dollars  and  fifty  cents  an  acre.  This  farm  had  no  improvements 
whatever  when  Mr.  Johnson  purchased  it.  He  placed  all  improvements  on 
the  farm  as  he  was  able  and  brought  the  land  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
When  he  began  for  himself  he  had  very  little  money  and  was  the  owner  of 
one  horse.  He  was  not  able  to  erect  a  home  until  about  five  years  after  he 
began  farming,  but  a  slow  beginning  makes  a  good  ending  and  prosperity  has 
smiled  upon  this  energetic  citizen.  He  is  the  owner  of  five  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  fine  land  in  Audubon  county  and  has  one  thousand  three  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  South  Dakota.-  Mr.  Johnson  has  a  fine  town  house  in  Audu- 
bon, where  he  removed  in  1910. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  in  1891,  to  Bertha  Boyd,  of  Audubon  county, 
daughter  of  Mahlon  Boyd.  To  this  union  have  been  born  two  children, 
namely :  Bertha  E.  and  Edwin  B. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  has  taken  an  active  part  in 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  619 

political  affairs,  being  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party  in  Audubon  county. 
He  was  elected  to  the  important  office  of  county  supervisor  in  the  fall 'of 
1910  and  re-elected  in  1912  for  a  second  term.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  local  Masonic 
fraternity  and  is  high  in  the  ancient  rites  of  this  order.  He  belongs  to  the 
Audubon  chapter  and  commandery,  is  a  member  of  Za-Ga-Zig  temple  of 
Mystic  Shriners  at  Des  Moines,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Scottish  Rite  con- 
sistory located  at  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  being  a  Mason  of  the  thirty-second 
degree. 

Mr.  Johnson's  sterling  worth  as  a  citizen  and  business  man  was  recog- 
nized by  the  people  when  they  elected  him  to  the  office  of  county  supervisor 
and  during  the  time  he  has  been  in  the  office  he  has  discharged  his  duties  to 
the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  people  of  his  county.  He  is  a  quiet,  unassuming 
man,  of  genial  disposition,  firm  in  his  convictions  and  one  who  has  always 
looked  out  for  the  welfare  of  his  county. 


HERMAN  PAUL. 


The  late  Herman  Paul,  who  was  a  native  of  West  Posen,  Germany,  and 
whose  parents  died  when  he  was  a  small  child,  was  born  on  May  2,  1850. 
After  living  among  strangers  until  1872  or  1873,  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  locating  in  Illinois,  worked  near  Bloomington  for  seven  or  eight 
years,  when  he  came  to  the  state  of  Iowa,  and  located  in  Cass  county. 

Purchasing  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  36,  of  Audubon  township,  in 
1882,  he  lived  alone  on  the  farm  for  two  years,  until  March  13,  1884,  when 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elise  Schmidt,  who  was  born  on  January  12, 
1862,  in  Thuring,  a  part  of  Saxony,  Germany,  and  who  was  the  daughter 
of  Nick  and  Elizabeth  (Kirchner)  Schmidt.  The  Schmidt  family  came  to 
America  in  May,  1882,  and  after  arriving  in  New  York  City,  came  direct  to 
Iowa,  locating  in  Cass  county,  where  the  parents  of  Mrs.  Paul  lived  until 
their  death. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paul  had  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are  living.  Of 
these  children,  Ida,  who  was  born  December  24,  1884,  married  Frank  Barber, 
an  auctioneer  of  Cass  county,  and  they  have  three  children,  Belle,  Paul  and 
Pearl  (twins).  Anna  was  born  on  July  19,  1886,  and  died  March  11,  1899; 
Martha,  May  27,  1887,  married  William  Schlee;  Albert,  April  25,  1890,  mar- 
ried Bertha  Holland;  William,  May  5,   1891,  lives  at  home;  Mary,  July  8, 


620  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

1893,  married  George  Vokt;  Walter,  April  21,  1899,  and  Eliza.  January  17, 
IQ03,  also  live  at  home. 

Before  Mr.  Paul's  death,  in  an  accident,  on  October  16,  1906,  he  had 
purchased  eighty  acres  additional  land  in  Audubon  county  and  a  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  Cass  county.  During  his  life  the  late  Herman  Paul  applied 
himself  diligently  to  farming  and  accumulated  a  comfortable  competence  in 
farming  land.  Since  his  death  in  1906  Mrs.  Paul  has  ably  managed  the 
farm  property  which  he  left. 

An  active  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  during  his  life,  the 
late  Herman  Paul  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  although  he  never  held  any 
office.  Primarily  he  was  a  man  who  was  devoted  to  his  home  and  to  his 
family,  and  cared  little  about  the  outside  interests  of  life.  He  is  remembered 
as  a  man  of  honorable  and  humane  impulses,  and  one  who,  loving  his  wife  and 
children  dearly,  made  every  possible  preparation  for  their  comfort  and  happi- 
ness. Respected  and  admired  in  the  neighborhood  where  he  lived,  he  left 
at  the  time  of  his  death  besides  his  widow  and  children  a  large  number  of 
friends  to  mourn  his  loss  in  this  community. 


GEORGE  J.  PARKINSON. 

The  Parkinson  family  is  of  English  descent,  the  parents  of  George  J. 
Parkinson,  George,  Sr.,  and  Anna  (Annable)  Parkinson,  having  been  natives 
of  Hull,  Lincolnshire,  and  Liverpool,  England,  respectively.  George  J. 
Parkinson,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  1861,  in  Davenport,  Iowa. 
His  parents  were  born  in  England  and  came  to  the  United  States  at  differ- 
ent times,  the  father  when  twenty-one  years  old  and  the  mother  when  eight 
years  old.  The  latter  came  with  her  parents,  and  the  former  came  alone, 
having  been  the  only  member  of  the  family  ever  to  come  to  the  United  States. 

After  locating  in  Illinois,  George  Parkinson,  Sr.,  moved  from  one  place 
to  another  until  he  finally  obtained  work  in  the  shops  of  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  railroad,  in  Davenport,  Iowa.  After  working  for  this  com- 
pany for  some  time,  he  came  on  west  to  Audubon  county,  where  he  purchased 
a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  located  in  section  25,  in  Audubon  town- 
ship. This  was  many  years  ago  when  land  was  very  cheap  and  he  obtained 
a  bundred  and  sixty  acres  for  five  dollars  an  acre.  Beginning  in  1876  with 
a  farm  that  already  had  some  timber  on  it,  he  continued  to  improve  the  farm 
in  various  ways,  and  here  he  lived  until  1902,  when  he  and  his  wife  removed 
to  .Adair.     They  had  nine  children,  of  whom  George  J.  was  the  eldest. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  62 1 

George  J.  Parkinson  attended  the  school  in  Davenport,  and  after  com- 
pleting the  course  of  instruction  there,  lived  at  home  until  his  marriage.  After 
his  marriage  he  rented  his  uncle's  farm  for  ten  years,  and  in  1896  had  been 
able  to  save  enough  with  which  to  purchase  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in 
section  2t^,  of  Audubon  township.  Here  he  lived  for  six  years,  until  his 
parents  retired  and  moved  to  town,  when  he  moved  to  the  home  place.  Of 
all  the  children  born  to  his  parents  he  is  the  only  farmer,  all  the  other  sons 
being  blacksmiths. 

On  February  8,  1886,  Mr.  Parkinson  was  married  in  Audubon  county  to 
Christina  Bain,  who  was  born  on  August  24,  1869,  in  Cayuga  county.  New 
York,  the  daughter  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Wey)  Bain. 

George  and  Elizabeth  (Wey)  Bain  were  natives  of  Scotland  and  Eng- 
land, respectively,  the  former  having  been  born  near  Edinburgh,  and  the  lat- 
ter having  been  born  in  Lincolnshire.  Mrs.  Bain  was  nine  years  old  when 
she  was  brought  to  the  United  States  by  her  parents.  Her  husband  was  six- 
teen years  old  at  the  time  he  came  to  America.  Although  he  came  alone,  he 
had  grandparents  living  in  New  York  state.  Eventually,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bain 
came  west,  locating  near  Genoa  on  the  Pawnee  reservation  in  Cass  county, 
Nebraska,  in  1879.  After  living  here  only  six  or  eight  months,  and  after  the 
destruction  of  their  crops,  they  moved  to  Audubon  county,  where  they  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land  in  Audubon  township.  Later  they  purchased  two 
hundred  acres  more  and  here  they  lived  until  1909,  when  they  retired  and 
moved  to  Menlo,  Iowa. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parkinson  have  been  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  as 
follow:  Edna,  born  on  June  30,  1888,  married  Clarence  Johnson,  and  they 
have  two  children,  Lucy  and  Grace;  George,  Eebruary  26,  1890;  Roy,  January 
5,  1892:  Bert,  January  23.  1894;  Anna,  March  4,  1896;  Grace,  June  13,  1898; 
Paul,  June  24,  1900;  Clara,  October  17,  1902:  Mildred,  December  6.  1904; 
Rachel,  May  11.  1906;  Robert.  July  24,  1909.  and  Philip.  December  12.  191 1. 
Philip,  by  the  way.  who  was  the  twelfth  child,  was  born  on  the  twelfth  day 
of  the  twelfth  month  of  the  year. 

Mr.  Parkinson  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He 
feeds  about  seventy-five  head  of  cattle  every  year  and  about  a  hundred  head 
of  hogs.  He  is  comfortably  situated  and  has  been  able  to  make  farming  pay 
him  handsome  returns.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  the  only  office  he  has  ever 
held  is  that  of  school  director.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K'nights  of  Pythias 
lodge  at  Adair.  ]\[r.  Parkinson's  parents  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  Mrs.  Parkinson's  parents  were  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian church.  They,  however,  do  not  belong  to  any  church,  but  they  are  active 
in  the  work  of  the  Oak  Ridge  Sunday  school,  of  Audubon  township. 


622  AUDUBOX    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

By  his  enterprising  methods  as  a  farmer,  his  fair  and  square  deahngs 
with  all  his  relations  with  his  neighbors,  Mr.  Parkinson  has  won  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  the  people  of  Audubon  township,  most  of  whom  he  knows  per- 
sonally, and  most  of  whom  he  can  count  as  his  friends.  He  is  a  man  of 
strictly  moral  habits,  devoted  to  his  home,  his  family  and  to  his  farm. 


GEORGE  M.  VANAERNAM. 

George  Vanaernam,  an  old-time  citizen  of  Audubon  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  and  one  of  the  prominent  farmers  of  this  section  was  born  on 
]March  25,  i8'46,  in  Lewis  county,  Xew  York,  the  son  of  Anthony  and  Susan 
(Wardwell)  Vanaernam,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  state,  the  father  in 
Herkimer  county,  and  the  mother  in  Lewis  county.  Anthony  Vanaernam's 
father  was  a  native  of  Germany.  In  1855  the  Vanaernam  family  moved  to 
Hancock  county,  Illinois,  where  they  lived  and  died. 

In  August,  1 86 1,  Anthony  Vanaernam  enlisted  in  the  First  Iowa  Cavalry, 
and  served  mostly  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  in  the  guerilla  warfare  of  that 
section.  In  one  of  the  battles  he  was  shot  through  the  arm  and  subsequently 
was  discharged  for  disability  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  of  1863.  Anthony 
and  Susan  (Wardwell)  Vanaernam  never  came  to  Audubon  county.  "\\'hen 
George  M.  arrived  in  Audubon  county  he  purchased  a  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  which  was  entirely  unimproved,  and  this  made  it  necessary  for 
him  to  build  a  shanty  at  once.  The  cattle  and  other  stock  roamed  at  large 
over  the  prairie.  After  many  vicissitudes  and  many  trials,  i\Ir.  and  ]\Irs. 
Vanaernam  became  the  owners  of  two  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  land. 

George  ]\I.  Vanaernam  was  married  on  October  12,  1868,  in  Hancock 
countv,  Illinois,  to  ]\Iary  Baker,  who  was  born  in  Des  Moines  county,  Iowa, 
and  who  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  Baker,  natives  of  Westfall,  Ger- 
many, who  were  married  in  that  country  and  who  qame  to  the  United  States 
about  1848.  Thev  settled  in  Missouri  after  coming  to  this  country  and  in 
1 85 1  removed  to  Des  Moines  county,  Iowa.  Later  they  moved  to  Henderson 
coimty,  Illinois,  and  still  later  to  Hancock  county.  Illinois,  coming  to  Audubon 
countv,  Iowa,  in  1869.  arriving  here  on  November  8  of  that  year. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vanaernam  had  three  children,  only  two  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing; Charles,  born  on  March  24.  1870.  died  when  nine  years  old  of  pneu- 
monia: Edward.  March  29.  1877.  married  Louisa  Bauers,  and  they  have  one 
child;  Clara.  September  21,  1888,  married  Chris  Reisegard. 


AUDUBOX    COUNTY,    IOWA.  623 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Vanaernam  has  never  been  active  and  has 
never  been  a  candidate  for  office.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock 
raising. 

Among  the  first  families  to  settle  in  Audubon  township,  the  Vanaernams 
have  long  been  conspicuous  in  the  agricultural  life  of  this  community.  Mr. 
Vanaernam  has  been  an  upright  citizen  and  an  honorable  man,  and  enjoys  in 
a  large  measure  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all  the  people  with  whom  he  has 
come  in  contact.  He  is  a  worthy  citizen  of  this  county  and  has  done  much 
to  promote  its  growth  and  prosperity. 


HANS  NELSEX. 


Hans  Xelsen,  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Douglas  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  who  owns  a  highly  productive  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  this 
township,  was  born  in  Denmark,  February  lo,  1850,  the  son  of  Nels  and 
Carstin  (Mathsen)  Nelsen,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  farmer  and  who 
owned  about  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Denmark.  Neither  the  father  nor  the 
mother  ever  came  to  this  country.  Of  their  six  children,  three  are  living  in 
America,  two  in  Denmark  and  one  died  in  the  native  land.  Mr.  Nelsen  has 
one  brother  living  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  and  another  living  in  Minnesota. 

Hans  Nelsen  quit  school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  and  worked  on  the 
farm  for  his  father  until  he  reached  his  majority.  Upon  coming  of  age,  he 
joined  the  army  and  served  the  period  of  his  enlistment,  after  which  he  came 
to  America.  At  this  time  he  was  thirty-four  years  of  age.  Coming  to  this 
country  on  a  German  ship  and  landing  in  New  York  City,  he  came  from  New 
York  to  Iowa,  and  settled  in  Shelby  county,  where  he  worked  as  a  ditcher  for 
about  two  years.  Mr.  Nelsen  then  rented  a  farm  in  Shelby  county,  consist- 
ing of  forty  acres,  and  farmed  until  1894,  when  he  came  to  Audubon  county, 
at  which  time  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  22,  of  Douglas 
township,  and  here  he  still  lives.  His  principal  crops  are  corn  and  small 
grain.  He  feeds  almost  all  the  grain  he  raises  to  his  stock,  and  markets  about 
thirty-five  head  of  hogs  every  year.  He  has  invested  about  four  thousand 
dollars  in  various  kinds  of  improvements  on  the  farm. 

Mr.  Nelsen  was  married  on  November  13,  1878.  to  Bodel  Marie  Mathi- 
sen,  a  native  of  Denmark.    No  children  have  been  born  to  this  marriage. 

Hans  Nelsen  is  a  well-known  citizen  of  this  township  and  a  devoted 


624  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church.  For  a  number  of  years  he  served 
as  a  janitor  of  the  church.  In  politics  he  is  identified  with  the  RepubHcan 
party. 


W.  W.  WESTON. 


Among  the  strong  and  influential  citizens  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  the 
records  of  whose  lives  have  become  an  essential  part  of  the  history  of  this 
section,  W.  \A\  AVeston,  a  retired  farmer  of  Audubon,  Iowa,  and  proprietor 
of  the  "Hillside  Stock  Farm"  under  the  firm  name  of  \Y.  W.  Weston  & 
Sons,  breeders  of  Clydesdale  horses  and  big  type  Poland  China  hogs,  occu- 
pies a  prominent  place.  For  many  years,  he  has  exerted  a  beneficial  influence 
on  the  locality  where  he  resides.  His  chief  characteristics  are  keenness  of 
,  jDcrception,  a  tireless  energy,  honesty  of  purpose  and  motive  and  e very-day 
common  sense,  which  have  enabled  him  not  only  to  advance  his  interests  but 
also  to  largely  contribute  to  the  moral  and  material  advancement  of  the  com- 
munity. 

W.  W.  Weston  was  born  on  April  11,  1853,  in  Iowa  county,  Wisconsin. 
He  is  the  son  of  Charles  S.  and  Hannah  (Avenell))  Weston,  natives  of  Eng- 
land, both  of  whom  came  to  America  with  their  parents  and  who  were  mar- 
ried at  Linden,  Iowa  county,  Wisconsin.  Charles  S.  Weston  died  in  1906 
and  his  wife  is  still  living  in  Dodgeville.  Wisconsin.  W.  \\'.  Weston  is  one 
of  seven  children  bcjrn  to  his  parents. 

\y.  W.  Weston  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Wisconsin.  In 
1877  he  came  to  Audubon  county  and  first  located  in  Viola  township.  He 
purchased  his  first  land  in  1880  and  soon  afterwards  married.  He  improved 
the  farm  which  consisted  largely  of  prairie  land.  ]\Ir.  Weston  bought  one 
hundred  acres  at  nine  dollars  an  acre.  He  added  to  this  farm  until  he  has 
two  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  He  began  lireeding  Clydesdale  horses  in 
1900  and  has  been  very  successful,  and  now  has  twenty  head  of  these  useful 
animals.  "Dorothy  Vernon,"  which  Mr.  Weston's  son,  A.  W..  owns,  is  the 
champion  of  the  state,  having  been  awarded  first  premium  at  the  Des  Moines 
state  fair  in  1910.  He  took  second,  third  and  sixth  in  Futurity  class  in  19 13. 
He  has  taken  sweepstakes  on  stallions  and  fillies  over  all  breeds  in  the  county 
fair  during  1913  and  1914.  Mr.  W^eston  and  sons  raise  Poland  China  hogs. 
He  began  in  191 4  and  now  has  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  head  of  thorough- 
breds. 

W.  W.   Weston  was  first  married  on  October   13.   1880,  to  Josephine 


W.  W.  WESTON 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  625 

Beason,  a  native  of  Illinois,  who  came  to  Audubon  county  with  her  parents. 
She  was  born  in  1856  and  died  in  February,  1907.  By  this  marriage  eleven 
children  were  born,  Nellie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen;  Edith,  who  mar- 
ried Rev.  N.  J.  Weiland,  of  Lansing,  Iowa,  who  is  a  minister  in  the  Evangel- 
ical church;  Mae,  who  is  the  wife  of  Oscar  O.  J.  Finch,  of  Goshen,  Utah; 
Minnie  K.,  the  wife  of  Coyle  C.  Edwards,  of  Lake  City,  California;  Albert 
W.,  who  lives  on  the  home  farm;  Charles,  deceased;  Frank,  who  lives  on  the 
home  farm;  Nina  R.,  the  wife  of  Felix  Patetield,  of  Fenwood,  Wisconsin; 
Louis,  who  lives  on  the  home  farm;  Fred,  deceased;  and  Margaret  L.,  who 
is  at  home. 

Mr.  Weston  was  married  the  second  time,  on  July  28,  1909,  to  Ella  F. 
Fowler,  the  daughter  of  Caleb  and  Harriet  Fowler,  natives  of  New  York, 
They  settled  in  Illinois  and  are  now  both  deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weston  and  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  and  active  in  the  affairs  of  this  denomination.  Mr.  Weston  is 
a  Republican  and  has  held  various  township  offices  and  has  filled  all  of  them 
with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  people  who  elected  him.  He  is  a  well- 
known  citizen,  a  successful  farmer  and  stock  breeder  and  possesses  to  an 
unaccustomed  degree  the  confidence  of  his  neighbors  and  friends. 


FRANK  DAVIS. 


Frank  Davis,  the  owner  of  a  rich  and  well-tilled  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  in  Audubon  township,  which  he  purchased  mostly  in  1906 
and  for  which  he  paid  sixty  dollars  an  acre,  was  born  on  March  31,  1870,  in 
Henry  county,  Illinois,  the  son  of  William  E.  and  Martha  (Davis)  Davis,' 
both  natives  of  Wales.  The  former  came  to  America  with  his  parents,  David 
and  Lucy  Davis,  when  five  years  old.  David  and  Lucy  Davis  first  settled  in 
Pennsylvania  near  Minersville,  where  they  lived  for  several  years  and  where 
he  was  a  coal  miner  for  more  than  forty  years.  He  followed  his  occupation, 
however,  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  The  father  of  Frank  Davis  was 
married  twice  as  was  his  mother  also.  Each  had  one  child  by  their  former 
marriages.  David,  the  father's  son  by  his  first  wife,  lives  near  St.  Louis,  and 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hill,  the  mother's  child  by  her  first  husband,  lives  near  Exira. 
Frank  Davis  was  one  of  four  children,  three  of  whom,  William,  Frank  and 
Mrs.  Leona  Cline,  are  living  in  Audubon  county.  The  other  child  is  deceased. 
(40) 


626  AUDUBON    COUNTYj    IOWA. 

About  1879,  the  family  came  to  Audubon  county  and  purchased  land 
from  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  Company,  paying  five  dollars  an  acre  for  the 
first  eighty-acre  tract.  This  farm  was  subsequently  increased  and  as  new 
land  was  added  the  price  per  acre  increased,  sixty-five  dollars  an  acre,  having 
been  paid  for  the  last  purchase. 

Frank  Davis  lived  at  home  until  about  twenty-one  years  old  and  after 
leaving  school  rented  land  from  his  father  for  ten  years.  He  had  meager 
opportunities  for  an  education  and  had  been  permitted  to  attend  school  but 
very  little.  In  1898  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  just  north  of  Exira, 
paying  thirty  dollars  an  acre  for  it  and  after  owning  it  for  a  few  years  he 
sold  it  for  seventy-five  dollars  an  acre.  In  September,  1906,  he  purchased 
two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  sections  23  and  24,  of  Audubon  township  and 
paid  sixty  dollars  an  acre  for  this  tract.  Mr.  Davis  has  built  practically  all  of 
the  buildings  now  standing  on  the  farm  and  erected  practically  all  of  the 
fences.  Approximately  seven  thousand  dollars  has  been  invested  in  improve- 
ments. It  is  one  of  the  best  farms  in  Audubon  township.  Since  1906  Mr. 
Davis  has  added  eighty  acres  more  to  the  farm  and  now  owns  two  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  in  all. 

When  twenty-three  years  old,  on  June  11,  1893,  Mr.  Davis  was  mar- 
ried in  Audubon  county  to  Jennie  Struthers,  the  daughter  of  James  and  Lucy 
Struthers,  the  former  of  whom  died  when  Mrs.  Davis  was  a  small  girl.  After 
her  father's  death,  she  lived  with  her  uncle,  Enos  Struthers. 

One  child  born  to  this  union  died  in  infancy  and  after  the  death  of  the 
mother,  on  October  9,  1894,  Mr.  Davis  was  married,  secondly,  on  April  26, 
1899,  to  Eva  Kritch,  who  was  born  in  Pulaski  county,  Indiana,  and  who  is  the 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Nancy  (Nichols)  Kritch,  natives  of  Germany  and 
Indiana  respectively.  Both  are  now  living  in  Indiana,  where  they  are  farm- 
ers. Of  their  four  children,  only  two,  Henry  and  Mrs.  Davis,  are  now  living. 
By  his  second  marriage,  Mr.  Davis  has  had  five  children,  four  of  whom  are 
living:  Martha,  born  on  September  10,  1900;  Bennie,  December  8,  1903, 
died  January  25,  19x4;  Dannie,  November  4,  1905 ;  William,  March  29,  1906; 
and  Edith,' July  20,  1909.  All  of  these  children  live  at  home  with  their  par- 
ents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  have  a  delightful  family  and  they  are  not  only  intel- 
ligent farmers  but  highly  esteemed  citizens  of  this  community.  The  Davis 
family  is  very  popular  in  Audubon  township. 

Although  Mr.  Davis  is  identified  nominally  with  the  Republican  party, 
he  is  not  what  may  be  called  a  hide-bound  partisan,  but  votes  for  men  and 
measures  rather  than  for  parties  and  party  emblems.     He  has  never  held  any 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  627 

political  office.     The  Davis  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church  at 
Adair. 

Not  only  has  Frank  Davis  been  a  successful  farmer,  but  he  has  taken  a 
most  commendable  interest  in  public  affairs  in  Audubon  township  and,  having 
inherited  capacity  for  leadership  from  his  father,  and  cultivated  it  in  relation 
with  his  neighbors,  he  is  today  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the 
township. 


C.  J.  GRANT. 


C.  J.  Grant,  who  came  to  America  when  a  lad  of  twelve  years  with  his 
grandparents,  and  who  is  now  the  proud  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  Audubon  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  was  born  October,  15,  1856, 
in  Holstein,  Germany,  the  son  of  Glaus  and  Margaretha  ( Dalmyer)  Grant, 
also  natives  of  Holstein,  where  the  former  was  a  day  laborer.  They  had  four 
children,  John,  C.  J.,  Marguerite  and  Anna. 

C.  J-  Grant  attended  school  in  Holstein,  Germany,  until  eleven  years  old, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1868,  at  the  age  of  eleven  he  came  to  the  United  States 
with  his  grandparents,  Jacob  and  Lena  (Warner)  Dalmeyer,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  having  made  his  home  with  his  grandparents  from  the  time  he 
was  a  small  child.  They  landed  at  New  York  City,  and  came  direct  to  Iowa, 
locating  in  Jackson  county,  where  they  lived  for  eleven  years,  until  C.  J.  was 
twenty-two  years  old,  when  he  left  his  grandparents  and  began  life  for  him- 
self. Going  to  Clinton  county,  Iowa,  he  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  for 
some  two  years,  and  then  went  to  Henry  county,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  at 
farm  work  for  a  year  From  Henry  county  he  came  to  Audubon  county, 
where  shortly  afterwards  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  and  where  he  now 
lives  in  section  2,  Audubon  township.  The  land  had  practically  no  improve- 
ments at  that  time,  only  a  small  part  of  the  land  having  been  broken.  Mr. 
Grant  built  a  house,  sixteen  by  twenty-four  feet  and  lived  in  this  for  several 
years.  He  now,  however,  has  a  comfortable  home  of  five  rooms.  He  has 
a  substantial  barn,  cribs  and  other  buildings  in  keeping  with  the  surroundings. 
In  the  meantime,  however,  he  has  added  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  more 
to  the  farm.  The  last  farm  already  had  a  splendid  group  of  buildings.  Mr. 
Grant  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  feeds  on  an  aver- 
age of  sixty  head  of  hogs  and  several  head  of  cattle  every  year. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Grant  has  never  held  office,  nor  has  he  ever 
been  a  candidate  for  office.     When  a  lad,  living  in  the  city  of  Cennhysen, 


628  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Holstein,  Germany,  he  was  baptised  in  the  Lutheran  church  and  still  holds 
to  that  faith. 

Mr.  Grant  has  never  married.  He  takes  a  worthy  interest  in  public 
questions,  and  is  considered  a  man  of  a  rather  wide  fund  of  information. 
However,  he  has  always  been  interested  in  his  farm,  and  having  a  natural  lik- 
ing for  agriculture  has  made  satisfactory  progress  in  his  chosen  vocation. 
He  well  deserves  the  confidence  and  esteem  bestowed  upon  him  by  his  neigh- 
bors and  by  all  of  the  citizens  of  Audubon  township. 


JENS  C.  ANDERSEN. 


The  road  to  success  is  for  most  of  us  long,  steep  and  rocky.  There  are 
many  little  by-paths  which  seem  so  much  easier  to  climb,  and  so  much  more 
alluring  that  it  is  difficult  for  all  but  the  most  resolute  to  continue  to  th(e 
end.  It  requires  skill,  constant  labor,  personal  sacrifice  and  steadfastness  of 
purpose  for  the  average  person  to  succeed,  and  at  best,  the  attainment  of 
prosperity,  when  accomplished  by  our  own  unaided  efforts,  is  not  easy.  What 
shall  we  say,  then,  of  a  man  who  has  left  his  home,  his  country  and  his  parents 
to  come  to  a  foreign  land,  and  has  carved  out  of  this  new,  untried  environ- 
ment, home,  happiness,  and  that  much  coveted  thing  we  call  success?  This 
has  been  the  achievement  of  Jens  C.  Andersen,  whose  life  history  we  are  to 
consider. 

Jens  C.  Anderson,  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  Leroy  township,  Audu- 
bon county,  Iowa,  was  borh  on  July  26,  1855,  in  Sailing,  Denmark. 

His  father,  Andrus  Andersen,  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade.  He  and  his 
wife,  who  was  Dorathea  Christensen,  spent  all  of  their  lives  in  the  country 
which  was  the  birthplace  of  their  children.  They  were  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church.  Their  eldest  daughter,  Christina,  who  is  now  dead,  and 
whose  given  name  w^as  Mattie,  married  Chris  Jensen  of  Sharon  township, 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  the  children  born  of  this  marriage  were  Nels, 
Carl,  Olga,  Hulga,  Maria,  Oscar  and  Alfred.  The  second  child  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Andersen  was  Jens  C,  the  subject  of  this  biography.  Later  came  a 
sister  whose  name  was  Elsie,  and  two  brothers,  Chris,  a  farmer  living  east 
of  this  county,  and  Nels,  also  a  farmer  whose  home  is  in  Northern  Canada. 

The  childhood  of  Jens  C.  Andersen  was  spent  in  Denmark,  and  there  it 
was  that  he  attended  school.  In  the  home  of  a  blacksmith  where  there  were 
five  children  to  be  cared  for  and  educated,  life  became  more  or  less  of  a 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  629 

struggle  against  conditions,  and  it  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  at  the  age 
of  twenty-six,  the  young  man,  Jens,  should  decide  to  seek  his  fortune  in 
newer  fields.  It  was  in  1881  that  he  severed  home  ties,  bade  farewell  to  his 
parents  and  sailed  for  America.  Coming  West,  he  first  located  at  Kimball- 
ton,  Iowa,  where,  for  a  brief  time,  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  then  worked 
on  the  North  Western  and  St.  Paul  railroads,  which  enabled  him  to  save 
enough  money  to  buy  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  township.  When  this 
purchase  was  made,  the  land  was  wild,  but  the  young  man  went  to  work  with 
a  will,  and  cleared  and  cultivated  the  entire  tract. 

Maria  Karen  Jensen  became  the  wife  of  this  young  pioneer  on  July  6, 
1889,  and  for  nine  years,  they  continued  to  live  in  this  township.  Mrs. 
Andersen,  who  was  born  in  Logstor,  Denm.ark,  August  28,  1863,  was  the 
daughter  of  Hans  Peter,  and  Karen  (Madsatter)  Jensen  who  lived  and  died 
in  that  country.  The  father  was  a  farmer.  The  brothers  and  sisters  of 
Mrs.  Andersen  were  as  follow :  Jens,  who  lives  in  Denmark ;  Johann,  who 
came  to  this  county,  in  which  he  still  lives;  Regborg,  living  in  Denmark; 
Johannah,  who  married  Peter  Rasmussen  of  this  county;  Hilga,  of  Denmark; 
Dagmar  who  became  the  wife  of  Jens  Petersen,  merchant  and  blacksmith  of 
Sharon  township. 

After  moving  from  Sharon  township  to  Elkhorn,  Iowa,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Andersen  lived  in  the  latter  place  until  1890,  when  they  returned  to  their 
farm  in  Sharon  township  where  they  lived  for  six  years.  In  1906,  they 
moved  to  their  present  farm  in  Leroy  township.  He  at  once  set  to  work  to 
remodel  the  house  and  barn,  and  to  improve  the  land.  His  possessions  now 
consist  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  improved  land  comprising  the  tract 
on  which  he  lives,  and  also  a  similar  number  of  acres  in  Sharon  township. 
Eighty-five  acres  are  planted  in  corn  at  the  home  place,  the  average  yield  being 
forty-five  bushels  to  the  acre.  Besides  giving  his  attention  to  agriculture,  Mr. 
Andersen  raises  mixed  cattle,  draft  horses,  and  Duroc-Jersey  hogs. 

Another  business  enterprise  in  which  Mr.  Andersen  has  been  interested 
is  the  Sharon  creamery  which  he  helped  to  organize,  and  of  which  he  has  been 
the  treasurer  for  the  past  seven  years. 

Eight  children  have  made  the  home  life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andersen  happy. 
Carrie,  the  eldest  daughter,  died  in  1890,  at  the  age  of  five  months.  Hans, 
who  is  a  farmer  in  Sharon  township,  married  Matilda  Steffensen,  and  their 
only  child  is  a  daughter  named  Irma.  The  third  child  of  the  family  is  Carrie, 
the  wife  of  Peter  H.  Smith,  a  farmer  of  Leroy  township.  Dagmar  lives  at 
home.  Olga  is  deceased.  The  three  youngest  children,  Samuel,  Dorcas  and 
Theodore  are  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 


630  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andersen  have  always  made  their  influence  felt  as  church 
workers,  being  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Andersen  was 
for  some  time  president  and  secretary  of  the  Batavia  church  at  Kimballton, 
and  was  president  of  the  Sunday  school  of  the  church  at  Audubon,  Iowa. 
He  is  now  president  of  the  church  at  Audubon,  Iowa.  Mrs.  Andersen  is  a 
leader  among  women  church  workers,  and  has  been  president  of  the  Ladies' 
Aid  Society  for  the  past  seven  years. 

Their  prominence  and  popularity  in  the  neighborhood  in  which  they  live 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  on  July  6,  19 14,  when  they  held  their  marrialge 
anniversary,  having  been  married  twenty-five  years,  there  were  between  two 
and  three  hundred  friends  and  relatives  in  attendance. 

Mr.  Andersen's  political  convictions  are  expressed  by  the  platform  of 
the  Republican  party. 

The  lives  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andersen  have  been  lives  of  usefulness  and 
service.  While  deeply  interested  in  the  rearing  and  education  of  their  chil- 
dren, who  occupy  prominent  places  in  the  communities  in  which  they  live,  the 
parents  have  found  time  to  engage  in  social  and  church  activities,  and  have 
given  of  their  time  and  means  to  the  causes  which  make  for  better  and  good 
citizenship.  Willing  to  begin  life  in  a  small  way.  and  to  work  and  trust  for 
results  which  must  inevitably  reward  industry,  these  people  have  become  well- 
known  in  their  county.  Few  men  in  Audubon  county  are  more  prominent 
or  more  admired  than  Jens  C.  Andersen. 


CHARLEY  O.  HUNT. 


Of  the  well-known  citizens  of  Exira,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  mention 
should  be  made  of  Charley  O.  Hunt,  who,  during  his  life  in  Audubon  county, 
has  engaged  in  many  lines  of  business.  Born  on  October  26,  1876,  in  Exira, 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  he  is  the  son  of  Isaiah  and  Mary  E.  (Cloud)  Hunt, 
natives  of  Milton,  Pennsylvania,  and  Delaware  county,  Iowa,  respectively. 
During  the  first  two  years  of  the  father's  residence  in  Audubon  county,  he 
rented  land  in  section  36,  of  Hamlin  township,  and  then  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  section  4.  of  Greeley  township,  but  never  lived  on  the  farm. 
In  the  meantime,  he  purchased  forty  acres  near  Exira  and  a  few  years  later 
sold  the  eighty-acre  farm.  He  has  followed  farming  all  of  his  life  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  years,  during  which  he  was  engaged  in  the  butcher  busi- 
ness in  Exira.     Isaiah  and  Mary  E.  Hunt  have  had  four  children,  of  whom 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  63 1 

Charley  O.  is  the  eldest.  The  others  are  George  W.,  Lawrence  W.  and  Mrs. 
Lillian  AL  Gilbert. 

After  completing  his  education  in  the  common  and  high  schools  of  Audu- 
bon county,  Mr.  Hunt  farmed  for  his  father  for  a  time  and  later  for  himself. 
Subsequently,  he  engaged  in  the  implement  business  for  one  year,  purchasing 
the  stock  of  John  Peters  at  Exira  and  after  this  he  returned  to  the  farm. 
About  this  time  he  was  married.  After  farming  for  one  year,  he  sold  out 
and  moved  to  Converse  county,  Wyoming,  where  he  took  a  homestead  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres.  After  living  on  this  homestead  for  eight  months, 
he  relinquished  it  to  his  brother,  Lawrence,  and  then  began  working  for  the 
Fremont  &  Elkhom  railroad  in  the  town  of  Lusk.  After  one  year,  he 
obtained  work  at  Alliance,  Nebraska,  with  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Ouincy 
railroad,  working  in  the  round  house  and  machine  shop  and  remaining  with 
this  company  for  two  years.  Air.  Hunt  then  came  back  to  his  father's  farm, 
his  father  having  been,  in  the  meantime,  seriously  injured.  The  next  sum- 
mer he  worked  for  Hansen  &  Petersen  in  the  implement  business  at  Exira 
and  in  1902  moved  to  Valley  Junction,  where  he  worked  as  a  trainman  for 
the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroad  until  March  22,  1905,  when  he 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  an  arm,  an  accident  caused  by  defective  bumpers 
and  occasioned  by  coupling  a  train  at  Alenlo,  Iowa.  About  the  first  of  July 
following,  he  returned  to  Exira,  where  he  lived  for  about  one  year,  conduct- 
ing a  restaurant  and  lunch  counter,  returning  to  his  father's  farm  for  the  sum- 
mer. In  the  spring  of  1908,  Mr.  Hunt  opened  a  billiard  and  pool  room, 
which  he  owned  up  to  the  fall  of  1914  when  he  sold  a  half  interest  to  his 
brother,  George,  and  took  a  position  with  H.  P.  Hansen  in  the  garage  as 
bookkeeper  and  collector. 

Mr.  Hunt  was  first  married  to  Jessamine  Andrews,  a  native  of  Audubon 
county.  On  February  9,  1907,  Mr.  Hunt  was  married  to  Grayce  Campbell, 
a  native  of  Exira,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  the  daughter  of  Silas  A.  Camp- 
bell, who  was  a  native  of  Wisconsin  and  his  wife  a  native  of  Illinois.  He 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  Air.  Hunt  has  served  as  township  committeeman 
of  the  Democratic  party  for  a  number  of  years  and  in  this  capacity  has 
attended  state,  district  and  county  conventions  in  the  interest  of  his  party. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  and  the  Pythian  Sisters,  in  the  latter  of  which  Mrs.  Hunt  is  also  a  mem- 
.  ber.     She  is  also  a  faithful  and  devoted  member  of  the  Christian  church. 


632  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

JOHN  I.  HENSLEY. 

The  biographies  of  enterprising  men,  especially  of  good  men,  are  instruc- 
tive as  guides  and  incentives  to  others.  The  examples  they  furnish  of  patient 
purpose  and  steadfast  integrity  strongly  illustrate  what  it  is  in  the  power  of 
each  to  accomplish.  Some  men  belong  to  no  exclusive  class  in  life.  Appar- 
ently insurmountable  obstacles  have  in  many  instances  awakened  their  dor- 
mant faculties  and  served  as  a  stimulant  to  carry  them  to  ultimate  renown. 
The  instances  of  success  in  the  face  of  adverse  fate  would  seem  almost  to 
justify  the  conclusion  that  self-reliance  with  a  half  a  chance,  can  accomplish 
any  reasonable  object.  John  I.  Hensley,  a  prominent  farmer  and  stockman 
of  Exira,  Iowa,  has  lived  to  good  purpose  and  achieved  a  splendid  success, 
and  by  a  straightforward  and  commendable  course,  he  has  made  his  way  to  a 
respectable  position  in  the  world,  winning  the  hearty  admiration  of  the  people 
of  his  community,  and  earning  the  reputation  of  being  an  enterprising  and 
progressive  man  of  affairs. 

John  I.  Hensley,  farmer  and  stockman  of  Exira,  Iowa,  was  born  in  Polk 
county,  Iowa,  March  6,  1862.  He  is  a  son  of  John  J.  and  Martha  (Polkjoy) 
Hensley,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio,  who  grew  to  manhood  in  the  Buckeye 
state  and  was  there  married.  After  his  marriage  John  J.  Hensley  removed 
to  Polk  county,  Iowa,  where  he  and  his  wife  lived  for  many  years.  His  wife 
died  when  her  son.  John  I.,  was  a  small  child.  John  J.  Hensley  was  a  farmer 
and  stock  bu3'er,  and  in  1870  moved  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  farm,  on  which  lie  lived  until  his  death  in  1892.  His  farm  com- 
prised two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  this  county.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  Roy,  William,  Morgan,  May,  Dora, 
Fanny,  Frank,  Alonzo,  John  I..  Charles,  Inez,  all  of  whom  are  deceased  with 
the  exception  of  Morgan,  Frank.  Charles  and  John  I. 

John  I.  Hensley  was  reared  in  Exira  township,  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Exira,  which  offered  very  meager  opportunities 
during  his  youth.  After  leaving  school  he  began  buying  stock,  and  also 
operated  a  butcher  shop  for  three  years,  after  which  he  removed  to  the  farm, 
where  he  rented  land  for  three  years.  He  sold  out  subsequently  and  began 
buying  stock  again,  and  he  has  been  engaged  in  this  business  for  thirty-five 
years.  In  the  meantime  he  has  purchased  seven  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
land,  five  hundred  of  which  is  located  in  Audubon  county,  and  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  in  Cass  county,  Iowa.  Mr.  Hensley  feeds  out  about  twenty  car- 
loads of  hogs  and  cattle  each  year.     He  buys  from  fifteen  thousand  to  twenty 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  633 

thousand  bushels  of  corn  each  year  and  raises  from  three  thousand  to  ten 
thousand  bushels  on  his  own  land.  He  buys  from  three  hundred  to  five  hun- 
dred carloads  of  cattle  and  hogs  each  year. 

John  I.  Hensley  was  married  on  March  12,  1884,  to  Flora  Belle  Statzell, 
the  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Abigail  (Griggs)  Statzell,  and  to  this  union  ten 
children  have  been  born :  Gerald,  Grace,  Luther,  Dena,  Norman,  Roy,  May, 
Pauline,  Robert  and  Benjamin,  all  of  whom  are  living  with  the  exception  of 
Robert.  Grace  is  the  wife  of  Fred  Wilkins.  Luther  married  Muriel  Koob, 
and  they  have  one.  child,  Naomi.  The  rest  of  the  children  are  unmarried  and 
living  at  home. 

John  L  Hensley  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  for  seventeen 
years,  and  is  still  serving  in  that  capacity.  At  one  time  he  served  as  council- 
man of  Exira.  In  politics,  he  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  but  his 
private  and  personal  affairs  are  too  vast  to  permit  a  very  active  and  extensive 
participation  in  politics.  John  I.  Hensley  is  one  of  the  best-known  citizens 
of  Audubon  county. 


JURGEN  WAHLERT. 


Jurgen  Wahlert  is  a  retired  farmer  of  Exira,  Iowa,  who  owns  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Greeley  township.  Like  so  many  residents 
of  Audubon  county,  Mr.  Wahlert  is  a  native-born  German,  who  was  inspired 
by  the  opportunities  offered  to  the  young  man  in  America  and  who  left  his 
home  and  native  land  to  cast  his  fortune  with  the  people  of  a  comparatively 
new  country.  Mr.  Wahlert  is  one  of  those  men — and  there  are  many  of 
them  living  in  Audubon  county — who  has  profited  by  the  nominal  rise  in  value 
of  farm  real  estate  within  the  past  twenty  years.  Mr.  Wahlert  purchased 
his  land  for  an  inconsiderable  sum  compared  with  its  present  value. 

Jurgen  Wahlert  was  born  in  Holstein,  Germany,  December  3,  1842. 
His  parents  were  John  and  Elizabeth  (Storman)  Wahlert,  both  natives  of 
Germany.  John  Wahlert  was  a  laborer  and  farm  hand.  He  came  to  America 
in  1885,  many  years  after  his  son,  Jurgen,  had  established  a  home  in  this 
country.  He  located  in  Illinois  and  after  remaining  there  for  a  short  time, 
came  to  Audubon  county,  where  he  lived  retired  with  his  children.  He  and 
his  wife  had  nine  children,  Fred,  Jurgen,  Tenia,  deceased;  John,  deceased; 
Jacob,  Katherine,  Margaret,  Edward  and  August. 

lurgen  Wahlert  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land  and  after 
leaving  school,  he  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  by  the  month.     At  the  age  of 


634  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

twenty-four  years,  he  came  to  America,  arriving  in  this  country.  May  28, 
1866.  Mr.  Wahlert  first  located  at  MoHne,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  mostly 
as  a  laborer  in  a  saw-mill  and  in  the  lumber  yards  of  that  city.  Several  years 
later  he  purchased  a  team,  rented  a  farm  and  farmed  near  Moline  for  ten 
years.  In  1881  he  came  to  Audubon  county  and  purchased  a  farm.  He  now 
owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  which  he  purchased  from  the  Rock 
Island  Railroad  Company  for  seven  dollars  an  acre.  The  land  is  many  times 
as  valuable  at  the  present  time.  Mr.  Wahlert  broke  the  sod  and  built  a  small 
house  and  barn  and  engaged  in  general  farming.  During  the  period  of  his 
active  career  as  a  farmer,  he  fed  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  head  of  hogs  and 
sold  about  two  carloads  of  cattle.  At  one  time  he  owned  four  hundred  acres 
of  land.  Mr.  Wahlert  last  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  1894 
for  eighteen  dollars  an  acre.  In  19 12  he  sold  this  same  farm  for  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  dollars  an  acre.  Mr.  Wahlert  farmed  practically  until 
1898  when  he  moved  to  Exira,  and  since  that  date  he  has  lived  retired. 

Jurgen  Wahlert  was  married  on  April  16,  1865,  in  Germany  to  Lena 
Dolmeier,  the  daughter  of  Jacob  Dolmeier.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wahlert  have  had 
nine  children,  John,  Bertha,  Fred,  August,  William,  George,  Edward,  Minnie 
and  Gustave.  John  married  Ida  Frost  and  has  five  children,  Herbert,  Myrtle, 
Ralph,  George  and  Emma.  Bertha  married  Edward  Heckwell  and  has  four 
children,  Lena,  George.  John  and  Edward.  Fred  married  i\Iaude  Highby  and 
has  three  children  by  this  marriage,  Arthur,  Lena  and  Irene.  His  wife  died 
and  he  later  married  Edna  West  and  one  child  has  been  born  to  this  mar- 
riage, Lucille.  August  married  Anna  Slater  and  has  four  children,  Clyde, 
Floyd,  Milo  and  Nettie.  William  married  Minnie  Minnerman  and  has  four 
children,  Harold,  Lyman,  Ruth  and  Hazel.  George  married  Mamie  Hensley 
but  she  died  and  he  later  married  Minnie  Gripp.  Two  children  have  been 
born  to  this  marriage,  James  Henry  and  Marion.  Edward  married  Anna 
Baylor  and  they  have  no  children.  Minnie  is  single  and  at  home.  Gustave 
married  Ina  Hensley  and  has  three  children,  William,  Gladys  and  Robert. 

Mrs.  Wahlert's  parents  were  natives  of  Germany,  where  her  father  was 
a  farm  laborer.  He  came  to  America  in  1870  and  located  in  Jackson  county, 
Iowa.  Here  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  his  death.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  two  children,  who  are  now  living,  Mrs.  Wahlert  and 
Anna,  who  is  living  at  Clinton,  Iowa. 

Jurgen  Wahlert  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church.  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics  and  has  served  as  school  director  and  as  road  super- 
visor.    Naturally,  he  is  a  well-known  citizen  of  Audubon  county  and  from 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  635 

any  standpoint  is  entitled  to  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  neighbors  and 
fellow  townsmen,  a  confidence  and  esteem  which  he  enjoys  to  the  fullest 
measure. 


JOHN  NELSON. 


There  is  perhaps  no  record  in  this  volume  which  more  clearly  demon- 
strates the  force  of  industry  and  honesty  in  the  affairs  of  life  than  does  the 
life  history  of  John  Nelson,  a  well-known  hardware  and  furniture  dealer  and 
also  an  undertaker  in  Exira,  Iowa.  Almost  every  civilized  country  on  the 
face  of  the  globe  has  sent  its  representatives  to  the  Hawkeye  state,  and  there 
is  no  more  important  or  valuable  element  in  the  citizenship  of  Iowa  than  that 
which  has  come  from  the  little  kingdom  of  Denmark.  John  Nelson  was 
among  the  native  sons  of  Denmark  who  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America, 
and  here  found  excellent  opportunities  which  he  has  improved,  and  has  become 
a  successful  man,  and  one  whose  efforts  have  been  of  value  to  the  community 
where  he  has  lived. 

John  Nelson  was  born  on  October  14,  1868,  in  Denmark,  the  son  of 
Andrew  and  Mary  (Michelson)  Nelson,  both  natives  of  Denmark.  The 
former  was  a  farmer  and  followed  that  occupation  in  his  native  land  until 
his  death  in  1896.  His  wife  had  died  twelve  years  previously  in  1884.  He 
served  in  the  Danish-Prussian  War.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
five  children,  Nels,  John,  Meta,  Anna  and  Maren,  and  all  are  still  living  in 
Denmark  except  John. 

John  Nelson  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  and 
after  leaving  school  he  took  up  the  trade  of  buttermaking,  which  he  followed 
for  twelve  years  in  Denmark.  During  that  time  he  served  eleven  months  in 
the  Danish  army,  and  after  his  discharge  from  the  military  service,  he  came 
to  America  in  1896,  and  located  at  Edwards,  Colorado,  where  he  secured  a 
position  as  a  buttermaker  in  a  creamery,  remaining  there  for  one  year,  after 
which  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  took  charge  of  the  creamery 
at  West  Hamlin,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  for  five  years,  and  then  purchased 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  operated  this  farm  for  one 
year  and  then  engaged  in  business  at  Exira,  Iowa,  with  Schrauger  &  Johnson 
Furniture  Company.  Mr.  Nelson  was  with  this  firm  for  a  year  and  a  half, 
and  then  engaged  in  business  for  himself,  and  now  carries  the  largest  stock  of 
furniture  and  hardware  in  Exira.  He  started  this  business  in  July,  1905, 
with  a  complete  line  of  hardware,  furniture  and  farm  implements.     During 


636  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

the  fall  of  1914  he  sold  out  his  stock  of  implements.  John  Nelson  is  well 
known  in  this  section  of  the  county  as  one  of  its  most  successful  and  substan- 
tial business  men.  He  very  thoroughly  deserves  his  large  trade  and  the 
liberal  patronage  of  the  people  of  Audubon  county  from  the  fact  that  he  has 
been  scrupulously  honest  in  all  of  his  dealings  with  the  public. 

John  Nelson  was  married  1897  to  Anna  Marie  Green,  the  daughter  of 
Peter  Green,  and  to  this  union  six  children  have  been  born,  Helene,  Alarga- 
retha,  Oscar,  Adolph,  Fred  and  Marga.  Margaretha  died  at  the  age  of  eleven 
years,  and  Marga  died  when  young. 

Religiously,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church,  in  which  they  take  an  active  interest,  and  to  the  support  of  which 
they  are  liberal  contributors.  Mr.  Nelson  has  long  been  interested  in  the 
fraternal  circles  of  his  home  city.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons  at  Exira,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the  Danish  Brotherhood,  and  in  all 
of  these  fraternal  organizations  he  has  been  prominent  since  he  first  became 
a  member.  In  politics,  Mr.  Nelson  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party, 
and  has  served  as  councilman  of  Exira,  and  also  as  a  school  director,  and  in 
both  these  positions  he  has  discharged  his  duties  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
the  people  of  his  community. 


JORGEN  H.  JENSEN. 

In  a  little  town  in  Denmark  there  lived  a  lad  whose  ambition  was  not  to 
be  bounded  by  the  village,  nor  even  the  country,  where  he  had  happened  to  be 
born.  It  is  seldom  that  we  find  a  lad  of  fifteen  self-reliant  enough  to  begin 
his  career  in  the  industrial  world,  but  force  of  circumstances  presses  rather 
heavily  on  some  lives,  and  the  response  is  necessarily  a  giving  up  of  personal 
wishes  for  the  sake  of  mere  physical  existence.  While  we  sympathize  with 
the  youth  thus  apparently  handicapped  by  early  disadvantages,  we  must  at  the 
same  time,  admire  him,  for  he  who  can  carve  a  destiny  out  of  deprivation, 
must  have  mettle  of  an  enduring  quality,  and  it  is  of  such  material  that  good 
citizenship  is  made. 

Jorgen  H.  Jensen  was  born  in  Grindsted  Jylland,  September  7,  1862. 
He  was  the  son  of  Chris  H.  and  Magdalena  (Haahr)  Jensen,  both  residents 
of  Denmark.  The  elder  Jensen  was  a  farmer  and  died  in  1876,  when  he  was 
forty-eight  years  of  age.     The  wife  came  to  America  in  1893  ^^'ith  her  chil- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  637 

dren,  and  lived  with  them  until  her  death,  January  i,  19 lo,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one.  They  both  belonged  to  the  Lutheran  church.  Six  children 
were  born  in  this  household,  being,  in  the  order  of  their  birth,  as  follow : 
Jens,  living  in  Denmark;  Jorgen  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Lawrence,  a 
farmer  in  Coon  Rapids,  Iowa;  Nels,  a  farmer  of  Sharon  township,  this 
county;  Knud,  who  died  while  living  in  Denmark,  and  Hans,  a  farmer  of 
Alton,  Minnesota. 

Only  a  meager  common  school  education  was  possible  to  Jorgen,  owing 
to  the  early  death  of  his  father,  and  beginning  at  the  tender  age  of  fifteen 
years,  he  worked  out  at  farming  until  his  twenty-seventh  year,  helping  his 
brothers  and  sisters  in  the  care  of  their  mother.  After  he  and  his  brother, 
Lawrence,  landed  in  America  at  New  York  city,  they  continued  their  journey 
until  they  arrived  at  Marne,  Iowa,  being  attracted  to  that  state  by  the  fact 
that  they  had  relatives  in  Shelby  county.  After  living  here  for  about  a  year, 
Jorgen  purchased  eighty  acres  of  wild  prairie  land  in  Sharon  township,  and 
became  a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 

On  June  5,  1890,  Jorgen  H.  Jensen  was  married  to  Hermena  Hermansen, 
a  native  of  Denmark,  and  the  daughter  of  Chris  and  Anna  (Jensen)  Herman- 
sen.  The  father,  who  is  a  carpenter,  is  still  living,  but  the  mother  has  passed 
away.  Their  children  were  as  follow :  Marion,  of  Denmark ;  Catherine,  of 
Chicago;  Hermena  (Mrs.  Jensen)  ;  Anna,  also  of  Chicago;  Herman,  a  Cali- 
fornia carpenter;  Jens,  a  carpenter  of  Audubon,  and  Jensena,  who  still  lives 
in  Denmark. 

Selling  out  his  property  in  Sharon  township  in  1901,  Mr.  Jensen  bought 
two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Douglas  township,  and  lived  here 
until  19 10.  Again  disposing  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  he  bought 
four  hundred  acres  in  Leroy  township,  known  as  the  Owen  Davis  place,  and 
this  farm  became  the  family  home.  Many  valuable  improvements  have  been 
added.  He  sold  one  hundred  acres  to  his  son,  Chris,  who  put  up  a  good, 
substantial  building  on  it.  Mr.  Jensen  has  been  successful  in  raising  Short- 
horn cattle,  and  a  good  quality  of  Aberdeen-Angus  cattle  of  which  he  aver- 
ages from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  a  year.  Besides  his 
cattle,  Mr.  Jensen  sells  about  two  hundred  head  of  Duroc-Jersey  hogs  annually, 
and  many  fine  Belgian  horses.  For  his  cattle  and  other  stock  it  is  necessary 
to  buy  feed,  besides  the  one  hundred  acres  of  corn  which  he  raises.  Having 
always  been  fond  of  farm  work  and  farm  life,  he  has  never  attempted  activi- 
ties of  any  other  kind. 

Out  of  his  busy  life,  Mr.  Jensen  has  managed  to  spare  the  time  for  civic 
duties,  for  he  was  at  one  time  school  director  of  Douglas  township.     His  own 


638  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

children  have  all  been  educated  in  the  local  schools.  Chris,  the  eldest  son, 
attended  the  Danish  school  at  Blair,  Nebraska.  He  married  Anna  Hansen 
and  now  lives  in  Leroy  township.  The  second  child  is  Annie,  who  married 
Soren  N.  Smith,  of  Douglas  township,  and  they  have  two  children,  Herman 
and  Lucile.  Other  children  were  Ida,  Ejner,  Smil,  Esther,  Martha,  Sarah  and 
Dina.  Besides  these,  there  were  two  children  who  died  while  young,  Nick 
and  Nick,  Jr. 

Mr.  Jensen  has  always  adhered  to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Although  the  wife 
has  seemed  to  occupy  an  inconspicuous  place  in  this  record,  she  has  had  much 
to  do  with  the  success  of  her  husband's  enterprises  and  her  children's  educa- 
tion. In  fact  she  has  seconded  their  efforts  to  such  an  extent  that  through  her 
devotion,  their  work  has  been  lightened,  and  their  achievements  have  been 
increased.  Willing  to  share  the  trials  and  cares  of  the  pioneer's  life,  she  was 
content  if  she  could  but  minister  to  the  needs  of  her  family,  and  when  success 
came,  she  could  share  that,  too,  in  a  quiet,  womanly  way,  happy  in  the  thought 
that  it  had  come  through  their  own  efforts.  No  family  is  better  known  or 
more  respected  in  the  vicinity  in  which  they  live,  and  the  esteem  in  which  they 
are  held  is  richlv  merited. 


MAHLON  BOYD. 


The  life  of  the  man  we  are  now  to  consider  is  another  illustration  of  the 
truth  that  our  ultimate  destiny,  as  far  as  this  world's  affairs  are  concerned, 
is  determined,  not  so  much  by  what  we  have,  as  by  what  we  are.  To  some 
natures,  difficulty  becomes  the  strongest  kind  of  incentive,  and  such  men, 
instead  of  swimming  with  the  tide  of  adversity,  a  process  which  leads  to 
defeat,  oppose  untoward  conditions  so  strongly  that  victory  is  the  only  pos- 
sible outcome.  The  lives  of  these,  when  they  are  also  characterized  by  integ- 
rity, as  in  the  present  case,  become  an  inspiration  to  others  in  the  struggle 
for  existence,  for  they  place  the  emphasis  upon  self-reliance,  and  thus  tend  to 
strenothen  both  will-power  and  faith.  In  these  days  of  comparatively  small 
families,  it  is  perhaps  natural  for  us  to  wonder  how  a  boy  who  was  one  of  a 
brood  of  twelve,  could  overcome  the  limitations  of  his  early  environment  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  attain  prominence  by  the  time  he  had  reached  middle  life. 
When  Mahlon  Boyd  was  a  boy,  fortunes  were  neither  easily  nor  quickly  made, 
and  his  father's  only  wealth  was  what  he  could  wrest  from  the  soil.  Although 
it  is  possible  here  only  to  outline  the  facts  of  his  life,  these  are  sufficient  to 
elicit  our  respect  and  admiration. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  639 

Mahlon  Boyd  was  born  on  December  21,  1850,  in  Muskingum  county, 
Ohio,  being  the  son  of  S.  W.  and  Zylphia  (Bates)  Boyd.  The  father's  birth- 
place was  the  same  county,  while  his  wife  came  from  Harrison  county,  Ohio. 
S.  W.  Boyd  was  born  on  February  i,  1829.  Only  a  common  school  education 
was  possible  to  him,  and  the  only  occupation  open  in  that  vicinity  was  farm- 
ing, so  we  find  him  tilling  the  soil  of  his  native  county  until  his  thirty-fifth 
year,  when  he  drove  over  to  Jasper  county  with  an  ox-team,  bought  some 
uncultivated  land,  cleared  it  and  made  a  home  for  himself  and  family,  living 
here  for  many  years.  His  wife,  who  was  born  on  June  27,  1829,  lived  until 
April  20,  1905,  her  death  following  his  by  two  years.  Both  died  at  Colfax, 
Iowa.  As  a  Republican,  he  held  public  office,  and  both  he  and  Mrs.  Boyd 
were  ardent  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Their  children 
were  twelve  in  number,  namely:  Lewis  Henry,  deceased;  Mahlon,  the  subject 
of  this  biography;  John,  of  Jasper  county,  Iowa;  Charity  of  Colfax,  Iowa; 
Uriah  H.,  deceased;  Harvey,  who  is  a  retired  farmer  of  Colfax;  Phoebe, 
now  Mrs.  Henry  Petcock,  who  lives  near  Lake  Preston,  South  Dakota; 
Charley,  of  Jasper  county;  Frank,  living  in  South  Dakota;  George,  of  Col- 
fax; Jess,  of  Newton,  Iowa;  and  Edward,  also  of  Colfax. 

As  his  boys  grew  up,  the  family  required  their  work  on  the  farm,  and 
this  accounts  for  the  meager  education  that  Mahlon  received.  He  did  not, 
however,  leave  home  until  after  his  twenty- fourth  year.  On  April  18,  of  the 
following  year,  he  was  married  to  Jennie  Poulson,  of  New  Athens,  Ohio, 
daughter  of  James  and  Asenath  (Spray)  Poulson,  the  former  being  a  native 
of  Harrison  county,  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Athens  county,  the  same  state. 
In  1868,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poulson  took  up  life  on  a  farm  near  Colfax,  and  lived 
there  most  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Poulson  died  on  June  8,  1903,  in  Warren 
county,  and  Mrs.  Poulson  died  on  January  13,  1907,  in  Madison  county.  The 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poulson  were  as  follow :  William,  who  was  a 
farmer  in  Jasper  county  until  1902,  when  he  went  to  Warren  county,  and  later 
to  Madison  county,  where  he  now  lives  among  his  relatives ;  John,  of  Altoona, 
Iowa;  Oscar,  who  died  on  July  29,  1914;  Jennie,  Mrs.  Boyd;  Emmett,  of 
Hanley,  Iowa ;  May  Grace,  deceased ;  and  a  daughter  who  died  in  infancy. 

Mahlon  Boyd  lived  in  Jasper  county  until  1881,  when  he  moved  to  Audu- 
bon county,  buying  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  township  on  the  ridge  road 
in  section  13.  At  the  time  of  the  purchase  the  property  was  all  prairie  land, 
but  it  soon  took  on  a  different  appearance  under  the  guiding  hand  of  a  man 
who  understood  farming  and  who  also  was  fond  of  beauty,  for  he  planted 
many  trees  and  raised  many  others  from  seed.  Mr.  Boyd  has  always  engaged 
in  general  farming,  besides  raising  a  splendid  grade  of  draft  horses,  Poland 
China  hogs  and  a  great  many  fine  chickens. 


640  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boyd  have  but  one  daughter,  Mrs.  E.  F.  Johnson,  whose 
husband  is  county  supervisor  of  Audubon  county,  and  is  mentioned  elsewhere 
in  this  volume. 

Mrs.  Boyd  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  Boyd  has  always  adhered  to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
Although  he  gives  most  of  his  time  to  his  farming  interests,  he  keeps  up  with 
the  world  events,  and  always  can  give  attention  to  the  claims  of  friendship. 
He  is  an  embodiment  of  the  maxim  that  in  order  to  have  friends,  one  must  be 
one.  It  is  because  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boyd  are  friends  that  they  have  many,  and 
they  are  now  not  only  reaping  the  harvest  of  their  years  of  toil,  but  are  enjoy- 
ing the  society  of  a  large  circle  of  friends  who  appreciate  their  worth.  So 
cordial  is  their  greeting  and  so  hospitable  their  home,  that  even  the  stranger 
feels  the  warmth  of  their  welcome.  They  are  known  and  respected  for  many 
miles  around  their  home,  and  their  lives  are  characterized  by  integrity  and 
devotion  to  duty. 


HORACE  WERT  DUVALL. 

Well-defined  purpose  and  consecutive  effort  in  the  affairs  of  life  will 
certainly  result  in  success.  In  following  the  career  of  one  who  has  attained 
success  by  his  own  efforts,  there  comes  into  view  the  intrinsic  individuality 
which  made  such  an  accomplishment  possible  and  thus  grants  an  incentive  and 
inspiration.  At  the  same  time,  there  is  enkindled  a  feeling  of  respect  and 
admiration.  The  qualities  which  have  made  Horace  W.  Duvall  one  of  the 
prominent  and  successful  farmers  of  Melville  township,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  have'  also  brought  to  him  the  esteem  of  his  fellow,  citizens.  His 
career  has  been  one  of  well-directed  energy,  strong  determination  and  honor- 
able methods. 

Horace  W.  Duvall  was  born  on  June  22,  1857.  in  Washington  county, 
Iowa.  He  is  the  son  of  Jefferson  and  Mary  (Brown)  Duvall,  both  natives 
of  Ohio.  They  were  married  in  that  state  and  came  to  Washington  county, 
Iowa,  driving  overland  in  1849.  Jefferson  Duvall  was  a  farmer  during  his 
life  in  Washington  county,  Iowa,  and  there  died.  Jefferson  and  Mary  Duvall 
had  ten  children,  William,  Reeves,  Horace  W.,  A.  I.,  Frank,  Ella  and  Emma, 
twins ;  Kate,  James,  w^ho  died  in  infancy,  and  Edward. 

Horace  W.  Duvall  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Washington 
county,  Iowa.  After  having  completed  his  education,  he  took  up  farming  in 
Washington  county  and  remained  there  one  year  when  he  mo\'ed  to  Calhoun 


liY 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA,  64I 

county,  where  he  Hved  for  one  year.  He  moved  to  Audubon  county  in  1880, 
locating  in  Greeley  township.  Subsequently,  he  moved  to  Cameron  township 
and  then  to  Melville  township,  where  he  now  lives.  Mr.  Duvall  owns  five 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Melville  township  and  is  engaged  in 
extensive  general  farming.  He  is  one  of  the  best  known  men  in  Melville 
township  and  has  been  one  of  its  most  successful  farmers.  He  is  acquainted 
with  all  of  the  modern  aspects  of  farming  and  follows  only  the  most  pro- 
gressive methods. 

Horace  W.  Duvall  was  married  on  February  5  ,1878,  to  Eliza  Waddell, 
the  daughter  of  William  and  Louise  (DeLong)  Waddell.  Her  parents  came 
from  Ohio  to  Washington  county,  Iowa,  and  lived  there  all  of  their  lives. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Horace  W.  Duvall,  seven  children  have  been  born, 
Carrie,  Ralph,  Frank,  Ray,  Charles,  Mary  and  Lester.  All  are  now  living 
except  Carrie.  Ralph  married  Blanche  Farnham  and  has  one  child,  Edna 
Fay;  Frank  married  Bertha  Griftin  and  has  one  child,  Harlan  Sheldon;  Ray 
married  Bessie  Olson  and  has  one  child,  Dwight  Leverne;  Charles  married 
Elsie  Blunt  and  has  one  child,  Ethel  Irene. 

Mr.  Duvall  is  an  ardent  Republican.  He  has  served  as  trustee  of  Mel- 
ville township,  also  as  school  director  and  road  supervisor.  He  has  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  all  of  these  offices  in  a  creditable  manner  and  has  won 
for  himself  the  commendation  and  praise  of  the  people  of  this  township. 
Religiously,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duvall  and  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 


JORGEN  HARTVIGSEN. 

One  reason  for  the  splendid,  well-kept  appearance  of  the  farms  of  this 
county  is  the  fact  that  the  majority  of  them  have  been  cultivated  by  a  thrifty, 
honest,  hard-working  people  who  came  from  Denmark.  Whatever  their 
work  or  occupation,  it  seems  to  be  characterized  by  painstaking  care.  It  is 
little  wonder,  then,  that  the  region  where  they  have  chosen  to  make  their 
homes  is  composed  of  land  that  is  now  productive  and  valuable,  although  it 
was  once  open  prairie,  marsh  or  timber  land.  He  who  causes  an  undeveloped 
resource  to  become  both  beautiful  and  useful  is  a  benefactor  to  the  human 
race,  however  obscure  his  life  and  activities  may  be.  It  is  doubtful  if  any- 
one has  done  more  towards  the  cultivation  of  at  least  a  part  of  Sharon  town- 
ship than  the  man  whose  name  heads  this  review. 
(41) 


642  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Jorgen  Hartvigsen,  like  so  many  of  his  neighbors,  started  life  with  little 
more  than  health,  courage  and  the  ability  to  do  hard  work,  and  like  them,  also, 
he  is  now  enjoying  the  reward  of  his  labors  in  the  possession  of  a  beautiful 
and  attractive  home,  a  family  of  beloved  children,  the  respect  of  the  com- 
munity, and  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  He  was  born  in  Harsen,  Denmark,  on 
January  i,  1853.  His  parents,  who  lived  and  died  in  that  country,  were 
Hartvig  and  Marie  Jorgensen,  both  of  whom  were  adherents  of  the  Lutheran 
faith.  The  former  all  of  his  life  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Of  their 
eleven  children,  only  four  are  living,  and  of  these,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
the  only  one  who  migrated  to  America.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1881, 
when  he  was  in  his  twenty-eighth  year.  His  education  was  that  of  the  aver- 
age farmer  bo)%  being  what  the  common  schools  of  his  country  had  to  offer, 
but,  his  wise  parents  supplemented  this  by  practical  training  on  the  farm  which 
enabled  him  to  make  his  living  by  working  by  the  month  until  he  came  to 
this  country.  He  located  first  in  Story  county,  Iowa,  but  later  removed  to 
Audubon  county,  after  two  and  one-half  years  residence  there  he  bought  land 
in  section  23  Sharon  township.  He  has  been  successful  enough  to  be  able 
to  increase  his  holdings  until  he  now  has  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  all 
improved,  and  a  beautiful  and  well-equipped  home.  Prosperity  is  every- 
where apparent  about  the  country  place  of  this  ambitious  farmer. 

The  marriage  of  Jorgen  Hartvigsen  took  place  in  Sharon  township,  on 
July  29,  1886,  to  Botilda  Andrea  Kallisen,  who  came  to  America  from  Den- 
mark in  1882.  During  the  years  that  it  was  necessary  to  work  hard  and 
economize,  the  efforts  of  Air.  Hartvigsen  were  seconded  by  his  good  wife, 
and  much  of  their  present  success  is  due  to  her  management  and  thrift. 

As  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  Mr.  Hartvigsen  has  for  years  made  a 
specialty  of  good  breeds  of  stock,  having  several  Belgian  draft  horses  and 
from  fourteen  to  sixteen  head  of  milch  cows,  and  a  number  of  Duroc-Jersey 
hogs. 

The  nine  children  born  to  j\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Hartvigsen  are  as  follow : 
Mary  married  Christ  Uhl,  a  farmer  of  this  township;  Clara  married  Peter 
Andersen,  of  Centerville,  South  Dakota ;  Palma  married  Charles  Sorensen,  of 
Oakfield  township,  this  county ;  Viderick  and  ^Myrtle,  who  live  at  home ; 
Solve jg  and  Hartvig  (twins)  ;  Ediel  and  Viderick,  the  latter  deceased 

Mr.  Hartvigsen  has  served  his  community  faithfully  and  well  as  a  school 
director,  and  votes  the  Democratic  ticket.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  in  Kimballton,  Iowa.  They  are  interested  in 
the  affairs  of  their  town  and  county,  and  are  every  ready  to  co-operate  in 
movements  for  the  betterment  of  the  state  in  which  they  live. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  643 

AUGUST  SCHRADER. 

Germany  has  contributed  much  to  the  agricultural  interests  of  Iowa,  for 
from  that  country  has  come  many  of  her  sons  who,  in  becoming  successful 
farmers,  have  added  much  to  the  wealth  and  prestige  of  the  country  of  their 
adoption.  One  cannot  but  admire  the  ambition  which  drove  August  Schrader, 
now  a  well-known  retired  farmer  of  Audubon  county,  when  a  young  man 
still  in  his  teens,  to  the  United  States,  where  he  has  become  a  prominent  and 
much  esteemed  citizen. 

August  Schrader  was  born  on  February  20,  1850,  in  Pommern,  Ger- 
many, son  of  August  and  Wilhelmina  (Carl)  Schrader,  who  grew  up  and 
married  in  the  town  which  became  the  birthplace  of  their  children.  The 
father  was  a  tailor,  and  after  his  death,  in  1864,  the  wife  and  her  five  children 
came  to  America,  this  journey,  which  was  to  change  the  direction  of  their 
whole  lives,  taking  place  in  i86g.  Having  three  brothers  in  Poweshiek 
county,  the  widow  took  her  little  brood  there,  and  for  a  while,  worked  for 
one  of  her  brothers.  In  later  years,  she  made  her  home  with  her  oldest  son, 
William,  where  she  died  in  the  year  1875.  She  brought  her  children  up  in 
the  faith  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Besides  William  and  August,  the  subject 
of  this  biography,  there  were  in  the  family  Albert,  now  a  retired  farmer  in 
Guernsey,  Iowa;  Herman,  also  a  retired  farmer  living  in  the  same  town,  and 
Henry,  who  was  killed  by  lightning  in  Poweshiek  county. 

In  keeping  with  the  strict  educational  customs  of  Germany,  Mr.  Schrader, 
Sr.,  educated  his  children  in  the  common  schools,  and  August  was  kept  in 
school  as  long  as  he  could  be  spared  from  work  to  help  support  the  family. 
When  he  reached  his  nineteenth  year,  his  mother,  who  by  this  time  had 
become  a  widow,  accompanied  him  and  her  other  children  to  this  country,  and 
then  began  the  struggle  with  the  realities  of  life.  For  five  years,  he  worked 
out  by  the  month. 

On  September  19,  1875,  August  Schrader  was  married  to  Henrietta 
Possehn,  daughter  of  William  and  Wilhelmina  (Limp)  Possehn,  of  Posen. 
Germany.  Coming  to  America  the  same  year  that  Mrs.  Schrader  and  her 
fatherless  children  came,  this  family  located  in  Keokuk  county,  Iowa,  where 
the  father  engaged  in  farming.  He  died  in  1882,  while  his  wife  lived  until 
191 1.  The  brothers  and  sisters  of  Mrs.  Schrader  were  as  follow:  Augusta, 
who  married  William  Neitzel,  of  Wilcox,  Canada;  Emma,  the  deceased  wife 
of  William  Schrader,  brother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Othelia,  now  Mrs. 
Edward  Border  of  Benton  county,  Iowa,  and  Amos  whose  present  home  is 
east  of  Audubon,  Iowa.     Mrs.  Schrader  was  the  first-born  of  this  family. 


644  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Schrader  bought  ninety-two  acres  of  farm  land 
in  Iowa  county,  Iowa,  and  lived  there  ten  years,  placing  valuable  improve- 
ments on  it.  He  sold  out  in  1885  and  removed  his  family  to  Poweshiek 
county.  Purchasing  eighty  acres  he  resided  there  for  seven  years,  when  he 
again  changed  his  residence,  this  time  to  Cameron  township,  Audubon  county, 
where  he  became  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Having  been 
successful  in  his  agricultural  enterprises,  in  191 3,  he  was  able  to  retire  from 
active  work,  and  move  to  Audubon,  Iowa,  for  permanent  residence.  About 
six  thousand  dollars  worth  of  improvements  were  put  upon  his  farm,  where 
besides  engaging  in  general  farming,  he  raised  Duroc-Jersey  and  Poland 
China  hogs.  Shorthorn  cattle  and  draft  horses. 

In  political  affiliation,  Mr.  Schrader  is  a  Republican,  and  served  for  six 
years  as  school  director,  filling  that  position  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the 
office  which  he  held.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schrader  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  their  lives  are  closely  identified  with  the  history  of  the 
county  which  has  been  their  home  for  several  years. 

They  have  always  been  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  their  four 
children.  Their  eldest  daughter,  Emma,  became  the  wife  of  Albert  Fancher 
on  December  29,  1897.  Albert  Fancher  was  born  on  February  20,  1875,  in 
Keokuk  county,  Iowa,  the  son  of  Richard  and  Nancy  (Marshall)  Fancher, 
the  former,  a  native  of  Washington  county,  the  latter  of  Fulton  county,  Illi- 
nois. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richard  Fancher  lived  in  Keokuk  county  until  1882, 
they  then  moved  to  Audubon  county,  where  they  located  in  Cameron  town- 
ship. The  father  of  Albert  Fancher  died  in  1912,  his  wife  having  passed 
away  eleven  years  previously.  All  of  his  life  he  was  a  farmer.  Albert,  the 
son,  engaged  in  farming  in  Cameron  township,  this  county,  until  1914,  when 
he  built  his  present  home  in  the  eastern  part  of  Audubon.  He  has  never 
aspired  to  public  office,  and  has  given  all  of  his  time  to  farming  and  stock 
raising.  He  has  been  successful  in  raising  Clydesdale  horses,  Shorthorn 
cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs. 

The  second  child  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schrader  is  Henry,  also  a  farmer 
in  this  county,  Cameron  township.  He  married  Augusta  Horning.  William, 
who  died  in  1902,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  married  Mabel  Johnson;  Harry, 
another  son,  is  farming  on  the  land  in  Cameron  township  which  belongs  to  his 
father.  He  is  married  to  Anna  Diest.  Walter,  the  youngest,  is  a  farmer 
in  Viola  township,  this  county,  and  married  Mary  Hayden. 

Coming  down  still  another  generation,  we  learn  that  Mr.  and  Mrs, 
Schrader  have  five  grandchildren,  namely :  Dale  and  Burnice,  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  Schrader;  William  Schrader,  who  is  named  for  his  father; 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  645 

Dorothea,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry  Schrader,  and  Ariel,  the 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  WaUer  Schrader. 

Success  has  not  easily  come  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schrader.  It  seldom  comes 
that  way.  But  having  cost  effort  and  sacrifice,  they  are  all  the  more  apprecia- 
tive, and  are  ready  to  share  its  pleasures  and  benefits  with  others  less  fortu- 
nate. Their  home  is  a  factor  for  helpfulness  in  the  community  in  which  it 
is  located. 


GEORGE  A.  FOLEY. 


So  accustomed  are  we  to  finding  power  of  sustained  effort  in  the  career 
of  every  man  who  has  risen  above  the  common  level,  that  the  necessity  for 
such  a  characteristic  in  this  type  of  citizen  has  become  a  truism.  It  is  not 
possible  here  to  analyze  the  nature  of  this  quality  so  essential  to  success,  but 
two  elements  are  at  once  obvious  and  so  necessary  as  to  be  indispensable. 
These  are  perseverance  and  directive  ability.  It  is  not  power  of  incessant 
work  alone  that  most  often  brings  success,  but  rather  is  it  this  virtue  combined 
with  executive  faculty,  and  the  combination  is  always  found  in  the  prosperous, 
self-made  man.  No  less  is  this  true  of  the  occupation  of  farming  than  of 
other  occupations  or  professions. 

The  above  characterization  is  apt  in  a  marked  degree  in  the  consideration 
of  the  life  of  George  A.  Foley,  whose  fame  as  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  is 
not  limited  to  the  confines  of  his  own  county,  where  he  lives  on  a  fine  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  one  and  one-third  miles  east  of  Audubon  on 
the  county  road. 

George  A.  Foley  was  born  on  May  24,  1858,  in  Grundy  county,  Illinois. 
He  is  of  Irish  descent,  his  father,  Simon  Foley,  haivng  been  born  near  Dublin, 
and  his  mother,  Ellen  Tracy,  having  been  a  native  of  Ireland.  His  parents 
came  to  America  when  young  people  and  lived  for  a  while  at  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts. A  short  time  later  they  traveled  westv/ard  by  way  of  the  great 
lakes  as  far  as  Chicago.  Going  on  to  Grundy  county,  Illinois,  he  bought 
forty  acres  of  prairie  land,  at  five  dollars  an  acre,  cleared  and  improved  it, 
and  built  a  home  there.  Later  he  added  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres.  It 
was  here  that  he  and  his  good  wife,  who  bravely  shared  the  hardships  of 
pioneer  days,  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  he  passing  away  in  1871,  and 
she  in  1909,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five.  They  were  adherents  of  the  Catholic 
faith.  Six  children  were  born  to  them,  namely :  John  C,  who  came  to  Audu- 
bon county  with  his  mother  in  1883,  and  who  lived  with  her  all  of  his  life, 


646  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

having  never  married,  and  who  died  in  1901 ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  Edward 
Thomas,  of  Elreno,  Oklahoma;  Michael  Tracey,  a  horse  dealer  and  farmer  of 
Audubon;  George  A.,  the  subject  of  this  review;  Sarah,  who  never  married, 
and  who  died  in  1883;  ^^^^  Margaret,  now  Mrs.  William  Conway  of  Dexter, 
Iowa. 

Like  many  other  ambitious  youths  of  his  time,  Mr.  Foley,  keen  and 
alert  mentally  as  well  as  physically,  was  denied  the  education  he  coveted 
because  of  the  limitations  of  the  early  county  schools,  but  he  attended  the 
common  schools  as  long  as  it  was  possible.  Afterwards  he  lived  with  his 
parents,  working  on  the  farm. 

On  January  12,  1887,  George  A.  Foley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna 
Conway,  of  New  Ironton,  New  Jersey.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Patrick 
and  Elizabeth  (Black)  Conway,  who  came  from  Ireland  and  were  early  set- 
tlers of  Melville  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa.  They  also  purchased  land 
in  Guthrie  county.  Mr.  Conway  continued  his  interest  in  agriculture  all  of 
his  life.  Both  he  and  his  wife  have  passed  away.  Their  children  were  as 
follow:  John  C,  of  Audubon;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Daniel  P.  Repass,  of 
Dexter,  Iowa;  Ella,  who  married  O.  B.  Train,  of  Shenandoah,  Iowa;  William 
H.,  a  farmer  of  Dexter;  Anna  (Mrs.  Foley),  and  Robert,  a  dredge  operator 
in  the  South. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Foley  was  fortunate  enough  to  buy  the  old  Foley 
homestead  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Viola  township,  this 
county,  where  he  and  his  family  lived  until  1901,  when  they  removed  to  the 
farm  which  is  his  present  home.  The  house  not  being  such  as  to  meet  the 
demands  of  the  family,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foley  built  a  new  home,  modern  in  all 
of  its  appointments,  the  house  being  equipped  with  gas,  electricv  lights,  and 
hot  and  cold  water.  It  is  not  only  modern,  but  spacious,  consisting  of  twelve 
rooms.  In  1907  Mr.  Foley  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  just  east  of  his 
home  place,  and  four  years  later,  built  on  it  a  large  block  silo.  He  is  also  the 
owner  of  one-half  section  of  improved  land  in  Hamlin  township.  With  an 
expenditure  of  between  five  and  six  thousand  dollars  on  the  farm  where  he 
lives  it  has  become  one  of  the  best  in  that  part  of  the  state.  Besides  general 
farming  Mr.  Foley  has  been  a  breeder  of  pure  bred  Shorthorn  cattle,  Duroc- 
Jersey  hogs,  Shropshire  sheep,  and  Percheron  horses,  having  usually  twenty- 
five  head  of  the  latter.  It  requires  all  of  the  grain  he  raises  to  provide  for  his 
stock,  and  besides  this,  he  buys  large  quantities.  His  consignments  of  stock 
for  market  are  among  the  largest  in  the  county,  and  he  is  frequently  called 
upon  to  give  the  benefit  of  his  experience  to  other  stock  raisers. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  647 

Aside  from  his  busy  life  as  a  farmer,  Mr.  Foley  has  found  time  for 
public  duties  which  have  made  for  the  betterment  of  the  community  in  which 
he  has  lived.  For  many  years  he  was  a  school  director  and  is  serving  at 
present  as  a  trustee.  He  has  also  been  the  town  clerk,  an  office  in  which  he 
made  many  friends.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  having  always  adhered 
to  the  principles  of  that  party.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  church  of  Audubon. 

Mr.  Foley  is  a  self-made  man.  With  what  would  be  called  today  a 
meager  education,  but  which  was  all  that  his  boyhood  time  afforded,  he  has 
worked  and  planned  his  future,  content  to  take  one  step  at  a  time,  and  con- 
fident of  the  results  of  his  efforts.  He  has  gradually  built  up  his  business 
until  it  yields  him  a  competency,  and  yet  has  not  limited  his  energy  or  his 
time  to  purely  personal  interests.  He  has  not  stopped  with  the  education  of 
his  own  family,  but  has  given  his  attention  to  the  improvement  of  the  school 
facilities  of  the  county,  in  a  sympathetic,  whole-hearted  way.  He  is  a  good 
friend,  a  true  neighbor,  and  a  loyal  citizen.  In  fact,  his  career  is  an  inspira- 
tion to  younger  men,  whether  they  be  friends  or  strangers,  for  it  is  an  example 
of  unselfish  industry. 


HENRY  HANSEN. 


Responsibility  coming  to  youth  has  a  tendency  to  make  life  a  serious 
problem,  and  to  rob  childhood  of  much  of  its  joyousness  and  buoyancy.  But 
it  also  has  its  compensations,  for  it  develops  those  traits  of  character  without 
which  there  is  no  strength  nor  stability,  and  prepares  the  youth  for  the 
realities  which  are  sure  to  come  in  later  life.  To  the  conscientious  boy, 
bereft  of  a  father,  there  come  many  obligations  to  the  widowed  mother,  and 
in  meeting  these  each  day,  his  thoughts  naturally  turn  away  from  self  until 
gradually  thought  fulness  for  others  becomes  a  habit,  and  habit  is  trans- 
formed into  character.  This  is  exemplified  in  the  life  of  Henry  Hansen,  one 
of  the  young  farmers  of  Sharon  township,  conspicuous  for  his  integrity  as 
well  as  for  his  achievements,  who  was  left  fatherless  when  a  child,  and  carried 
burdens  heavy  for  such  young  shoulders. 

Henry  Hansen  was  born  on  July  27,  1871,  son  of  Henry  and  Sophia 
Hansen,  whose  home  was  in  Soro,  Denmark.  Henry  Hansen  was  a  native  of 
Holbok.  Limited  in  early  facilities  for  education  or  vocational  training,  he 
was  a  laborer,  and  passed  away  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  in  1875.  The 
young  wife  did  what  she  could  for  her  two  sons,  but  it  was  necessary  for 


648  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

them  to  work  at  an  age  when  she  would  have  preferred  to  keep  them  in 
school.  In  1889,  she  and  her  two  sons  came  to  the  United  States  and  made 
their  home  in  Sharon  township,  in  this  county.  Later,  she  was  married  to 
H,  P.  Petersen,  of  Soro,  Denmark,  who  had  been  the  husband  of  her  sister. 

When  a  lad  of  only  twelve  years,  young  Henry  began  farm  work,  and 
lived  in  Polk  township,  Shelby  county,  for  thirteen  years.  By  dint  of  indus- 
try, he  was  able  to  save  enough  to  buy  a  tract  of  land  consisting  of  eighty 
acres  near  Poplar.  In  1907  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Sharon 
township,  known  as  the  J.  J.  Jones  place. 

Henry  Plansen  was  married  on  February  27,  1893,  to  Henrietta  P. 
Raun,  daughter  of  Nels  P.  and  Restina  Hansen,  both  of  Horsens,  Denmark. 
Coming  to  America  in  1909,  they  lived  in  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  where  Mr. 
Hansen  died  the  following  year,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four.  When  in  Den- 
mark, he  had  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wooden  pumps.  Their 
children,  nine  in  number,  were  as  follow :  Hansena  P.  married  A.  S.  Jensen, 
of  Omaha,  Nebraska;  Maria  married  Chris  Petersen,  of  Council  Bluffs; 
Henrietta  (Mrs.  Hansen);  Petres  married  A.  P.  Hansen,  of  Omaha;  Metta 
married  Hans  Sorensen,  of  Omaha;  Peter,  a  carpenter  of  the  same  city;  Elise 
married  C.  P.  Christiansen,  of  Omaha;  Amine  married  Loren  Christiansen, 
also  of  Omaha ;  Christiana,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years. 

In  the  spring  of  1914  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansen  began  the  erection  of  their 
new  fifteen-room  home,  the  dimensions  of  which  are  thirty  by  thirty-two 
feet,  and  eighteen  feet  high.  It  has  hot  and  cold  water,  furnace  heat  and 
electric  light.  His  large  barn  also  is  lighted  with  electricity.  Among  the 
improvements  is  a  model  hog  house  built  in  19 10,  twenty-two  by  forty  feet 
constructed  of  cement,  and  having  running  water.  In  order  to  equip  his 
farm  the  better,  both  as  a  home  and  as  a  means  of  making  a  livelihood,  Mr. 
Hansen  has  spent  several  thousands  of  dollars,  and  has  invested  it  in  such  a 
way  as  to  bring  the  best  returns.  He  raises  draft  horses  and  Poland  China 
hogs. 

Mr  and  Mrs.  Hansen  are  the  parents  of  nine  children,  namely:  Thora, 
married  Morten  Ipsen,  a  farmer  of  Sharon  township;  Hilda,  Alma,  Thor- 
vald,  Magnus,  Hertha,  Emanuel,  Halger  and  Arthur. 

The  community  in  which  he  lives  has  shown  its  confidence  in,  and 
regard  for,  Mr.  Hansen  by  electing  him  a  school  director,  a  trustee  and 
road  supervisor.  He  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  politics,  being  a  member 
of  the  Republican  party.  He  and  his  wife  have  been  for  many  years  affiliated 
with  the  Lutheran  church  at  Kimballton. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansen  have  given  attention  to  the  rearing  and  education 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  649 

of  their  children,  and  have  kept  well  informed  concerning  the  events  which 
occupy  the  world's  thoughts.  Nor  have  they  forgotten  the  needs  of  their 
own  community,  being  liberal  with  both  their  time  and  means  in  matters  that 
concerned  the  general  good.  Compared  with  the  strenuous  lives  of  city 
dwellers,  theirs  have  been  quiet  and  unobtrusive,  but  in  actual  worth  and  in 
the  good  accomplished,  they  have  been  equally  as  valuable. 


GEORGE  C.  EVERTS. 


The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch  may  well  be  proud  of  the 
position  he  has  established  for  himself,  both  financially  and  as  one  of  the 
substantial  men  of  his  township.  His  straightforward  dealings  and  good 
management  have  won  for  him  the  admiration  and  respect  of  all  who  know 
him,  and  in  these  qualities  he  has  set  a  splendid  example  for  his  neighbors. 
He  sprang  from  a  sturdy  stock  of  honest,  hard-working  people,  and' has  done 
credit  to  the  principles  of  his  ancestors.  Mr.  Everts  has  always  impressed 
upon  his  children,  of  whom  he  may  be  justly  proud,  the  thought  that  in  hard 
work,  there  is  no  disgrace. 

George  C.  Everts,  general  farmer  and  stockman,  of  Lincoln  township, 
Audubon  county,  was  born  on  May  5,  1858,  in  Illinois.  He  is  a  son  of  G.  C. 
and  Susanna  (Smith)  Everts.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the 
country  schools,  which  he  attended  until  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  quit 
school  and  went  to  work  on  his  father's  farm,  remaining  with  him  until  he 
was  twenty-six  years  old,  when  he  was  married  and  moved  on  a  farm  in 
Melville  township.  Audubon  county,  where  he  rented  and  lived  for  seven 
years.  He  then  moved  to  Audubon,  where  he  remained  two  years,  during 
which  time  he  was  in  the  employ  of  E.  N.  Taggart,  in  the  nursery  business. 
From  this  place  he  went  to  Lincoln  township,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  in  section  36,  and  about  four  and  one-half  years 
later  bought  eighty  acres  adjoining  his  farm,  for  which  he  paid  twenty-seven 
dollars  and  fifty  cents  an  acre.  In  1908,  Mr.  Everts  bought  another  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Faulk  county,  Dakota,  and  in  19 13  bought 
eighty  acres  in  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  on  which  one  of  his 
sons  now  lives.  He  has  invested  about  ten  thousand  dollars  in  improvements 
on  his  home  place,  where  he  raises  a  few  cattle,  and  makes  a  specialty  of 
Duroc-Jersey  hogs,  which  he  offers  at  a  public  annual  sale.  In  addition  to 
cattle  and  hogs,  Mr.  Everts  handles  a  few  pure-bred  Percheron  horses,  and 


650  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

feeds  all  the  grain  raised  on  the  place  to  his  stock.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church  at  Ross,  of  which  he  serves  as  trustee.  Mr.  Everts  is  a 
member  of  the  following  lodges :  The  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  Yeomen.     In  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  which  vocation  he 
followed  in  Illinois  for  nine  years  after  he  was  married,  going  from  there  to 
West  Dayton,  Webster  county,  Iowa,  where  he  had  a  blacksmith  shop  for 
five  years.  He  was  born  in  Richland  county,  Ohio.  He  was  married  in 
1856,  to  Susanna  Smith,  a  native  of  the  state  of  Maine.  She  died  at  York- 
town,  Illinois.  Four  years  later  he  married  Susan  Adams,  and  moved  on  a 
farm  in  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  one  year,  then  came  to  Audu- 
bon county,  retiring  from  business  two  years  later.  By  his  second  wife  he 
had  three  children — one  boy  and  two  girls — George  C.,  Margaret  and  Stella. 

George  C.  Everts  was  united  in  marriage,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six,  to 
Martha  Bowman,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Jane  (Livingston)  Bowman,  born 
February  23,  1862.  Her  parents  lived  in  Crawford  county,  Iowa.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Everts  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Maud,  married  Clay- 
ton Wickham  and  lives  near  her  father;  Ernest,  married  Alice  Ballon  and 
lives  in  Douglas  township ;  Alma,  married  H.  E.  Williams  and  lives  in  Lin- 
coln township;  Lois,  lives  at  home  and  is  teaching  school  Xo.  7,  in  Lincoln 
township ;  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 


THOMAS  B.  THOMSEN. 

One  of  the  leaders  among  the  younger  citizens  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa, 
and  especially  of  Kimballton,  where  he  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as 
mayor,  is  Thomas  B.  Thomsen,  who  was  born  on  February  27,  1875,  in 
Denmark,  the  son  of  Balster  and  Gunder  Maria  (Terkesen)  Thomsen,  natives 
of  Denmark,  who  came  to  America  in  1884.  After  living  in  Vermont  for 
two  years,  they  moved  to  the  state  of  New  York,  where  they  lived  for  four 
years  and  then  came  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  purchasing  eighty  acres  in 
Sharon  township.  The  father  is  still  living  upon  this  farm  and  is  a  man 
highly  respected  in  the  community.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Danish  Lutheran  church.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  as 
follow :  John  G,  a  farmer  of  near  Exira ;  Maria,  married  Nels  Johnson,  of 
Sharon  township;  Annie,  married  Jurgen  Hansen,  and  lives  near  Exira; 
Katherine,  lives  at  home;  Minnie,  married    Andrew  Sands,  of  Poplar,  Iowa; 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  65 1 

Christina,  married  A.   Shupe,  of  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county;  and 
Thomas  B.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

With  Hmited  opportunities  to  obtain  an  education,  Thomas  B.  Thomsen 
received  only  a  brief  training  in  the  public  schools  of  this  county,  and  after 
working  at  home  on  the  farm  until  the  age  of  twenty  years,  he  managed  his 
father's  farm  for  several  years  and  then  worked  on  his  sister's  place  for  three 
years.  For  two  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Thomsen  &  Larsen,  a 
mercantile  firm  of  Kimballton.  He  then  rented  his  father-in-law's  farm, 
consisting  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  which  three  years  later,  in  1914, 
he  purchased. 

Thomas  B.  Thomsen  was  married,  January,  1908,  to  Nettie  Jorgensen, 
the  daughter  of  Hans  J.  Jorgensen,  who  was  born  on  November  8,  1843,  in 
Aro,  Island  of  Marstal,  Denmark,  the  son  of  Jens  Grodt  and  Ella  Neilsen. 
Her  parents  came  to  America  in  1870  and,  after  living  four  years  in  the  state 
of  Illinois,  they  moved  to  Sharon  township,  Audubon  county,  where  they 
lived  until  March  19,  19 14,  when  Mr,  Jorgensen  passed  away.  He  was 
twice  married,  first,  in  the  spring  of  1879,  to  Agnes  Hedvig  Petersen,  a  native 
of  Denmark,  who  is  now  deceased.  They  had  seven  children,  as  follow : 
Jens  P.,  a  veterinary  surgeon  at  Elkhorn;  Peter  G.,  a  farmer  of  Sharon  town- 
ship; EHa  Brodersen,  of  Shelby  county,  Iowa;  Anna,  married  R.  P.  Larson, 
a  merchant  of  Kimballton,  Iowa;  Cecelia,  married  Dr.  P.  E.  James,  of  Elk- 
horn;  Agneta,  married  Thomas  B.  Thomsen,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
Alfiede,  a  farmer  of  near  Elkhorn,  Iowa.  Mr.  Jorgensen  was  married  a 
second  time,  November  8,  1894,  to  Anna  K.  Anderson,  of  Jylland,  Denmark. 
Two  children  were  born  to  this  union,  Agnes  and  William. 

The  late  Hans  J.  Jorgensen  purchased  the  land  where  Kimballton  now 
stands  in  1883.  He  sold  the  first  town  lot  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  30,  on  which  the  Com- 
mercial Hotel  and  the  general  store  now  stands  and  it  is  now  owned  by  the 
heirs  and  occupied  by  R.  P.  Larsen,  of  the  firm  of  Larsen  &  Jorgensen.  One 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Landsmen's  National  Bank  at  Kimballton,  Iowa, 
organized  September  4,  1909,  Mr.  Jorgensen  was  its  vice-president  until  his 
death.  He  did  a  great  deal  to  promote  building  operations  in  Kimballton 
and,  although  he  never  aspired  to  ofifice,  he  was  a  stanch  Republican  and 
served  as  the  first  postmaster  of  Kimballton,  beginning  in  1884.  He  was 
president  of  the  Kimballton  Investment  Company,  organized  October  5, 
19 10.  and  instrumental  in  having  the  hotel  built  here.  He  also  helped  to  get 
the  Atlantic  Northern  railroad  built.  A  splendid  type  of  self-made  man, 
generous  to  a  fault,  he  was  always  willing  and  ready  to  help  in  any  worthy 


652  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

public  enterprise.  First  a  member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  at  Elk- 
horn,  Iowa,  he  later  affiliated  with  the  church  in  Sharon  township. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  B.  Thomsen  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
namely :  Goldie,  Edna  and  Hans.  Mr.  Thomsen  is  serving*  his  second  term 
as  mayor  of  Kimballton  and  during  his  entire  life  has  taken  an  active  interest 
in  pcHtics.  He  is  now  identified  with  the  Progressive  party.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thomseii  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  at  Kimballton. 

On  the  farm,  Mr.  Thomsen  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 
He  has  a  well-equipped  farm  for  stock  raising  and  one  which  he  may  truly 
regard  as  the  fruit  of  his  own  industry,  economy  and  good  management. 
Thomas  B.  Thomsen  is  highly  respected  by  the  people  of  this  community. 


REV.  ERNEST  J.  W.  STARCK. 

One  of  the  well-known  and  popular  ministers  now  holding  a  pastorate  in 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is  Rev.  Ernest  J.  W.  Starck,  pastor  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal Lutheran  Trinity  church,  and  also  pastor  of  St.  John's  church  of  Audu- 
bon. Born  on  September  18,  1862,  in  West  Prussia,  Germany,  the  son  of 
E.  G.  and  Johanna  Charlotte  ( Wendt)  Starck,  he  was  brought  to  this  country 
by  his  parents  two  years  after  his  birth,  in  1864.  Both  of  his  parents  were 
natives  of  Germany:  the  former  died  in  November,  1907,  and  the  latter  died 
in  May,  1903.  E.  G.  Starck  and  wife  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  four 
sons  and  four  daughters.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  three  sons  are  all 
ministers  in  the  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  Rev.  Ernest  J.  W. 
Starck  is  the  eldest  child  born  to  his  parents.  Rev.  Herman  O.  Starck  is 
pastor  of  a  church  at  Ada,  Norman  county,  Minnesota.  Rev.  Alwin  C. 
Starck  is  pastor  of  a  church  at  LaSalle,  New  York.  Clara  and  Jennie  Strack 
are  at  present  residents  of  Chicago,  Illinois. 

Educated  in  parochial,  public  and  private  schools,  and  a  graduate  of  the 
theological  seminary  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  with  the  class  of  1887,  Ernest 
J.  W.  Starck  has  been  engaged  in  the  ministry  during  practically  his  entire 
life.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  of  Missouri,  Ohio 
and  other  states,  also  of  the  district  of  Iowa. 

Ernest  J.  W.  Starck  was  married  on  August  14,  1895,  ^t  St  Paul,  Minne- 
sota, to  Elizabeth  Wolf,  the  daughter  of  George  and  Susanna  (Sapp)  Wolf. 
Mrs.  Starck  was  born  January  16,  1869,  in  Germany,  and  is  one  of  a  family 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  653 

of  three  children,  she  being  the  eldest.  The  other  two  children,  Mrs.  Mar- 
garetha  Weiss  and  Mrs.  Wilhelmina  Kluge,  are  still  living  in  Germany. 

Rev.  Ernest  J.  W.  Starck  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  nine  children, 
E.  G.  F.,  Adolph  H.,  Walter  R.  G.,  Arthur  Marc  F.,  Herbert  Bernhardt  I., 
Frederick  William  H.  A.,  Else  Elizabeth,  Edward  and  Frieda  Susarma 
Johanna 

During  his  pastorate  of  Trinity  church  of  Lincoln  township  and  St. 
John's  church  at  Audubon,  Rev.  Starck  has  had  very  much  to  do  with  the 
growth  of  these  congregations  and  the  prosperity  of  the  two  churches.  He 
is  known  to  be  an  eloquent  and  persuasive  pulpit  orator,  a  sympathetic  and 
efficient  pastor  and  is  naturally  popular,  not  only  with  his  congregation,  but 
with  all  the  people  of  the  community  to  which  he  ministers  A  very  worthy 
citizen,  he  is  entitled  to  representation  in  this  volume  as  one  of  the  leading 
ministers  of  Audubon  county. 


HANS  P.  BONNESEN. 


Located  on  the  most  prominent  corner  of  the  town  of  Kimballton,  Iowa, 
will  be  found  the  hardware  and  implement  establishment  owned  by  Hans  P. 
Bonriesen,  and  over  which  he  has  presided  since  the  spring  of  1913.  The 
business  is  a  consolidation  of  the  hardware  store  formerly  owned  by  George 
J._Nelsen  and  the  pump  and  windmill  stock  formerly  owned  by  Nelsen  & 
Nelsen.  The  consolidated  business  is  housed  in  a  handsome  brick  structure, 
twenty-five  by  eighty  feet,  with  a  basement  under  the  entire  building,  and  is 
filled  to  capacity  with  hardware  and  implements,  such  as  carpenters'  and 
builders'  supplies,  stoves,  ranges,  furnaces,  cutlery,  firearms,  tinware,  glass, 
buggies,  wagons,  washing  machines,  twine,  pumps,  windmills,  motor  trucks, 
cream  separators,  oil  and  gas  engines,  oil  tractors,  manure  spreaders,  ensilage 
cutters,  hay,  grain  and  corn  machines.  The  stock  is  conveniently  shelved  and 
neatly  arranged.  The  proprietor  of  this  business  employs  two  men,  Wilhelm 
Larsen  and  Conrad  Nielsen,  who  are  kept  busy  attending  to  the  wants  of  the 
increasing  trade.  Mr.  Bonnesen  makes  a  specialty  of  the  pump  business,  and 
one  of  his  employes  devotes  his  entire  time  to  this  business.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  is  one  of  the  best  advertisers  of  Kimballton,  and  his  advertise- 
ments always  appear  in  a  readable  form.  Nothing  is  promised  in  advertising 
that  is  not  carried  out  to  the  letter  and  this  is  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  his 
large  and  growing  trade. 


654  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA, 

Hans  p.  Bonnesen  was  born  on  April  17,  1870,  at  Slagelse,  on  the  Island 
of  Zealand,  Denmark,  son  of  Lars  Bonnesen  and  Christina  Sorensen,  both 
born  on  the  above  mentioned  island  The  father  is  a  farmer  and  carpenter 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  still  living  in  their  naitve  land.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  as  follow:  Mary  lives  in  Denmark;  Hans  P.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Christina  lives  in  Denmark;  Catherine  lives  in  Racine, 
Wisconsin ;  Margaret  lives  in  San  Francisco,  California ;  Fred,  a  farmer  in 
Sharon  township,  Andnbon  county;  Otto  lives  at  Fresno,  California,  and 
Carl  lives  in  Denmark. 

Mr.  Bennesen  attended  the  schools  in  his  native  land,  and  at  the  age 
of  twehc  began  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  After  working  for  some 
time  on  the  railroads  in  his  native  country,  he  came  to  America  in  1892,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two,  and  located  in  Cass  county,  Iowa,  south  of  Elkhorn. 
While  engaged  in  farming  here  he  attended  the  Danish  school  at  Elkhorn, 
and  later  became  a  teacher  in  Sharon  township.  Audubon  county,  continuing 
for  two  years. 

After  farming  in  Sharon  township  for  four  years,  Mr.  Bonnesen  lived  in 
Carroll  county,  Iowa,  for  two  years,  and  then  came  back  to  Audubon  county, 
living  in  Douglas  township  for  six  years.  Renting  his  farm  to  a  tenant  he 
took  a  trip  to  his  old  home  in  Denmark  during  the  summer  of  1910,  and  upon 
his  return  bought  a  small  farm  in  Sharon  township,  and  lived  on  that  farm 
for  three  years,  until  the  spring  of  191 3,  when  he  engaged  in  business  at 
Kim.ballton.  He  has  served  as  president  of  the  Sharon  Creamery  Company, 
and  also  as  president  of  the  Kimballton  Creamery  Company  for  a  time. 
While  engaged  in  farming  he  was  an  extensive  breeder  of  Shorthorn  cattle. 
He  now  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Douglas  township,  and  also 
property  in  Kimballton. 

On  March  2,  1898,  Hans  P.  Bonnesen  was  married  to  Signa  Christensen, 
who  was  born  in  Sharon  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  the  daughter  of 
Peter  Christiansen.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hans  P.  Bonnesen  have  been  born 
four  children,  namely:  Esther,  who  is  a  student  in  the  Audubon  high  school; 
Elmer.  Inez  and  Evelyn. 

Always  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics.  ~Slr.  Bonnesen  is  at  present  a 
meml)er  of  the  Kimballton  school  board,  and  formerly  served  as  a  justice  of 
the  peace.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church, 
and  take  an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  this  congregation.  Hans  P.  Bonnesen 
must  be  regarded  as  a  self-made  man  and  is  well  known  and  well  liked  in  this 
section  of  Audubon  county. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  655 

LARS  P.  LARSEN. 

Success  in  any  line  of  business  requires  patience  and  perseverance.  Dis- 
appointments and  unforeseen  difficulties  are  continually  presenting  themselves 
for  diplomatic  handling,  competition  arises,  and  even  the  elements  seem  to 
join  forces  in  testing  the  material  of  which  a  man  is  made.  Success  gained  in 
the  face  of  difficulties  is  all  the  more  appreciated  when  it  comes,  and  no  man 
is  better  able  to  realize  this  than  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  now  in  a 
position  to  sit  back  and  enjoy  the  benefit  and  comforts  of  his  well-earned 
home. 

Lars  P.  Larsen,  general  farmer  and  stockman,  Douglas  township,  was 
born  on  October  14,  1870,  in  Denm.ark.  He  is  a  son  of  Lars  and  Gertrude 
Larsen.  Mr.  Larsen  attended  school  in  his  native  land,  but  quit  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  to  work  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  remained  until  nineteen 
years  old.  He  came  to  America  alone  on  the  German  ship,  "Weser,"  landing 
in  Baltimore. 

Arriving  in  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  in  1890,  he  worked  on  a  farm  in 
Sharon  township  for  one  year,  after  which  he  went  to  Melville  township, 
where  he  remained  two  years.  From  this  place  he  went  to  Minnesota, 
worked  on  a  farm  one  year,  and  then  came  back  to  Audubon,  rented  a  farm 
of  eighty  acres  near  Hamlin  for  one  year.  Giving  this  farm  up,  he  rented 
another  in  Sharon  for  two  years,  and  later  rented  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in 
section  32  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  to  which  he  shortly  afterward  added  another  of 
forty  acres,  for  which  he  paid  thirty  dollars  an  acre.  Seeing  an  opportunity 
to  reap  a  profit,  he  sold  forty  acres  of  his  farm  four  or  five  years  later,  and 
bouglit  eighty  acres  one  mile  north  of  his  place.  Mr.  Larsen  has  put  about 
six  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  improvements  on  his  farm,  including  drainage. 
The  principal  crops  to  which  he  gives  his  attention  are  corn  and  small  grain, 
the  corn  yielding  about  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  the  oats  about  thirty- 
five.    He  feeds  about  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  and  a  car  of  cattle  each  year. 

Mr.  Larsen  is  a  Baptist,  and  holds  the  office  of  treasurer  in  his  church, 
at  which  he  is  a  regular  attendant.     He  has  also  held  some  of  the  township . 
offices,  among  them  being  treasurer  for  a  term  of  five  years,  trustee  four 
years,  and  was  elected  school  director  in   191 5.     He  has  always  voted  the 
Republican  ticket. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  never  came  to  this  country,  preferring  to 
remain  in  the  land  of  their  birth.     His  father  was  a  farmer  in  Denmark,  and 


656  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

owned  about  eighty  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  between 
Germany  and  Denmark.  To  him  and  his  wife,  Gertrude,  were  born  five 
children,  Anna,  Lars,  Nets,  Christiana,  Martin.  Anna  and  Christiana  live  in 
Denmark.     Martin  lives  on  a  farm  in  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county. 

In  1894,  Lars  P.  Larsen  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Larsen, 
daughter  of  Martin  Larsen,  of  Sharon  township,  at  the  home  of  the  bride. 
They  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  Esther,  Alfred,  Arthur,  Gertrude,  Stella, 
Myrtle.  Esther  received  her  education  at  the  Des  Moines  College  and  is  now 
teaching  music.     The  other  children  are  at  home. 


HENRY  MINERMAN. 


One  of  the  best-known,  most  progressive  and  most  prosperous  farmers 
of  Greeley  township,  this  county,  is  Henry  Minerman,  a  native  of  Germany, 
who  came  to  this  country  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  landing  in  the 
city  of  New  Orleans  on  the  day  which  marked  the  deadly  riot  in  that  city 
following  the  election  of  General  Grant  to  the  Presidency,  in  which  twelve 
persons  were  killed.  His  first  impressions  of  this  country,  therefore,  were 
not  of  the  most  agreeable  character  and  he  would  have  turned  back  to  his 
native  land,  had  he  been  able  to  do  so.  Needless  to  say,  he  never  since  has 
had  cause  to  regret  that  he  did  not  follow  his  inclination  to  flee  from  what  he 
first  regarded  as  a  land  of  violence  and  sudden  death. 

Henry  Minerman  was  born  on  January  30,  1850,  in  Osnabruck,  Han- 
over, Germany.  His  mother  was  an  Ellinghouse.  His  father  died  when 
Henry  was  three  years  old,  leaving  a  widow  and  another  son,  Charles ;  the 
latter  now  lives  in  Matamoras,  Pennsylvania.  Upon  his  father's  death, 
Henry  was  adopted  into  another  family  and  was  carefully  reared,  receiving 
a  good  education  in  his  native  land.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  came  to 
America,  reaching  New  Orleans,  as  noted  above,  on  the  day  of  the  deadly 
election  riots.  He  proceeded  up  the  river  to  St.  Louis,  en  route  to  the  home 
of  his  aunt,  near  Johannesburg,  Illinois,  where  he  lived  for  eight  years,  work- 
ing on  the  farm,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  Johnson  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  worked  for  a  year  or  two  and  where  he  was  married.  In  the  spring 
of  1882  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  this  state,  buying  eighty  acres  of  rail- 
road land  in  Greeley  township,  giving  for  the  same  ten  dollars  an  acre,  and 
on  this  farm  ever  since  has  made  his  home.  He  prospered  here  and  in  1892 
bought  an  additional  tract  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  sections  21 
and  27,  in  Greeley  township,  to  which  he  since  has  added  one  hundred  and 


K 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  657 

twenty  acres  in  the  same  township.  He  has  recently  built  an  entirely  new 
set  of  buildings  on  the  home  farm  in  section  21,  and  now  has  one  of  the  best- 
equipped  and  best-tilled  farms  in  that  part  of  the  county. 

In  October,  1877,  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  Henry  Minerman  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Watson,  who  was  born  in  Burroughs  county,  Illi- 
nois, the  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  A.  (How)  Watson,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and  the  latter  of  Ireland.  To  this  union 
seven  children  have  been  born,  of  whom  six  are  living :  Charles,  who  lives 
in  South  Dakota,  married  Bertie  May,  to  which  union  four  children  were 
born:  Leonard,  Vivian,  Beatrice  and  Marcella;  William,  who  lives  in  Cali- 
fornia, married  Ada  Mason  and  has  one  child,  Wilma;  Minnie,  who  married 
William  Wahlert,  lives  in  Aneta,  Iowa,  and  has  four  children;  Harold, 
Lyman,  Ruth  Vellma  and  Hazel  Eunice;  Bertie,  who  attended  the  Dennison 
high  school,  the  western  college  at  Harlan  and  Highland  Park  College  at  Des 
Moines,  is  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Greeley  township ;  Veda,  who  followed 
the  same  course  of  training,  also  is  teaching  in  the  Greeley  township  schools, 
and  Walter  is  a  student  in  the  Exira  high  school. 

Mr.  Minerman  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  while  his  wife  and 
Bertie  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church.  He  is  a  Republican  and  takes 
an  active  interest  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  county.  He  is  a  substantial 
citizen  and  very  popular  with  all  who  know  him. 


CHRIST  JENSEN. 


Christ  Jensen,  who  owns  a  farm  of  a  hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  Doug- 
las township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  who  is  a  well-known  farmer  and 
stockman  of  this  township,  was  born,  April  16,  1864,  the  son  of  Christian 
and  Karsen  Christians,  both  of  whom  spent  all  their  lives  in  their  native  land, 
Denmark.  Christian  Christians  owned  a  small  farm  of  twenty-seven  acres 
in  Denmark.  He  served  in  the  war  of  1864  between  Germany  and  Denmark 
as  a  private  soldier,  and  died  in  his  native  land.  Christian  and  Karsen 
Christians  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  Mary,  Christ,  Jens  and  Sophia. 

Christ  Jensen  attended  school  in  Denmark  until  fourteen  years  of  age, 

when  he  began  working  out.     After  working  out  for  two  or  three  years  he 

came  to  America,  landing  in  New  York  City.     From  there  he  traveled  to 

Independence,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm  and  in  the  timber  for  two 

(42) 


658  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he  moved  to  Shelby  county  and  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land,  where  he  lived  until  1892,  when  he  sold  out  his  farm 
and  all  his  property  and  bought  a  farm  in  section  15,  of  Douglas  township, 
Audubon  county,  comprising  eighty  acres.  Mr.  Jensen  paid  twenty  dollars 
an  acre  for  the  farm,  and  since  this  time  has  been  increasing  his  holdings  of 
farm  land  until  he  now  owns  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  He  has  invested 
some  four  thousand  dollars  in  all  kinds  of  improvements  and  his  farm  is 
especially  well  drained.     His  principal  crops  are  corn  and  small  grain. 

In  1890  Christ  Jensen  was  married  to  Mary  Jensen,  daughter  of  Louis 
Jensen,  a  citizen  of  Elkhorn.  To  them  have  been  born  seven  children,  John, 
Lydia,  Larson.  Joseph,  Alex,  Alvin  and  Ella.  John  married  Pearl  Cofman 
and  they  live  in  Audubon.  The  remainder  of  the  family  are  living  at  home. 
Two  of  the  children  are  attending  school. 

A  member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church.  ]\Ir.  Jensen  has  been  secre- 
tary and  trustee  of  the  congregation  for  the  past  ten  years.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can in  politics,  and  has  served  as  school  director  for  one  year,  and  as  road 
supervisor  for  three  or  four  years. 

Not  only  is  Christ  Jensen  well  known  as  a  farmer,  but  he  is  well  known 
as  an  enterprising  and  valuable  citizen  of  Douglas  township.  Like  so  many 
of  his  fellow  countrymen  he  has  become  thoroughly  accustomed  to  the  ways 
and  manners  of  this  country,  and  no  land  is  nearer  and  dearer  to  him  than 
America,  and  no  flag  is  more  beautiful  than  the  stars  and  stripes. 


ANDREW  P.  HANSON. 


Among  the  citizens  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who  have  built  up  com- 
fortable homes  and  surrounded  themselves  with  valuable  personal  property 
and  real  property  as  well,  few  have  attained  a  greater  degree  of  success  than 
Andrew  P.  Hanson,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Oakfield  township.  With  few 
opportunities  except  what  his  own  efforts  were  capable  of  mastering  and  with 
many  discouragements  to  overcome  he  has  achieved  an  exceptional  success  in 
life,  and  now  has  the  gratification  of  knowing  that  the  community  has  been 
benefited  by  his  presence  and  by  his  counsel.  He  is  regarded  as  a  good  busi- 
ness man  and  excellent  manager,  a  man  possessed  of  sound  judgment  and 
keen  foresight,  and  one  who  believes  in  always  pressing  forward.  Mr.  Han- 
son has  ever  enjoyed  the  respect  and  esteem  of  those  who  know  him.     His 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA,  659 

friendly  manner,  his  business  ability,  his  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  upright 
living  has  won  for  him  the  universal  esteem  of  the  people  of  Audubon  county. 

Andrew  P.  Hanson  was  born  on  April  7,  1869,  at  Fyn,  Denmark,  son  of 
Jens  and  Karen  (Axelsen)  Hanson,  both  natives  of  Denmark.  The  former 
was  born  on  March  10,  1836,  and  the  latter  on  June  4,  1830.  Jens  P.  Han- 
son received  his  education  in  Denmark.  His  parents  were  very  poor,  and  he 
had  to  start  out  early  in  life  and  work  as  a  farm  hand.  He  served  in  the 
German  and  Danish  War  of  1864.  By  careful  economy  he  managed  to  save 
part  of  his  wages,  both  in  his  native  land  and  in  this  country.  He  came  to 
America  in  1874  and  located  at  Avoca,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  a  house  for 
thirty  dollars.  It  was  twelve  feet  square.  Mr.  Hanson  started  to  work  for 
the  railroad  as  a  section  hand,  and  was  thus  employed  for  four  years.  After 
this  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  in  section  4,  of  Oakfield  township.  This 
land  was  bought  from  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  at  six  dollars  an  acre.  Mr. 
Hanson  paid  sixty-six  dollars  cash  for  the  first  payment.  Later  he  increased 
his  holdings  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 

Jens  and  Karen  (Axelsen)  Hanson  had  four  children,  Christian,  Chris- 
tiana, Lena  and  Andrew  P.  Christian  married  Botilda  Wolf.  Christiana 
married  Nels  Christensen.     Lena  married  Chris  Peterson. 

Andrew  P.  Hanson  received  a  very  limited  education  in  Avoca,  Iowa, 
where  he  attended  school  for  two  years.  Then  his  parents  moved  to  Audu- 
bon county.  Since  there  were  no  schools  in  the  township  where  they  settled, 
the  children  had  no  opportunity  of  continuing  their  studies.  Andrew  P. 
worked  at  herding  cattle  for  four  years.  His  father's  health  failed  and  he 
had  to  take  up  his  father's  work,  and  worked  for  him  until  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  old.  His  father  turned  over  the  farm  to  him,  which  is  the  place 
upon  which  he  is  now  living.  Mr.  Hanson  purchased  a  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  addition.  He  now  owns  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  He  has  put 
ten  thousand  dollars  worth  of  improvements  upon  the  place.  He  has  modern 
barns.  His  home  is  strictly  modern,  and  has  electric  lights,  hardwood  floors, 
and  all  other  conveniences.  Mr.  Hanson  raises  about  one  hundred  acres  of 
corn  a  year  which  averages  at  least  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre.  He  also  raises 
seventy  acres  of  small  grain,  which  produces  thirty-five  bushels  to  the  acre. 
Mr.  Hanson  feeds  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  cattle  a  year,  and  milks 
about  twenty  cows  the  year  round.  He  keeps  about  one  hundred  head  of 
cattle  on  the  place,  and  this  has  proved  a  very  profitable  investment. 

When  Andrew  P.  Hanson  was  twenty-one  years  old  he  was  elected 
revisor  of  the  West  Hamlin  cr}^     He  was  elected  president  of  the  cry  when 


66o  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 

he  was  twenty-five  years  old.  He  held  that  office  for  ten  years.  He  has  been 
township  trustee  of  Oakfield  township  for  ten  years. 

Andrew  P.  Hanson  was  married  on  December  27,  1893,  to  Elsie 
Katherine  Christensen,  daughter  of  Andrew  R.  and  Elsie  Mary  (Nelson) 
Christensen.  Ten  children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  Lillie,  James,  Mag- 
gie, Alfred,  Elsie,  Dollie,  William,  Hazel,  Russel  and  Ida.  All  are  living  at 
home.  Mrs.  Hanson  was  born  in  Denmark.  Her  parents  were  natives  of 
that  country.  Her  father  was  a  tailor  by  trade  and  has  followed  that  occupa- 
tion all  his  life.  He  was  born  in  Jutland,  Denmark,  January  3,  1844.  His 
wife  was  born  October  11,  1846,  and  died  January  3,  1884.  Andrew  R. 
Christensen  died  in  Denmark,  April  19,  191 5.  He  and  his  wife  had  four 
children,  Nels,  Trena,  Thomas  and  Elsie. 

Mr.  Hanson's  father  died  October  19,  1895,  ^^^  his  mother  died  Decem- 
ber II,  1903. 

In  politics  iVndrew  P.  Hanson  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Seventh  Day  Adventist  church,  and  has  been  an  elder  in  the  church  for  a 
good  many  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  church  conference  of  the  state 
of  Iowa,  and  is  president  of  the  Marne  and  Elkhorn  Telephone  Company. 


AUGUST  KIENAST. 


This  country  has  long  been  known  as  the  land  of  opportunity,  but  it 
required  a  high  degree  of  courage  and  industry  to  turn  the  possibilities  into 
reality.  When  a  young  man  is  willing  to  forsake  the  land  of  his  birth,  and 
allow  hundreds  of  miles  to  separate  him  from  his  dear  ones,  it  is  evident  that 
he  considers  America  the  finest  country  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  and  is  will- 
ing to  pay  the  price  in  resolute  endeavor  that  will  win  success  in  his  adopted 
country.  This  has  been  exemplified  in  the  life  of  the  man  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch. 

August  Kienast,  general  farmer  and  stockman,  of  Lincoln  township, 
Audubon  county,  was  born  in  Germany,  June  29,  1865.  He  came  to  America 
at  the  age  of  eight  years.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Michigan  until 
he  was  fourteen  years  old.  and  then  worked  on  a  farm  for  four  years,  when 
he  traveled  through  the  western  states  for  a  few  years.  Returning  home  in 
1887,  he  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  and  in  1909  bought 
the  balance  of  his  present  home  place  in  Lincoln  township,  amounting  in  all 
to  four  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  on  which  he  has  spent  about  ten  thou- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  66 1 

sand  dollars  in  improvements.  His  principal  crops  are  corn  and  small  grain, 
the  former  of  which  averages  about  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  the  latter 
about  thirty-five  bushels,  the  most  of  which  is  fed  to  the  stock  on  the  place. 
He  has  for  sale  each  year  a  large  number  of  cattle  and  about  a  carload  of 
hogs.  He  is  a  faithful  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  in  which 
he  has  held  the  ofiice  of  trustee.  He  is  a  stanch  believer  in  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  both  born  in  Germany,  the  father  being 
a  day  laborer  and  truck  farmer.  He  came  to  America  in  1873,  locating  in 
Michigan,  where  he  worked  in  a  saw-mill  for  four  years,  after  which  he 
moved  to  Atlantic,  Iowa,  and  worked  on  a  railroad  construction  train.  Having 
accumulated  sufficient  funds,  he  purchased  a  farm  of  forty  acres  near  Audu- 
bon, and  farmed  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  out  and 
went  to  Lincoln  Center,  where  he  bought  eighty  acres,  and  soon  after  added 
sixty  acres  more  to  his  possessions,  and  lived  on  the  place  until  he  died.  Their 
children  were  Wilhelmena,  August  and  Charles. 

August  Kienast  was  married  in  1889  to  Barbara  Ullrich,  of  Audubon 
county.  They  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  Herman,  Helena,  John,  Mary, 
Eliza,  Ida,  all  of  whom  are  at  home  but  two  girls.  Helena  and  Mary,  who  are 
in  Sioux  City.  Mrs.  Kienast  died  in  1900,  and  in  1912  Mr.  Kienast  married 
Mima  Reekman,  daughter  of  Henry  Reekman,  by  whom  he  had  three  chil- 
dren, Arthur,  Harrv  and  Hulda,  who  are  all  at  home. 


ANTHONY  MEURER. 


It  is  sometimes  considered  that  the  history  of  great  men  only  is  worthy 
of  preservation  and  little  merit  exists  among  the  masses  to  call  forth  the 
praises  of  the  historian  or  the  appreciation  of  the  public.  However,  a  care- 
ful study  of  the  lives  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  state  of  Iowa  will  teach  lessons 
of  patience  and  perseverance,  thrift  and  industry,  that  will  be  helpful  to  many 
and  are  worthy  of  permanent  record. 

Among  the  earlier  pioneer  citizens  of  Audubon  county,  is  Anthony 
Meurer,  a  retired  farmer  of  Greeley  township,  now  living  in  Exira. 

Anthony  Meurer  was  born  in  Germany,  December  6,  1837,  the  son  of 
Stephen  and  Barbara  Meurer,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  former  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade  and   followed  that  trade  in  Germany  until  he  came  to 


662  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

America  in  1841  and  located  at  Utica,  New  York,  where  he  followed  his  trade 
for  four  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time,  he  moved  to  Chicago,  Illinois,  and 
after  remaining  there  for  four  years,  moved  to  Freeport,  Illinois.  He  died 
there  in  1893  and  his  wife  died  in  1891.  He  was  born  in  1810  and  she  in 
1 82 1.     He  served  three  years  in  the  German  army. 

Stephen  and  Barbara  Meurer  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  as  follow : 
Anthony,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mary,  who  is  deceased,  married  Joseph 
Gozell;  Emma  married  Joseph  Diggon;  Kate  married  Joseph  Kirver;  Ger- 
trude married  William  Hamilton;  John  married  Anna  Broady. 

Anthony  Meurer  attended  school  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  until  his  parents 
moved  to  Freeport,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  in  a  brick-yard  for  six  years. 
He  then  secured  a  position  as  a  farm  hand  and  worked  in  that  capacity  until 
he  was  married.  After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Meurer  rented  a  farm  for  a  few 
years.  In  1873  he  worked  on  a  cattle  ranch  as  a  stock  feeder.  In  1878  he 
came  to  Audubon  county  and  located  in  Greeley  township.  He  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  1875  for  which  he  paid  twelve  dollars  an  acre  for 
eighty  acres  and  twenty-two  and  one-half  dollars  for  the  other  eighty.  At 
one  time  he  had  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land.  He  was  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  raised  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  head  of  hogs 
and  fifty  head  of  cattle  each  year. 

Anthony  Meurer  was  married  on  December  7,  1863,  to  Mary  Kriebs, 
the  daughter  of  Joseph  Kriebs.  Six  children  were  born  to  this  marriage,  as 
follow :  John  married  Delilah  Lee  and  has  four  children,  Lola,  Thomas, 
Danell  and  Lula;  Frank  married  Jennie  May  and  has  three  children,  John, 
Bernard  and  Albert ;  Joseph  is  single ;  Mary  married  Frank  Beers  and  has  six 
children,  Bert,  George,  Orville,  Joseph,  Margaret  and  Mary;  Anna  married 
Frank  Duvall  and  has  five  children,  Nellie,  Olive,  Clark,  Mildred  and  Martha; 
Emma  married  Bert  May  and  has  six  children,  Gerald,  Elwein,  Franklin, 
Chester,  Arnold  and  Arlene.  Mrs.  Anthony  Meurer  was  born  in  Germany 
and  came  to  America  with  her  parents  when  three  years  old.  They  located 
at  Galena,  Illinois,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  had 
six  children.     Mrs.  Meurer  died  on  November  22,  1914. 

Mr.  Meurer  and  family  are  devout  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 
Mr.  Meurer  has  served  as  school  director  and  road  commissioner.  He  is  a 
Republican.  During  the  Civil  War,  he  enlisted  in  the  Seventh  Illinois  Cavalry 
and  served  nine  months.  Anthony  Meurer  is  a  good  citizen  and  has  been  an 
enterprising  farmer.  By  hard  labor  he  acquired  a  competence  for  his  declin- 
ing years  and  now  is  able  to  live  upon  the  fruits  of  his  toil. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  663 

i 

LAURITZ  PETERSEN. 

Lauritz  Petersen  is  one  of  the  best-known  general  farmers  and  stock 
raisers  of  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa.  Mr.  Petersen  has 
prospered  since  coming  to  this  country,  and  now  owns  a  half  section  of  land, 
a  quarter  section  in  his  home  place  and  a  quarter  section  which  he  acquired  in 
two  different  purchases. 

Mr.  Petersen  was  born,  December  22,  i860,  in  Denmark,  the  son  of 
Peter  and  Mary  (Lawgian)  Eskesen,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Denmark. 
Peter  Eskesen  was  a  carpenter  in  Denmark.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  par- 
ents of  seven  children,  E.  L.,  Carl,  Lena,  Soren  W.,  Louritz,  and  two  who 
died  in  their  native  land.  Lena  and  Soren  are  still  living  in  Denmark.  E.  L. 
lives  in  Shelby  county,  and  Carl  lives  in  Harlan,  Shelby  county. 

Lauritz  Petersen  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land, 
quiting  school  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  on  the 
farm  by  the  month,  until  twenty  years  old,  when  he  came  to  America.  After 
landing  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  he  journeyed  to  Walnut,  Iowa,  where  he 
worked  on  a  farm  by  the  month  for  five  years.  At  the  end  of  this  period  he 
married  and  rented  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Shelby  county.  After  living 
there  for  five  years  he  removed  to  Audubon  county,  where  he  rented  a  farm 
near  Poplar  for  three  years.  Subsequently,  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county,  paying  twenty-five  dollars  an  acre  for 
the  farm.  A  year  later  he  bought  another  forty  acres  for  twenty-five  and  one- 
half  dollars  an  acre,  and  three  years  later  he  purchased  eighty  acres  more. 
One  of  these  forty-acre  tracts  he  traded  in  on  the  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  which  comprises  the  home  farm,  and  which  is  located  in  section  28,  in 
Douglas  township.  For  this  last  farm  Mr.  Petersen  paid  ninety-five  dollars 
an  acre.  About  five  thousand  dollars  have  been  invested  in  improvements  on 
the  place.  The  farm  is  thoroughly  fenced  with  a  hog-tight  fence.  Mr. 
Petersen's  principal  crops  are  corn  and  small  grain.  The  corn  averages  about 
fift}'  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  the  small  grain  about  thirty-five  bushels  to  the 
acre.  He  feeds  live  stock,  selling  at  least  a  carload  of  cattle  every  year  and 
about  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  head  of  hogs. 

Lauritz  Petersen  was  married  in  1885  to  Katrina  Hansen,  daughter  of 
Hans  Hansen,  who  was  a  native  of  Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Petersen  have 
eleven  children,  Mary,  Peter  E.,  Katie,  Hansen,  Soren  V.,  Xels,  Lauritz,  Jr., 
Lena,  Arthur,  Amanda  and  Elvina.  Mary  married  Nels  P.  Jensen,  they 
live  in  Sharon  township  and  have  two  children.     Peter  married  Stena  Clau- 


664  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

sen,  and  they  live  in  Douglas  township.  Katie  married  Peter  Madsen,  and 
they  live  in  Sharon  township.  Hansen  and  Soren  live  in  Douglas  township. 
The  remainder  of  the  family  are  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Petersen  has  served  as  school  director  for 
a  period  of  a  year.  The  Petersen  family  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church,  and  are  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  this  congregation. 

Lauritz  Petersen,  like  so  many  of  his  fellow  countrymen  who  have 
established  homes  and  acquired  comfortable  fortunes  in  this  countiy,  is  a 
good  citizen.  Intelligent,  broad-minded,  and  genial  in  his  relations  with  his 
fellows,  he  is  well  liked  in  the  neighborhood  where  he  lives  in  Douglas  town- 
ship. 


JENS  JACOBSEN. 


Among  the  younger  farmers  of  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  who  are  natives  of  Denmark,  and  who  have  made  a  success  of  farming 
in  their  adopted  country,  is  Jens  Jacobsen,  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  and  the 
proprietor  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Douglas  township. 

Jens  Jacobsen  was  born,  February  29,  1872,  in  Denmark,  the  son  of 
Jacob  and  Elsie  Jacobsen,  both  natives  of  Denmark.  Jacob  Jacobsen  was  a 
farmer  and  owned  twenty  acres  of  land  in  the  old  country.  He  and  his  wife 
had  three  children,  Stena,  Jacob  and  Jens.  Stena  and  Jacob  are  still  living  in 
Denmark. 

Jens  Jacobsen,  after  having  completed  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  land,  quit  school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  and  began  working  on  a 
farm,  at  which  he  continued  until  he  had  reached  his  majority.  Coming  to 
this  country,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Mr.  Jacobsen  first  lived  in  Canada, 
and  after  a  residence  in  Canada  of  a  brief  period  came  to  Audubon  county  in 
1893,  and  worked  on  a  farm  for  six  years.  Later. he  worked  for  the  Standard 
Oil  Company  at  Audubon  for  seven  years,  and  then  purchased  a  hundred 
acres  of  land  in  sections  33  and  34  of  Douglas  township.  Mr.  Jacobsen  has 
invested  about  six  thousand  dollars  in  various  improvements.  In  19 13  he 
built  a  new  house  which  cost  thirty-five  hundred  dollars.  His  principal  crops 
are  corn  and  small  grains.  His  corn  averages  about  fifty  bushels  and  his  oats 
about  thirty-five  bushels  to  the  acre.  Mr.  Jacobsen  feeds  most  of  the  grain  to 
hogs  and  cattle.  Every  year  he  sells  fifty  head  of  cattle  and  about  fifty  head 
of  hogs  from  the  farm. 

Jens  Jacobsen  was  married  in  1903  to  Mary  Christiansen,  the  daughter 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  665 

of  James  Christiansen.  Mrs.  Jacobsen's  parents  still  live  in  their  native  land, 
Denmark.  She  has  been  the  mother  of  four  children,  Carl  Elmer,  Seguro 
Chris,  Ruben  Saxholm,  and  Hars^ey  Korguard.  All  of  these  children  live  at 
home  with  their  parents.    The  three  eldest  children  attend  the  country  school. 

Mr.  Jacobsen  is  a  Republican.  He  has  served  as  school  director  in 
Douglas  township,  and  for  many  years  has  been  prominent  in  the  local  affairs 
of  the  Republican  party.  The  Jacobsen  family  are  all  members  of  the  Danish 
Lutheran  church,  and  attend  the  services  of  this  church  with  great  regularity. 

Jens  Jacobsen  is  popular  in  Douglas  township  and  well  and  favorably 
known  throughout  this  section.  He  is  today  a  stanch  American  who  believes 
in  our  institutions  and  our  government,  and  who,  if  called  upon,  would  be 
willing  to  give  valiant  service  in  the  cause  of  freedom. 


HANS  P.  RASMUSSEN. 


A  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Douglas  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  and  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  is  Hans  P.  Rasmussen,  who 
owns  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  the  township. 

Mr.  Rasmussen  was  born,  July  28,  1861,  in  Denmark,  the  son  of  Rasmus 
and  Malen  Hansen,  both  natives  of  Denmark.  The  father,  a  farm  hand  in 
his  native  land,  served  in  the  war  between  Germany  and  Denmark  in  1848  to 
1850.  Rasmus  and  Malen  Hansen  had  nine  children,  Hanna,  Christiana. 
Kerstinia,  P.  H.,  Anna,  Christ.  Christianna.  Martin  and  Christian.  All  but 
three  members  of  the  family  live  in  Denmark.  Anna  lives  in  Cedar  Falls ; 
Christianna  lives  in  the  state  of  Washington,  and  Hans  P.  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

Hans  P.  Rasmussen  received  his  education  in  the  country  schools  of 
Denmark,  which  he  attended  until  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  worked  on  a 
farm  in  Denmark  until  twenty  years  old,  and  then  came  to  this  country  in 
1 88 1,  on  a  Scandinavian  steamship  line,  landing  in  New  York  City.  After 
being  in  New  York  City  for  a  brief  time  he  came  to  Exira,  Audubon  county, 
living  for  a  time  with  his  uncle.  For  five  years  Mr.  Rasmussen  worked  on 
neighboring  farms  and  for  a  time  worked  on  the  railroad  as  a  section  hand 
near  Atlantic.  Subsequently,  he  rented  a  farm  in  Oakfield  township,  Audu- 
bon county,  and  lived  there  for  one  year.  He  then  moved  to  Douglas  town- 
ship, and  rented  land  for  seventeen  years,  eventually  purchasing  a  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  section  14  at  a  hundred  and  fifteen  dollars  an  acre. 


666  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Mr.  Rasmussen  has  invested  about  four  thousand  dollars  in  improvements 
to  the  farm.  His  principal  crops  are  corn  and  small  grains,  the  corn  averag- 
ing about  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre  and  the  small  grain  about  forty  bushels. 

In  1886  Hans  P.  Rasmussen  was  married  to  Mary  Matilda  Rasmussen. 
The  marriage  took  place  at  Atlantic.  To  this  marriage  have  been  born  six 
children,  Clarence,  Nora,  Albert,  Martin,  Martha,  and  Marinus,  who  is 
deceased.  Mrs.  Rasmussen  died  in  1898  in  Douglas  township.  In  1900  Mr. 
Rasmussen  was  married  to  Matilda  Knudsen,  daughter  of  Christ  Knudsen,  a 
native  of  Denmark.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  the  second  marriage, 
Joshua,  Rudolph,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Rasmussen  has  served  as  school  director 
in  Douglas  township  for  fifteen  or  seventeen  years.  He  and  his  wife  and 
family  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  in  which  he  has  served 
as  trustee. 

Hans  P.  Rasmussen  is  a  well-known  farmer  of  Douglas  township,  an 
enterprising  citizen  and  a  good  neighbor.  He  is  popular  in  the  locality 
where  he  lives. 


NELS  CHRISTIAN  NELSEN  SCHMIDT. 

One  of  the  most  valuable  farms  in  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  is  that  owned  by  Nels  Christian  Nelsen  Schmidt,  a  well-known  farmer 
and  stockman  of  this  township.  Mr.  Schmidt  was  born  on  June  22,  1861,  in 
Denmark,  and  is  the  son  of  Nels  Nelsen  and  Maria  Schmidt,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  that  country,  where  the  former  was  a  farmer  and  a  laborer. 
He  died  in  Denmark  in  1881  and  two  years  later  his  widow,  the  mother  of 
Nels  Christian,  came  to  America  and  lived  with  her  son.  They  had  four 
children,  Peter,  Else,  Nels  C.  N.  and  Hans  N.  Peter  and  Else  are  deceased. 
Hans  N.  is  a  farmer  in  Douglas  township,  Audubon  county. 

Nels  C.  N.  Schmidt  received  practically  all  of  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  land,  having  quit  school  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  after  which 
he  worked  on  a  farm  for  five  and  a  half  years.  He  then  served  his  time  in 
the  Danish  army.  In  1882  he  came  to  America,  landing  in  New  York  and 
remaining  there  for  one  year.  From  New  York  he  went  to  Shelby  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  worked  for  three  years  on  a  farm.  From  Shelby  county  he 
moved  to  Audubon  county  in  1887  and  rented  land  for  two  years.  He  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land  in  1889,  for  which  he  paid  seventeen  dollars  an 
acre.     This  farm  was  located  in  section  22,  in  Douglas  township.     In  1901 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  66/ 

Mr.  Schmidt  bought  fifty  acres  adjoining  the  original  eighty,  for  which  he 
paid  forty  dollars  an  acre.  In  19 14  he  bought  sixty  acres  for  one  hundred 
and  forty  dollars  an  acre.  In  all  he  now  owns  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres. 
His  principal  crops  are  corn  and  small  grains.  The  corn  averages  in  excess 
of  fifty-five  bushels  to  the  acre  and  the  small  grains  about  forty  bushels. 
Most  all  of  the  grain  is  fed  to  live  stock.  Mr.  Schmidt  sells  about  fifteen 
head  of  cattle  and  from  fifty  to  sixty  head  of  hogs  every  year.  He  raises  an 
extra  good  grade  of  stock  and  will  have  no  other  kind  on  the  place. 

In  1888  Nels  C.  N.  Schmidt  was: married  to  Maren  Ludwig,  the  daughter 
of  Soren  D.  Ludwig,  a  native  of  Denmark.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schmidt  were 
married  in  Shelby  county.  They  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  as  follow : 
Karsen  E.  M.,  lives  at  home;  Soren  N.,  married  a  daughter  of  George  Jen- 
sen and  lives  in  Douglas  township;  Elena,  Sr.,  died  in  1894,  and  Elena,  Jr., 
lives  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schmidt  belong  to  the  Danish  Lutheran  church.  Mr. 
Schmidt  served  as  secretary  of  this  congregation  for  a  great  many  years  and 
is  also  trustee.  For  one  year  he  was  school  director  in  Douglas  township. 
He  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Schmidt  is  one  of  the  well-known  citizens  of  this  section  of  Audu- 
bon county.  He  is  known  to  be  a  man  who  pays  strict  attention  to  his  own 
business,  who  is  scrupulous  in  his  dealings  with  others  and  whose  word  is  as 
good  as  his  bond.  Naturally,  Mr.  Schmidt  is  a  popular  citizen  of  Douglas 
township. 


ISAAC  PERCY  HALLOCK. 

In  1866,  when  the  Hallock  family  was  established  in  Audubon  county, 
the  very  first  settlers  were  arriving  here,  so  that  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the 
family  has  been  connected  with  the  history  of  Audubon  county,  and  especially 
the  agricultural  life,  practically  ever  since  it  was  occupied  by  white  people. 
It  is  true  that  there  were  settlers  in  Audubon  county  before  1866,  but  they 
were  very  few,  and  the  county  had  made  no  considerable  progress  in  any  line 
before  that  time.  The  remarkable  success  of  this  family  in  agriculture  is  to 
be  attributed,  not  only  to  the  fact  that  the  family  was  established  in  the  county 
when  land  was  cheap,  but  to  the  peculiar  genius  which  the  two  generations 
here  have  shown  for  the  business  of  farming. 

Isaac  Percy  Hallock,  one  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  of  Exira  and 
Oakfield  townships,  who  is  a  representative  of  the  third  generation  in  Audu- 


668  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

bon  county,  but  who  really  is  a  representative  of  the  second  generation  of 
large  landowners,  is  one  of  the  few  well-known  farmers  who  is  a  native  of 
the  county.  He  was  born  on  February  13,  1883,  on  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives.  His  parents,  Isaac  and  Malinda  Ann  (Norton)  Hallock,  came  here  in 
a  very  early  day.  The  former,  who  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1840,  came  to 
Audubon  county  with  his  parents  when  sixteen  years  old.  They  located  on 
the  farm  where  Isaac  Percy  Hallock  is  now  living,  entering  the  land  from 
the  government.  Coming  from  Illinois  in  a  prairie  schooner  they  engaged  in 
general  farming,  and  while  Isaac  and  Malinda  Ann  (Norton)  Hallock  started 
in  this  county  with  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  government  land,  they 
increased  their  holdings  gradually  from  year  to  year  until  they  owned  twenty- 
five  hundred  acres  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Hallock's  death.  He  was  known  to  be 
the  largest  stock  feeder  in  the  county.  When  the  family  first  came  to  Audubon 
county  they  were  compelled  to  haul  their  produce  to  Omaha  and  Des  Moines 
by  wagon.  Isaac  and  Malinda  Hallock  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
Harriett,  Clarence,  Alice  (deceased),  and  Isaac  Percy.  Charles,  Mary  and 
Irene  died  in  infancy. 

Educated  in  the  schools  of  Exira  township,  Isaac  Percy  Hallock  saw 
the  opportunities  for  farming  in  this  section,  and  after  quitting  school  took 
up  this  occupation  with  his  father,  w-ith  whom  he  was  engaged  until  he  w'as 
twenty-one  years  old.  When  he  had  reached  his  majority  he  began  farming 
for  himself  by  renting  land  from  his  father,  and  at  the  latter's  death  he 
received  a  part  of  the  estate,  and  now-  controls  about  eight  hundred  acres  of 
the  best  land  to  be  found  in  Audubon  county.  Ordinarily,  Mr.  Hallock  keeps 
about  two  hundred  head  of  cattle  on  his  farm  and  feeds  out  two  hundred  and 
fifty  head  of  hogs  every  year.  His  farm  is  exceptional  in  one  respect,  in  that 
he  has  about  one  hundred  acres  of  timber  on  the  land.  Naturally,  this  timber 
is  very  valuable  in  a  prairie  country,  and  Mr.  Hallock  is  conserving  it  to  a 
time  when  its  value  will  reach  a  maximum,  and  when  he  can  enjoy  the  full 
benefit  of  the  policy  he  has  followed. 

Mr.  Hallock  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the 
P)enevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  belongs  to  the  latter  order  at 
Atlantic.     He  is  a  Republican. 

It  can  hardly  be  expected  that  a  young  man  who  has  under  his  care  and 
supervision  eight  hundred  acres  of  land  can  find  much  time  for  political  or 
civic  activities,  and  Mr.  Hallock  has  shown  rare  wisdom  in  devotine  his  time, 
his  energy  and  his  ability  to  his  own  private  business.  In  developing  his  farm 
to  the  maximum  point  of  production  he  is  perhaps  doing  more  for  the  com- 
munity where  he  lives  than  he  might  possibly  do  by  neglecting  his  farm  and 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  669 

devoting  his  time  to  public  interests.  This  is  especially  true  since  Iowa's  pros- 
perity depends  for  its  permanence  upon  the  volume  of  agricultural  production. 
Having  reached  the  real  crisis  in  this  country,  when  the  population  has  caught 
up  with  and  passed  the  production  and  supply  of  food,  it  is  a  potent  truth 
that  farmers  may  serve  their  country  best  by  doing  everything  in  their  power 
to  augment  the  production  and  conserve  the  fertility  of  their  farms.  In  this 
respect  Isaac  Percy  Hallock  deserves  to  rank  as  a  young  man,  whose  good 
work  is  growing  year  by  year. 


PETER  ANDERSEN. 


One  of  the  old-time  residents  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  a  man  who 
has  contributed  much  to  the  success  of  farming  in  Douglas  township,  is  Peter 
Andersen,  a  well-known  farmer  and  stockman. 

Peter  Andersen  was  born  in  Denmark,  April  14,  1846,  and  is  the  son  of 
Lars  and  Martha  Andersen,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Denmark.  The 
father  was  a  shoemaker  in  his  native  land  and  came  to  America  in  1853. 
After  landing  in  New  York  he  went  directly  to  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  where 
he  worked  on  various  farms.  Subsequently  he  was  able  to  purchase  a  farm 
in  Wisconsin,  and  after  having  bought  eighty  acres,  farmed  in  that  state  for 
eighteen  years.  He  and  his  wife  had  four  children,  L.  N.,  Morris,  Anna 
and  Peter.  L.  N.  Andersen  lives  in  Chicago.  Peter  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.     Morris  is  farming  in  Missouri.    Anna  lives  in  California. 

Peter  Andersen  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  seven  years.  He,  remained 
with  his  father  until  the  latter's  death,  working  on  the  farm  during  this 
period.  After  his  father's  death,  Peter  took  the  farm  in  his  own  hands  and 
managed  it  for  eleven  years.  Eventually,  he  sold  the  farm  and  moved  to 
Cass  county,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm  for  one  year.  He  then  came 
to  Audubon  county  in  1884  and  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  in  Douglas  township,  in  sections  26  and  35.  Fourteen  years  later  Mr. 
Andersen  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  adjoining  and  kept  on 
adding  land  until  he  owned  four  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Some  time  ago, 
however,  he  began  selling  his  land  and  has  now  sold  all  but  one  hundred 
acres,  the  farm  upon  which  he  lives. 

Peter  Andersen  was  married  in  1873  to  Dortha  Jorgensen,  a  native  of 
Denmark.  They  were  married  in  Wisconsin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andersen  are 
the  parents  of  six  children,  as  follow :     G.  J.,  married  Mary  Nelsen,  lives  in 


670  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Douglas  township  and  has  five  children;  W.  M.,  married  a  Miss  Petersen  and 
lives  in  California;  F.  G.,  married  Mary  Jensen  and  lives  in  Canada j"^ 
Amanda,  died  in  1903 ;  Bertha,  married  John  Jensen  and  lives  in  Douglas 
township;  Edna,  married  Peter  Hansen  and  lives  in  Carroll  county. 

Mr  Andersen  has  about  seven  thousand  dollars  invested  in  improve- 
ments on  his  one  hundred-acre  farm.  His  principal  crops  are  corn  and  oats. 
His  corn  averages  about  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre  and  his  oats  about  thirty- 
five.  Ordinarily,  Mr.  Andersen  sells  a  carload  of  cattle  and  fifty  head  of 
hogs  every  year.  His  farm  has  about  four  hundred  rods  of  tiling  upon  it. 
In  1907  he  built  a  new  house,  which  cost  three  thousand  dollars.  This  house 
is  thoroughly  modern  in  every  respect  and  is  a  credit  to  Mr.  Andersen's 
ability  as  a  farmer. 

Mr.  Andersen  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  as  township  school  director 
and  road  supervisor.  The  Andersen  family  are  members  of  the  Danish 
Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Andersen  was  president  of  the  church  for  twelve 
years.  Not  only  is  he  prominent  as  a  farmer  and  in  the  church  of  which  he 
and  his  family  are  devoted  members,  but  he  also  takes  a  keen  interest  in  all 
civic  matters. 


TED  S.  THYGESEN. 


Ted  S.  Thygesen,  a  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Douglas  town- 
ship, Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fine 
farming  land  in  this  township,  was  born  March  22,  1869,  in  Denmark,  the 
son  of  Soren  K.  and  Mary  Thygesen,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  where  the 
former  was  a  day  laborer.  Soren  K.  Thygesen  served  in  the  War  of  1864, 
assisting  principally  in  hauling  the  wounded  to  headquarters.  He  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  George,  Ted  S.,  Soren,  May,  Katie  and 
Anna,  all  of  whom  except  Anna  have  come  to  the  United  States.  George  and 
Soren  are  farmers  in  Sharon  township.  Katie  lives  in  Cameron  township. 
May  died  in  infancy. 

Ted  S.  Thygesen,  after  having  received  a  limited  education  in  the  schools 
of  the  old  country,  quit  school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  to  work  on  the  farm. 
From  the  time  he  was  fourteen  until  the  time  he  was  twenty,  he  was  engaged 
as  a  farm  worker  and  then  came  to  the  United  States,  in  the  meantime 
having  accumulated  five  hundred  dollars.  After  landing  at  New  York  City, 
he  went  to  Brayton,  Iowa,  and  worked  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Brayton 
for  three  years.     After  this  he  rented  a  farm  in  Cass  county,  Iowa,  for  three 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  67 1 

years  and  then  moved  to  Adams  county,  where  he  rented  a  farm  for  six 
years.  Finally,  he  located  in  Audubon  county  in  1894  and  purchased  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  sections  15  and  22,  in  Douglas  township.  Three 
years  later  he  bought  forty  acres  adjoining  his  original  farm  and  here  he  now 
lives.  Mr.  Thygesen  has  invested  about  five  thousand  dollars  in  various  kinds 
of  improvements  on  the  farm,  including  ditches,  drains,  fences  and  outbuild- 
ings. He  feeds  most  of  the  grain  he  raises  to  stock  which  he  keeps  on  the 
farm.     He  sells  from  sixty  to  seventy  head  of  hogs  each  year. 

Ted  S.  Thygesen  was  married  in  1897  to  Mary  Jensen,  daughter  of 
Lars  Jensen,  a  native  of  Denmark.  To  this  union  eight  children  have  been 
born,  Anna,  Laura,  William,  Katie,  Bertha,  Christ,  Minnie  and  Lydia.  All 
of  these  children  are  living  at  home. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Thygesen  has  served  as  director  of  the 
township  schools  and  has  filled  this  office  for  two  terms,  a  period  of  six 
years.  Religiously,  the  Thygesen  family  are  members  of  the  Danish  Luth- 
eran church  of  Douglas  township. 

Mr.  Thygesen  is  entirely  unassuming  and  wholly  unaffected  by  the  suc- 
cess which  he  has  achieved  in  his  adopted  country.  Like  so  many  of  his 
countrymen  who  have  come  to  America,  he  has  succeeded,  no  doubt,  far 
beyond  what  he  would  ever  have  been  able  to  accomplish  in  his  native  land. 
He  is  a  man  who  takes  a  patriotic  pride  in  the  institutions  of  this  country 
and  who  believes  thoroughly  in  the  American  spirit  of  industry  and  who  him- 
self has  labored  hard  and  unceasingly  for  the  fortune  he  has  accumulated. 
Mr.  Thygesen  is  well  liked  by  all  his  neighbors. 


GEORGE  LEE  WULF. 


George  Lee  Wulf,  who  owns  an  excellent  farm  in  Exira  township, 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is  a  comparatively  young  farmer,  who  was  born 
April  25,  1881,  at  Davenport,  Iowa.  He  is  a  son  of  Wilhelm  and  Sophia 
(Henning)  Wulf,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany.  William  Wulf 
came  to  America  when  he  was  quite  a  young  man,  and  after  arriving  in  this 
country,  located  temporarily  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  in  a 
saw-mill  most  of  the  time.  He  also  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  the  vicinity 
of  Davenport.  After  his  marriage  in  the  latter  city  in  1883  he  moved  to 
Audubon  county,  settling  in  Audubon  township,  where  he  rented  land  for 
five  years.     At  the  end  of  this  period  he  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty 


^^2  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

acres  of  land  in  Exira  township  and  began  farming  for  himself.  Later  he 
became  an  extensive  stock  raiser  and  farmer,  which  occupation  he  followed 
until  about  1900,  when  he  retired  from  active  farm  life.  He  is  still  living  on 
his  farm  in  Exira  township.  His  son,  Henry,  has  managed  the  home  farm 
practically  ever  since  his  fathers  retirement  in  1900.  William  and  Sophia 
(Henning)  Wulf  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  Carrie,  Mattie,  Minnie, 
Henry,  William,  Fred,  John  and  George. 

George  Lee  Wulf,  after  having  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  Audubon  and  Exira  townships,  left  school  and  farmed  with  his 
father  until  the  latter  part  of  1912,  when  he  began  farming  for  himself 
on  the  farm  where  he  is  now  living.  Mr.  Wulf  has  invested  some  three 
thousand  dollars  in  various  kinds  of  improvements  on  his  farm,  and  is  known 
throughout  the  township  as  a  very  successful  young  farmer.  Ordinarily 
he  raises  about  thirty-five  acres  of  corn  and  has  about  the  same  acreage  in 
small  grains  each  year.  He  also  raises  about  twenty  acres  of  hay  annually, 
feeding  all  his  grain  and  hay  to  live  stock,  and  has  been  more  than  ordinarily 
successful  in  this  branch  of  agriculture. 

On  February  4,  191 2,  George  Lee  Wulf  was  married  to  Kate  Killen, 
the  daughter  of  Robert  Killen,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been 
born,  Raymond  and  Olive. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Wulf  has  not  been  particularly  active 
in  the  councils  of  his  party,  having  devoted  all  of  his  time  and  attention 
to  his  agricultural  interests.  He  has  made  many  friends  in  his  neighbor- 
hood and  is  well  known  as  an  industrious,  honorable  and  broad-minded 
farmer  and  citizen. 


CHRIST  CHRISTENSEN. 

One  of  the  most  active  and  successful  farmers  of  Audubon  county. 
Christ  Christensen.  one  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Kimballton,  Iowa,  is  now 
living  retired.  Born  on  August  15,  1847,  i"  Vensyssel,  Denmark,  he  is  the 
son  of  Christ  and  Inger  f  Jensdetter)  Christensen,  who  were  l)oth  natives 
of  Denmark  and  followed  the  occupation  of  farmers.  The}''  lived  and  died 
in  their  native  land,  rearing  a  family  of  four  children,  three  of  whom  are  now 
deceased.  They  are  Kirstine  Marie,  deceased;  Christina,  who  lives  in  Utah; 
Caroline,  who  is  deceased  and  Christ,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Christ  Christensen,  who  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land, 
lived  at  home  until  seventeen  years  old,  working  out  as  a  farm  hand  and 
serving  as  a  soldier  in  the  Danish  army  from  April  25,  1870,  to  July  30,  1871. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  673 

Three  years  later  he  came;  to  America,  locating  in  McLain  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years.  Moving  to  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois, 
he  remained  there  four  years  and  in  i88'i  came  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa, 
locating  in  Sharon  township,  one  mile  south  and  one-half  mile  east  of  Kim- 
ballton.  There  has  been  nothing  phenomenal  in  Mr.  Christensen's  success, 
but  it  has  been  attained  by  steady  and  consistent  efforts.  He  first  purchased 
forty  acres  of  land  at  seven  dollars  an  acre  and  later  forty  acres  more  at 
fifteen  dollars  an  acre.  From  time  to  time  he  added  land  until  he  now  has 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  well-improved  land,  with  many  improvements 
which  Mr.  Christensen  himself  has  made.  During  his  active  career  as  a 
farmer  he  made  a  specialty  of  stock  raising  and  was  very  successful. 

■  In  March,  1878,  Christ  Christensen  was  married  to  Ansine  Christensen, 
of  Denmark,  who  came  to  America  in  1873.  To  this  union  have  been  born  six 
children :  Inger,  who  lives  one  mile  north  of  Elk  Horn  and  who  married 
Marinus  Larsen;  Helena,  who  is  the  wife  of  Andrew  Topp,  of  Sharon  town- 
ship; Peter,  who  is  employed  in  the  First  National  bank  at  Audubon,  Iowa; 
Caroline,  who  is  a  teacher  and  lives  with  her  brother  on  the  farm;  Anton  and 
Martinus,  who  also  live  on  the  home  farm.  Mr.  Christensen  has  been  able 
to  give  all  of  his  children  a  splendid  education  and  has  every  reason  to  be 
extremely  proud  of  their  accomplishments.  They  have  had  the  advantage  not 
only  of  the  home  schools  but  also  the  high  school,  and  the  schools  of  Des 
Moines  and  Omaha.  In  191 1  he  built  one  of  the  finest  modern  homes,  con- 
sisting of  eight  rooms,  to  be  found  in  the  city  of  Kimballton  and  is  now  living 
retired  in  this  beautiful  home.  A  director  and  vice-president  of  the  Lands- 
men's National  Bank  of  Kimballton.  he  is  also  a  director  and  vice-president 
of  the  Kimballton  &  Elk  Horn  Lumber  Company,  a  director  of  the  Farmers 
Shipping  Union,  a  member  and  organizer  of  the  Farmers  Butchering  Com- 
pany and  treasurer  of  the  Kimballton  Creamery  Company  for  two  years,  a 
concern  which  he  helped  to  organize. 

A  stanch  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  Christensen  served  as  township  clerk 
from  1884  to  1892.  During  the  past  two  years  he  has  been  serving  on  the 
city  council  of  Kimballton  and  was  also  treasurer  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church  of  Kimballton,  of  which  all  the  members  of  his  family  are  faithful 
and  loyal  adherents.  Mr.  Christensen  takes  a  wide  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
this  church.  Although  he  and  his  wife  started  in  in  a  small  way,  they  have 
reared  and  educated  a  splendid  family  of  children  and  have  also  attained  for 
themselves  and  their  children  a  substantial  competence.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Christensen  are  well-known  and  popular  socially  in  Kimballton  and  vicinity, 
and  thev  have  many  warm  friends  in  Audubon  county. 

(43) 


6/4  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

J.  K.  ANDERSON. 

J.  K.  Anderson,  one  of  the  capable  farmers  of  Douglas  township,  Audu- 
bon county,  Iowa,  who  owns  three  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  in  this 
township,  and  who  is  one  of  its  most  enterprising  and  popular  citizens,  was 
born  on  June  24,  1865,  in  Denmark,  the  son  of  Andrew  and  Maria  Sorensen, 
both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Denmark.  Andrew  Sorensen  owned  and  cul- 
tivated a  little  farm  of  fifteen  acres  in  his  native  land.  He  served  in  the 
War  of  1864  between  Germany  and  Denmark.  Taken  captive  during  that 
war  he  was  held  about  three  months  and  then  sent  back  to  Denmark.  He 
came  to  America  in  1879,  traveling  to  Harlan,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  in  a 
brick-yard  for  one  and  a  half  years.  He  then  rented  a  farm  near  Kimballton, 
Iowa,  where  he  remained  for  three  or  four  years.  Subsequently,  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  two  miles  north  of  Kimballton  and  lived  on  this  farm  until  his 
death,  in  1907.  Andrew  and  Maria  Sorensen  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  J-  K-  was  the  eldest.  The  others  were  Soren,  Nels,  Otto, 
Lawrence,  Martin,  Anna,  all  of  whom  are  living  in  this  country. 

J.  K.  Anderson  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  land  until  four- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents.  After 
working  for  a  time  in  a  brick-yard  at  Harlan,  Iowa,  he  began  working  on  a 
farm,  and  in  1887  rented  a  farm  in  Audubon  county.  In  1880  he  purchased 
a  farm  in  Shelby  county,  on  the  border  of  Audubon  county,  comprising 
eighty  acres,  and  being  industrious  and  economical  in  his  habits  he  added  to 
the  farm  until  he  was  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fine  land 
in  the  two  counties.  After  living  in  this  community  for  twenty-three  years, 
he  purchased  eighty  acres  in  Douglas  township.  Audubon  county,  where  he 
built  a  modern  home  in  19 14.  During  late  years  he  has  invested  about  four 
thousand  dollars  in  various  kinds  of  improvements  on  the  farm.  He  feeds 
all  the  grain  produced  on  the  farm  to  live  stock,  and  is  aJ^o  compelled  to 
purchase  grain  tO'  feed  his  stock.  Ordinarily  he  sells  about  one  carload  of 
cattle,  and  approximately  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  every  year. 

In  1887  J.  K.  Anderson  was  married  to  Christena  P.  Christensen,  daugh- 
ter of  Jens  C.  Christensen,  who  lived  west  of  Kimballton,  Iowa,  and  to  this 
union  have  been  born  nine  children,  Jens  A.,  S.  C.  Luella,  Caroline,  Mabel. 
Edith,  Marie,  Martin  and  Henry  Lavern.  Jens  A.  married  Anna  Petersen, 
and  lives  in  Audubon  county  on  his  father's  farm.  Luella  is  the  wife  of 
Christ  Nelson.  The  other  children  are  unmarried  and  live  at  home  with 
their  parents. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  675 

A  Republican  in  politics,  J.  K.  Anderson  has  been  school  director  of  his 
township  for  four  years,  and  has  also  served  as  trustee  of  his  home  township 
for  a  short  time.  The  Anderson  family  all  attend  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  Mr.  Anderson  is  and  has  been  for  many  years 
one  of  the  extensive  and  wideawake  farmers  in  this  section  of  Audubon 
county.  By  the  skillful  management  of  his  farm  property  he  has  come  to  be 
well-to-do. 


RILEY  P.  CLARK. 


What  a  wonderful  heritage  a  man  gives  his  children  when  he  leaves 
behind  him  a  knowledge  of  a  life  well  spent  and  evidence  of  the  good  he  has 
accomplished  for  his  community.  To  be  considered  the  foremost  man  of  his 
county  in  his  day  and  a  leader  in  all  things  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the 
community  does  not  fall  to  the  lot  of  many  men.  Only  those  who  are  truly 
great  in  heart  and  mind,  of  indomitable  energy  and  unfailing  optimism  are 
capable  of  winning  the  trust  and  confidence  which  place  them  in  the  leader- 
ship in  matters  of  public  good,  especially  in  a  new  section.  This  knowledge 
is  possessed  by  the  children  of  Riley  P.  Clark,  St.,  among  whom  is  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  Riley  P.  Clark,  Jr. 

Riley  P.  Clark,  Jr.,  a  well-known  farmer  and  stockman  of  Exira  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  November  i,  1864.  He  is  the  son  of 
Riley  P.,  Sr.,  and  Juliet  C.  (Davis)  Clark,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in 
Ohio  in  1830,  and  died  in  September,  1891. 

Riley  P.  Clark,  Jr.,  was  educated  in  Audubon  county.  His  parents  came 
to  Audubon  county  in  March,  1865,  and  located  on  the  Doctor  Ballard  farm 
in  Oakfield  township.  After  leaving  school  Riley  P.  Clark,  Jr.,  farmed  on 
rented  land.  Mr.  Clark  rented  land  until  1893.  He  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  land  in  1887,  and  increased  his  holdings  from  time  to  time,  until  he  now 
ov/ns  five  hundred  and  fifty-seven  acres  of  land.  At  one  time  he  was  a  rather 
extensive  landowner  in  Guthrie  county,  but  later  he  sold  that  land.  He  raises 
about  two  hundred  acres  of  corn  every  year  and  about  two  hundred  acres  of 
small  grain.  Mr.  Clark  feeds  about  a  hundred  and  twenty  hogs  every  year, 
and  about  three  carloads  of  cattle.  He  owns  a  herd  of  registered  Hereford 
cattle,  numbering  a  hundred  and  fifty-six,  and  has  exhibited  them  at  county 
fairs,  where  they  have  won  valuable  prizes  wherever  they  have  been  shown. 
He  has  a  sale  every  year  of  Hereford  cattle,  and  the  prices  received  average 


6/6  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

atx)ut  one  hundred  and  seventy-two  dollars  a  head.  Mr.  Clark  has  spent 
about  twelve  thousand  dollars  on  improvements,  which  have  been  placed  upon 
his  present  farm  holdings. 

On  November  25,  1885,  Riley  P.  Clark,  Jr.,  was  married  to  Hattie  J. 
Reed,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Rose)  Reed.  To  this  union  the  fol- 
lowing children  have  been  born,  Rhea,  Ethel,  Curtis,  Robert,  Leilae,  Thomas, 
Josephine,  Hardy,  Benjamin,  Helen,  William  and  Ponde.  The  last  two  are 
deceased.  Rhea  married  Frank  Mesching,  and  they  have  one  child,  Genevie. 
Ethel  married  Benjamin  Whitmore,  and  they  have  one  child.  Mrs.  Clark 
was  born  in  Guthrie  county,  Iowa.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Ohio,  where 
she  grew  to  womanhood.  In  1859  her  parents  moved  to  Guthrie  county, 
Iowa,  where  they  remained  the  rest  of  their  lives.  William  Reed  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Civil  War,  and  served  his  country  valiantly  during  that  great  period  of 
civil  strife.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  E.  E.,  Benja- 
min, Hattie  and  Millie. 

Mr.  Clark  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  the 
Benevolent  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  at  Atlantic.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  supervisors,  and  in  politics  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 
He  is  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen  of  Exira  township  and  one  of  the 
best-known  farmers  of  Audubon  county. 


JOSEPH  L.  WHEELER. 


Joseph  L.  Wheeler  is  a  well-known  farmer  of  Audubon  township  and 
the  proprietor  of  three  hundred  acres  of  land  in  that  township.  Mr.  Wheeler 
received  his  early  education  in  Cook  county,  Illinois,  and  after  leaving  school 
farmed  with  his  father  until  he  was  thirty-two  years  of  age.  He  then 
bought  the  old  homestead  farm  and  began  farming  for  himself.  Mr. 
Wheeler  bought  two  hundred  acres  of  land.  He  is  one  of  the  large  farmers 
of  Audubon  township.  He  feeds  about  three  carloads  of  hogs  a  year.  Mr. 
W'heeler  also  raises  heavy  draft  horses.  He  raises  about  ninety-six  acres 
of  corn,  although  last  year  he  had  a  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres.  He  raises 
from  fifteen  hundred  to  five  thousand  bushels  of  small  grain,  and  is  entitled 
to  rank  as  one  of  the  influential  and  prominent  agriculturists  in  Audubon 
county. 

Joseph  L.  Wheeler  was  born  on  July  4.  1861,  in  Cook  county,  Illinois. 
He  is  the  son  of  George  and  Salina  (Royer)  Wheeler.     George  Wheeler  was 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  677 

born  in  Canada.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  New  York  state.  Although 
George  Wheeler  was  born  in  Canada,  he  was  reared  in  New  York.  He  was 
a  small  child  when  the  family  moved  to  Illinois.  They  located  in  Cook 
county.  At  the  time  they  were  offered  forty  acres  of  land  where  the  Cook 
county  court  house  now  stands,  in  exchange  for  a  cook  stove.  After  his 
marriage  George  Wheeler  continued  to  live  in  Illinois  until  1882,  when  he 
came  to  Audubon  county  and  settled  on  a  farm  where  his  son  Joseph  L. 
now  lives.  He  bought  the  land  from  Nathaniel  Hamlin,  the  first  settler 
in  Audubon  county.  He  purchased  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  at  first  at 
twenty  dollars  an  acre,  and  increased  his  holdings  until  he  owned  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-eight  acres.  Early  in  life  he  had  learned  dentistry  and 
during  the  time  he  lived  in  Illinois  he  practiced  this  profession.  While  liv- 
ing in  Illinois  he  owned  eighty  acres  of  land.  During  the  period  of  the 
Civil  War  George  Wheeler  tried  to  enlist,  but  was  rejected.  He  and  his  wife 
had  six  children,  Fernando,  James  L.,  Sarah,  Oscar,  George  and  Victoria. 
George  and  Victoria  are  deceased.  Fernando  lives  in  Wyoming.  Sarah 
married  Robert  Hamlin.     Oscar  is  a  resident  of  Audubon  county. 

Joseph  L.  Wheeler  was  married  on  July  4,  1883,  ^o  Clara  Barchard, 
daughter  of  Ira  and  Annie  (Flanner}^)  Barchard.  To  this  union  nine  children 
have  been  born,  as  follow :  Clarence  Earl,  Clara  Ethel,  Ira  Verne,  Royal 
Leonard,  Elda  Evelyn,  Frank  Raymond,  Robert  Russel,  Vivian  Irwin  and 
Joseph  Lauren.  Of  these  children,  Clarence  Earl  died  when  young.  Clara 
Ethel  married  Elmer  Boehme,  and  they  have  two  children.  Earl  and  Evelyn. 
Ira  Verne  married  Myrtle  Johnson,  and  they  have  one  child,  Gerald.  Royal 
Leonard  died  when  small.  Ethel  Evelyn  married  J.  E.  Walker.  Frank 
Raymond  died  when  small.  The  remainder  of  the  children  are  single  and 
live  at  home. 

Mrs.  Wheeler  was  born  in  Cook  county,  Illinois.  Her  parents  were 
natives  of  Cook  county  and  Pennsylvania  respectively.  Her  father  grew 
to  manhood  in  Cook  county,  and  lived  near  Chicago.  He  was  a  detective. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  was  connected  with  the  office  of  United  States 
marshal.  Later  in  life  he  worked  as  a  private  detective.  He  was  deputy 
sheriff  of  Cook  county  between  1875  and  1880.  Ira  and  Annie  (Flannery) 
Barchard  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  Emilie,  Clara  E.,  Clarence  C, 
Ira,  Frank,  Anna,  David  and  Mamie.  Frank  and  Mrs.  Wheeler  are  the 
only  members  of  the  family  who  are  still  living.  Mrs.  Wheeler's  father 
died  in  1906.     Her  mother  died  in  1875. 

Mr.  Wheeler's  father  died  on  February  i,  1901.  His  mother  died  in 
August,   19 10. 


678  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Mr.  Wheeler  is  a  member  of  the  ^Masonic  lodge  at  Exira.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star.  IMrs.  Wheeler  is  likewise  a  member  of  the 
Eastern  Star.  Joseph  L.  Wheeler  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 
Mr.  Wheeler  considers  himself  a  Republican  of  the  stand-pat  faith,  and  has 
been  loyal  to  the  traditional  principles  of  this  party. 


WILLIAM  D.  DAVIS. 


William  D.  Davis  is  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  Exira  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa.  He  began  life  for 
himself  after  having  reached  his  majority  by  starting  on  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  which  he  purchased  at  that  time.  In  1912  he  pur- 
chased the  old  home  place  of  his  father,  W.  E.  Davis,  in  Exira  township,  and 
immediately  moved  to  this  farm.  Altogether  he  has  invested  about  five  thou- 
sand dollars  in  permanent  improvements  on  the  farm.  The  farm  itself  is  an 
indication  of  the  vocational  zeal  which  has  characterized  all  of  Mr.  Davis's 
efforts. 

William  D.  Davis  was  born  on  January  i,  1869,  in  Henry  county,  Illi- 
nois, the  son  of  William  E.  and  Martha  J.  (Davis)  Davis,  both  natives  of 
Wales.  They  were  both  formerly  married,  ^^^illiam  E.  Davis  was  five  years 
old  when  he  came  to  America  with  his  parents.  They  located  first  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania,  but  only  remained  in  that  city  a  short  time,  removing 
to  Ohio,  and  there  William  E.  Davis  received  his  education  and  grew  to  man- 
hood. He  served  in  the  Civil  W^ar.  From  Ohio  the  family  moved  to  Illi- 
nois, where  Mr.  Davis  farmed  for  a  number  of  years,  and  in  1874  came  to 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  Exira 
township,  and  continued  to  add  to  this  farm  until  he  owned  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  of  land.  He  was  engaged  in  general  farming,  and  was  also 
extensively  engaged  in  stock  raising.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  one  son, 
David  E.,  living  at  Collinsville,  Illinois.  Mrs.  William  E.  Davis  died  on 
March  14,  1912,  after  having  reared  a  family  of  children  to  lives  of  honor 
and  usefulness.  Two  of  her  six  children  died  in  infancy,  and  Lucy,  a  third 
child,  is  deceased.  William  D.,  Frank  and  Leona  are  still  living.  Frank  is 
living  in  Audubon  township.  Leona  is  the  wife  of  Fred  Kline,  a  farmer  of 
Audubon  township.  She  also  leaves  one  daughter  by  her  first  marriage, 
Mrs.  H.  A.  Hill,  living  near  Exira. 

William  D.  Davis  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Henry  county.  Illinois, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  679 

attending  the  district  schools  during  the  winter  months,  and  assisting  his 
father  on  the  farm  during  the  summer  seasons.  After  leaving  school  he 
farmed  in  partnership  until  he  purchased  a  farm  of  his  own. 

William  D.  Davis  was  married  on  September  14,  1892,  to  Blanche  Mar- 
tin, the  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Goforth)  Martin,  and  to  this  union 
have  been  born  four  children,  Schuyler  A.,  Wayne  Denzil,  Ai,  and  Zilpha, 
all  of  whom  are  living  at  home  with  their  parents.  Mrs.  Davis  was  born  in 
Audubon  county,  her  father  was  born  in  Virginia  and  her  mother  was  a 
native  of  Kentucky. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  are  active  and  influential  members  of  the  Christian 
church,  to  the  support  of  which  they  are  liberal  contributors.  Mr.  Davis  is  a 
Republican,  and  has  served  as  a  school  director  in  his  township.  Throughout 
his  life  he  has  been  interested  in  educational  affairs,  and  has  done  what  he 
could  to  raise  the  educational  standard  of  the  country  schools.  Mr.  Davis 
has  believed  that  these  schools  are  the  hope  of  the  country,  since  upon  them 
depends  the  education  of  the  next  generation. 


WILLIAM  ALT,  JR. 


William  Alt,  Jr.,  who  owns  a  well-improved  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
ten  acres  in  Audubon  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  was  born  in  Carroll 
county,  Illinois,  August  4,  1882,  the  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Lang) 
Alt,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Germany,  and  the  latter  of  whom 
was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Illinois.  William  Alt  came  to  America  when  a 
mere  lad  and  settled  in  Illinois,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  where  he 
married.  He  was  a  farmer  and  was  engaged  in  this  occupation  during  his 
entire  life.  In  1880  he  removed  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  located  in 
Hamlin  township,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  for  which  he 
paid  eight  dollars  an  acre.  This  land  was  raw  prairie,  and  William  Alt 
broke  the  sod  for  the  first  time  on  the  tract,  gradually  improving  his  land, 
and  adding  to  his  original  purchase  from  time  to  time  until  he  was  the 
owner  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-four  acres.  He  died  in  1906,  after  having 
reared  a  family  of  ten  children,  nine  of  whom  are  still  living.  Philip,  the 
eldest  child,  is  deceased.  Those  living  are  Albert,  William,  George  J.,  Nancy, 
Viola,  Clara,  Alma,  May  and  Lena. 

William  Alt,  Jr.,  having  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Hamlin  township,  began  farming  after  leaving  school  and  was  engaged  in 


68o  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

this  occupation  with  his  father  until  twenty-three  years  of  age,  at  which  time 
the  father  died.  WilHam  then  worked  for  his  mother  on  the  home  farm 
for  two  years,  and  after  his  marriage  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  rented  land 
for  five  years,  when  he  purchased  the  place  upon  which  he  now  lives,  con- 
sisting of  two  hundred  and  ten  acres.  He  has  invested  about  three  thousand 
dollars  in  various  kinds  of  improvements  on  the  farm,  and  his  farm  is  one 
of  the  best  in  this  section  of  the  county.  He  raises  annually  fifty  acres  of 
corn  and  fifty  acres  of  small  grains,  and  feeds  altogether  one  hundred  head 
of  hogs  and  twenty-five  head  of  cattle. 

On  February  26,  1908,  William  Alt,  Jr.,  was  married  to  Nina  Bell  Hays, 
the  daughter  of  F.  Hays,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born, 
a  daughter,  Ruth,  and  a  son,  William  Raymond.  Mrs.  Alt's  parents  are 
living  in  Greeley  township,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hays  having  been  early  settlers  in 
that  community.  Mr.  Hays  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 
Mrs.  Alt  is  one  of  nine  children,  the  others  being  Laura,  Jennie,  Mary,  Win- 
nie, Emma,  Lee,  Bert  and  Lennie. 

William  Alt,  Jr.,  is  an  enterprising  young  farmer,  a  man  who,  although 
he  has  not  yet  reached  the  prime  of  life,  has  accumulated  a  considerable  com- 
petence, and  who  is  already  established  in  his  chosen  vocation.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Alt  are  popular  socially  in  the  neighborhood  where  they  live  and  are 
highly  respected  as  citizens  of  Audubon  township. 


JOHN  E.  WULF. 


John  E.  Wulf  is  one  of  the  promising  young  farmers  of  Exira  town- 
ship, Audubon  county,  Iowa.  For  several  years  Mr.  Wulf  was  engaged 
with  his  father  in  farming.  In  fact,  he  has  been  managing  the  home  farm 
ever  since  his  father's  retirement  about  1900.  He  has  had  practical  charge 
of  the  management  of  the  home  place  until  19 14,  when  he  began  farming 
for  himself  on  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  land  in  Exira  township. 
Mr.  Wulf  is  one  of  those  farmers  who  fully  appreciate  the  advantages  of 
stock  raising  and  he  expects  to  feed  practically  all  of  his  grain  to  hogs  and 
cattle. 

John  E.  Wulf  was  born  on  January  28,  1878,  in  Davenport.  Iowa. 
His  parents  were  William  and  Sophia  (Herning)  Wulf,  both  natives  of 
Germany.  William  Wulf  came  to  America  when  he  was  quite  a  young 
man,  and  after  arriving  in  this  country  he  located  temporarily  in  Davenport, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  68 1 

Iowa,  where  he  worked  in  a  saw-mill  most  of  the  time.  He  also  worked 
as  a  farm  hand.  He  was  married  at  Davenport  and,  in  1883,  he  removed 
to  Audubon  county,  settling  in  Audubon  township,  where  he  rented  land  for 
five  years.  At  the  end  of  this  period  he  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  land  in  Exira  township,  and  began  farming  for  himself.  Later  he 
became  an  extensive  stock  raiser  and  farmer  until  about  1900,  when  he  retired 
from  active  farm  life.  He  is,  however,  still  living  on  his  farm  in  Exira 
township. 

William  and  Sophia  (Herning)  Wulf  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, Carrie,  Mattie,  Minnie,  Henry,  William,  Fred,  John  E.  and  George. 
Carrie  and  Mattie  are  unmarried  and  live  at  home.  Minnie  was  the  wife 
of  Reuben  Strothers,  and  is  now  deceased.  Henry,  William  and  Fred  are 
unmarried.     George  married  Katherine  Killen. 

John  E.  Wulf  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Audubon 
and  Exira  townships,  and  after  leaving  school  he  took  up  farming  pursuits 
with  his  father,  assisting  his  father  on  the  home  farm  until  19 14,  when  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  himself  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres, 
where  he  carries  on  a  general  system  of  crop  and  stock  raising,  and  makes 
a  specialty  of  feeding  his  grain  to  hogs  and  cattle. 

On  February  18,  191 4,  John  E.  Wulf  was  married  to  Gertrude  Killen, 
the  daughter  of  Hobert  and  Margaret  (Hengen)  Killen.  Gertrude  Killen 
was  born  in  Illinois,  to  which  state  her  parents  immigrated  after  their 
arrival  in  this  country  from  Germany,  where  they  were  both  born  and  reared. 
Her  father  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  Illinois  after  settling  there,  and  dur- 
ing the  last  two  years  of  his  residence  in  that  state  he  rented  land.  In  1893 
he  came  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  locating  near  Brayton,  Iowa.  Here 
he  purchased  a  farm  and  operated  it  until  1902,  when  he  sold  out  and 
returned  to  Illinois.  Robert  and  Margaret  (Hengen)  Killen  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  Margaret,  Kate,  Gertrude,  Barbara,  Mamie,  Chris,  Peter 
and  Anna,  the  last  named  being  deceased.  Kate  is  the  wife  of  George  Wulf, 
and  Gertrude  is  the  wife  of  John  E.  Wulf,  with  whom  this  narrative  deals. 
The  rest  of  the  children  are  unmarried  and  living  at  home. 

Mrs.  Wulf  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church.  Mr.  Wulf  is  not  iden- 
tified with  any  church.  He  is  an  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  has  not  taken  a  very  active  part  in  politics,  although  deeply  inter- 
ested in  all  movements  which  have  for  their  object  the  welfare  and  advance- 
ment of  his  township  and  community.  Mr.  Wulf  is  a  promising  young 
farmer  who  is  really  just  beginning  his  career,  and  he  is  highly  esteemed 
by  all  his  neighbors. 


682  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

JOSEPH  OILMAN   GILROY. 

Joseph  G.  Gilroy  is  a  farmer  of  Exira  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of  line  farming  land.  Mr.  Gil- 
roy farmed  with  his  father  until  1902,  when  he  took  over  the  farm  owned 
by  his  father.  This  farm  is  well  situated  and  is  highly  productive  and  well 
improved.  Mr.  Gilroy  has  invested  about  five  thousand  dollars  in  improve- 
ments on  the  place  since  he  purchased  it. 

Joseph  Gilman  Gilroy  was  born  on  November  12,  1868,  in  Exeter,  New 
Hampshire,  and  is  a  son  of  Patrick  and  Anna  (Connoly)  Gilroy.  Patrick 
Gilroy  was  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  as  was  his  wife  also.  Patrick  Gil- 
roy came  to  America  when  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  and  located  at 
Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  and  here  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand,  and  as  an 
overseer  on  a  large  farm.  He  moved  to  Illinois  in  1870,  and  located  at 
Genesee,  in  that  state,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  eighteen  years, 
at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  moved  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  pur- 
chased three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Exira  township.  He  was  especially 
interested  in  stock  raising,  and  made  a  considerable  success  of  this  business. 
He  died  on  September  12,  1907.  His  wife  had  preceded  him  in  death  in 
1894.  They  were  both  loyal  and  devout  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 
They  were  the  parents  of  two  children  besides  Joseph  G.,  Thomas  L.  and 
Mary  Dorothy. 

Joseph  G.  Gilroy  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Genesee  county,  Illinois, 
and  after  leaving  school  he  farmed  with  his  father  and  accompanied  the 
family  when  they  moved  to  Iowa.  In  1902  he  took  over  his  father's  farm 
and  has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  hogs  and  cattle  for  the  markets,  and 
has  done  general  farming,  raising  all  the  crops  common  to  this  section  of 
Iowa. 

Joseph  G.  Gilroy  was  married  on  March  30,  1902,  to  Nellie  M.  Tracy, 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Butler)  Tracy,  and  to  this  union  two 
children  haA'e  been  born,  \\ho  are  now  living.  Anna  Laura  and  May  Dorothy. 
Nellie  M.  Tracy  was  born  in  Henry  county,  Illinois.  Her  parents  were 
natives  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  America  when  they  were  young.  Her 
father  located  first  in  New  York  state,  where  he  was  employed  on  a  farm. 
Subsequently  he  was  a  farmer  in  Canada,  and  after  living  there  for  about 
ten  years,  came  back  to  the  United  States,  and  located  in  Illinois.  In  1854, 
he  purchased  a  farm  in  Illinois,  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1891.  His 
wife  died  on  January  30,  1899.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  six 
of  whom  are  living,  Richard,  Henry,  John,  Kate,  Jennie  and  Mrs.  Gilroy. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  683 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Gilroy  are  members  of  the  Cathohc  church,  in  which 
they  take  an  active  interest,  and  to  the  support  of  which  they  are  Hberal  con- 
tributors. Mr.  Gilroy  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  not  taken  an  active  part  in 
poHtical  matters,  owing  to  his  extensive  farming  interests,  which  he  gives 
all  his  time  and  attention.  However,  he  is  interested  in  all  public  movements 
which  have  for  their  object  the  advancement  and  welfare  of  his  community, 
and  is  ranked  among  the  earnest  and  enterprising  men  of  his  community. 


GILBERT  PETER  NELSON. 

Gilbert  Peter  Nelson  is  a  farmer  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  owns 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Oakfield  township.  Mr.  Nelson 
received  a  good  education  in  the  common  schools  and  supplemented  his 
training  received  there  with  a  term  in  the  Danish  Lutheran  College  at  Elk- 
horn,  Iowa.  He  is  an  extensive  raiser  of  cattle  and  hogs  and  is  well  known 
in  Oakfield  township. 

Gilbert  Peter  Nelson  was  born  in  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin,  September  i8, 
1867.  His  parents  were  Peter  and  Marie  (Peterson)  Nelson,  natives  of  Den- 
mark. 

Peter  Nelson  was  a  carpenter  in  his  native  land,  and  followed  this  trade 
until  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  America.  He  located  in  Michi- 
gan and  worked  in  the  pineries  of  that  state  for  a  short  time.  After  a  time 
he  removed  to  Chicago,  and  was  employed  in  constructing  the  first  union 
stock  yards  in  Chicago.  After  working  in  Chicago  for  some  time,  he  removed 
to  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin,  and  worked  at  his  trade  in  that  city.  The  elder 
Mr.  Nelson  followed  the  carpenter's  trade  until  1870,  when  he  removed  to 
Cass  county,  Iowa.  Here  he  bought  forty  acres  of  land  at  eleven  dollars 
an  acre.  He  sold  this  farm  at  the  end  of  eight  years,  and  purchased  a  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  in  Audubon  county,  which  he  farmed  until  1908.  At 
that  time  he  retired.  He  is  now  living  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Harry 
Traum.  The  elder  Mr.  Nelson  increased  his  farm  holdings  until  he  owned 
eight  hundred  acres  of  land.  When  he  came  to  Michigan  he  had  only  fifteen 
dollars. 

Peter  and  Marie  (Peterson)  Nelson  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
ten  of  whom  are  living,  as  follow:  Gilbert  P.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
John  C,  a  farmer  in  Oakfield  township;  Julius,  lives  in  Cass  county;  Edward, 
lives  in  Oakfield  township;  Ludwick,  lives  at  Atlantic;  Alma,  married  Harry 


684  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Traum  and  lives  in  Oakfield  township;  Alfred;  Christina,  married  Evans 
Markenson,  of  Audubon;  Rosa,  lives  in  Audubon;  and  Martha,  also  lives 
in  Audubon. 

Gilbert  Peter  Nelson  received  his  education  principally  in  Audubon 
county,  and  after  completing  the  course  here  he  attended  the  Danish  Lutheran 
College  at  Elkhorn  for  a  term.  He  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-six 
years,  and  after  renting  land  for  one  year,  he  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land.  Gradually  he  has  increased  his  holdings  to  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres.  He  raises  sixty  acres  of  corn,  and  feeds  about  fifty  head  of 
hogs  a  year. 

Gilbert  Peter  Nelson  was  married  on  March  3,  1894,  to  Anna  Christina 
Nelson,  daughter  of  L.  P.  and  Marie  (Peterson)  Nelson.  Seven  children 
have  been  born  to  this  marriage,  Theodore  H.,  Gerald,  Ernest,  Gladys,  Lela, 
Ethel  and  Edna.  Mrs.  Nelson  was  born  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  Her  parents 
were  natives  of  Denmark.  Her  father  came  to  America  and  located  in  Des 
Moines,  where  he  remained  for  five  years.  They  had  nine  children,  Anna, 
Rosa,  Hans,  Ida,  Martha,  Marie,  Ray,  Arthur  and  Albert. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church.  In 
politics  Mr.  Nelson  is  a  Republican. 


CHRIS    ROED. 


The  compulsory  military  service  of  many  European  countries  has 
driven  young  men,  who  dislike  to  perform  that  service,  to  America.  Many 
young  men,  during  the  period  of  their  service,  have  become  so  thoroughly 
discouraged  with  the  European  militarism  that  they  have  come  to  America 
immediately  after  serving  their  enlistment.  Chris  Roed,  a  prominent  farmer 
of  Exira  township,  and  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land 
in  that  township,  came  to  this  country  in  1884.  immediately  after  having 
served  one  year  in  the  Danish  army. 

Chris  Roed  was  born  on  March  16,  1859,  in  Denmark.  His  parents 
were  Chris  and  Carrie  (Christensen)  Roed,  both  natives  of  Denmark.  The 
former  was  a  farmer  and  farmed  there  all  of  his  life.  He  served  in  the 
Danish-Prussian  War  of  1848.  Mrs.  Roed,  the  mother  of  Chris,  Jr.,  died 
in  1910.  She  and  her  husband  had  eight  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now 
living:  Anna,  Lars,  Jens,  Peter,  Jens,  Stena,  Elizabeth  and  Chris.  All  of 
them  are  now  living  in  Denmark  except  Chris,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  685 

Chris  Roed  was  educated  in  Denmark  and  after  leaving  school,  worked 
for  his  father  on  the  farm.  Coming  to  America  in  1884,  he  located  at 
Audubon  county,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  two  years.  Mr. 
Roed  then  traveled  through  Nebraska  and  Minnesota,  doing  farm  work. 
In  1890  he  returned  to  Iowa  and  after  his  marriage,  located  in  Atlantic, 
where  he  worked  for  three  years.  He  again  went  to  Nebraska  and  there 
rented  a  farm  and  farmed  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  this  period,  he 
returned  to  x\udubon  county,  and,  in  1894,  rented  a  farm  for  three  years. 
After  this  he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  five  acres  in  Hamlin  town- 
ship and  farmed  that  for  five  years.  He  then  bought  the  farm  where  he 
now  lives,  in  Exira  township,  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
later  he  added  eighty  acres,  making  two  hundred  and  forty  acres ;  a  farm 
upon  which  Mr.  Roed  has  placed  improvements  amounting  to  more  than 
five  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Roed  raises  eighty  acres  of  com  every  year 
and  seventy  acres  of  small  grain.  He  feeds  between  seventy-five  and  one 
hundred  head  of  hogs  each  year. 

Chris  Roed  was  married  on  April  26.  1890,  to  Mary  Hansen,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Anders  and  Christina  (Hansen)  Hansen.  To  this  union  four  chil- 
dren have  been  born :  Anna,  Elmer,  Martin  and  Henry,  all  of  whom  are 
unmarried  and  live  at  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roed  attend  the  Danish  Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Roed 
has  served  as  school  director,  a  non-partisan  position  in  this  section.  Mr. 
Roed  is  an  independent  voter. 


CALVIN  I.  DIMICK. 


Calvin  I.  Dimick  is  a  well-known  farmer  of  Exira  township,  who  not 
only  owns  one  hundred  and  ninety-four  acres  of  land  in  Exira  township,  but 
who  owns  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Canada.  Mr.  Dimick  has  not  fol- 
lowed farming  all  of  his  life.  For  some  time  he  was  engaged  in  ditching  in 
Nebraska,  Colorado  and  Kansas.  He  was  also  engaged  in  conducting  a  hotel 
at  Brayton  for  some  time,  but  eventually  returned  to  the  farm. 

Calvin  I.  Dimick  was  born  on  December  3,  1867,  in  Johnson  county, 
Iowa.  His  parents  were  John  J.  and  Fannie  (Mitchell)  Dimick,  both  natives 
of  Erie  county,  New  York.  The  former  was  born  on  January  5,  1825,  and 
the  latter  was  born  on  March  31,  1837.  John  J.  Dimick  grew  to  manhood 
in  Erie  county  and  lived  on  a  farm  there.  Before  his  marriage,  he  made  a 
trip  to  California  during  the  gold  discoveries  of   1849  and  1850,  and  was 


686  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

fairly  successful.  After  three  years  he  moved  to  Wisconsin  and  remained 
there  until  1858,  when  he  moved  to  Johnson  county,  Iowa.  While  in  Wis- 
consin, he  conducted  a  hotel.  He  first  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Johnson  county  and  increased  his  holdings  by  one-half. 
Eventually  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  stock  business  and  was  in  that  busi- 
ness for  five  years  when  he  sold  out.  He  came  to  Audubon  county  in  March, 
1 88 1.  He  located  four  miles  northwest  of  Exira,  where  he  bought  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  there  he  was  engaged  in  general  farming 
until  1 901,  when  he  moved  to  Exira  and  took  up  cattle  buying.  He  followed 
this  business  until  his  death  in  19 10.  His  wife  had  died  many  years  pre- 
viously, March  i,  1879. 

John  G.  and  Fannie  (Mitchell)  Dimick  were  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely:  George  G.,  lives  in  Hamlin  town- 
ship; Elvira,  lives  in  Syracuse,  New  York;  Horace,  deceased;  Mary,  married 
Edward  Dryden,  of  Hamlin  township;  Calvin  I.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Julia,  married  W.  M.  Cress,  of  Hamlin  township;  Jessie  and  Ella,  live  at 
Boone,  Iowa;  John  M.,  a  stock  buyer  at  Exira.  and  an  infant  deceased. 

Calvin  I.  Dimick  received  his  education  in  Johnson  county  and  after 
leaving  school,  took  up  farming  on  his  father's  place.  He  remained  on  the 
farm  until  he  was  twenty  years  old  and  then  engaged  in  ditching  land  in 
Nebraska,  Colorado  and  Kansas,  which  occupation  he  followed  for  three 
years.  He  then  moved  to  Audubon  county,  and,  after  a  time,  began  farming 
on  eighty  acres  of  land  which  he  had  purchased.  He  fenced  and  drained 
this  land  and  improved  it  otherwise  and  lived  on  it  for  about  six  years. 
After  a  time  he  moved  to  Brayton  and  there  purchased  a  hotel  which  he 
operated  for  a  short  time.  He  then  bought  the  place  upon  which  he  now 
lives.  Mr.  Dimick  raises  seventy-five  acres  of  corn  and  approximately  one 
hundred  acres  of  small  grains.  He  feeds  about  sixty  head  of  hogs  every 
year  and  has  been  very  successful  with  mixed  farming. 

On  November  15,  1892,  Calvin  I.  Dimick  was  married  to  Eva  J.  Beers, 
the  daughter  of  David  and  Lola  (Lacy)  Beers.  Four  children  have  been 
born  to  this  marriage:  Harry  Russell,  Kathleen,  Mildred  and  Mozelle.  David 
Beers  was  a  native  of  New  York  state  and  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Audubon 
county,  having  come  overland  to  this  county.  David  and  Lola  (Lacy)  Beers 
were  the  parents  of  three  children,  as  follow:  Eva  J.,  Nellie,  married  Samuel 
Budd,  of  Atlantic,  Iowa;  and  Lona  (deceased),  married  Nora  Lyons. 

Mr.  Dimick  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He 
has  served  as  township  supervisor  for  a  number  of  years  and  is  an  ardent  and 
enthusiastic  Democrat. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  687 

CHRIS  C.  PETERSEN. 

It  is  no  small  accomplishment  to  have  immigrated  to  a  foreign  land 
and  to  one  where  the  customs,  manners  and  speech  are  unfamiliar,  to  have 
provided  one's  self  with  a  splendid  education  in  the  schools  of  the  adopted 
country  and  to  have  become  the  owner  of  ninety- four  acres  of  land  in  the 
comparatively  short  period  of  twenty  years.  Yet  this  is  what  Chris  C. 
Petersen,  a  farmer  of  Exira  township,  Audubon  county,  has  accomplished  in 
that  length  of  time. 

Chris  C.  Petersen  was  born  in  Denmark,  January  i6,  1876.  He  is  not 
yet  forty  years  old,  yet  he  has  made  wonderful  progress  in  his  adopted 
country.  Mr.  Petersen's  father  and  mother  are  K.  S.  and  Carrie  (Swent- 
sen)  Petersen.  Chris  C.  was  educated  at  first  in  Denmark  and  after  leav- 
ing school  there,  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  three  years.  When  he  was 
nineteen  years  old,  he  came  to  America,  arriving  in  this  country  in  1895. 
He  located  at  Elkhorn,  Iowa,  and  after  working  at  various  positions  for 
some  time,  he  entered  the  Danish  Lutheran  College  at  Elkhorn,  where  h^ 
pursued  his  education.  From  the  Danish  Lutheran  College  at  Elkhorn,  Mr. 
Peterson  went  to  Avoca,  Iowa,  and  after  living  in  Avoca  for  fifteen  months 
and  doing  various  work,  he  rented  a  farm.  After  this  he  purchased  the 
farm  on  which  he  now  lives.  It  is  located  in  Exira  township.  Mr.  Petersen 
has  invested  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  in  improvements  upon  the  place. 
He  raises  about  thirty-five  acres  of  corn  each  year  and  sells  from  the  farm 
approximately  seventy-five  head  of  hogs.  Mixed  farming  has  proved  to  be 
very  profitable  to  him,  especially  as  he  has  been  able  to  raise  live  stock  in 
connection  with  various  grains. 

Chris  C.  Petersen  was  married  on  October  22,  1898,  to  Lena  Jessen, 
the  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mary  Jessen.  To  this  union  four  children  have 
been  born.  Mam,  Hilda,  Kate  and  Ruby,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home. 

Mrs.  Petersen  was  bom  in  Germany  and  her  parents  were  also  natives 
of  that  country.  They  came  to  America  in  1893,  ^^d  located  near  Elkhorn, 
where  they  lived  on  a  farm  for  one  year.  They  then  moved  to  Exira  town- 
ship and  lived  on  a  farm  in  this  township  until  1904,  when  they  retired  and 
moved  to  Exira.  Mrs.  Jessen  died  in  July,  1914.  Peter  and  Mary  Jessen 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children:  Marten,  Jens,  Peter  M.,  Chris,  Andrew, 
Niss,  Mary,  Kate  and  Lena,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  Jessen  is  still  liv- 
ing in  Exira. 

Chris  C.  Petersen  is  an  independent  voter.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Petersen  are 
members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  and  active  in  the  affairs  of  this 
denomination. 


688  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

DANIEL  D.  SAMPSON. 

One  of  the  influential  citizens  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is  the  gentle- 
man to  whose  career  the  attention  of  the  reader  is  now  directed.  Daniel  D. 
Sampson,  an  enterprising  and  successful  farmer  of  Viola  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  is  ranked  with  the  leading  farmers  of  this  township  and 
county.  He  is  a  man  of  excellent  endowment  and  upright  character  and  has 
been  a  valued  factor  in  local  affairs.  Throughout  his  life  he  has  commanded 
the  unequivocal  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  has  been 
loyal  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  He  has  been  and 
is  ever  vigilant  in  his  efforts  to  further  the  interests  of  Audubon  county. 
Mr.  Sampson  is  just  completing  a  term  as  a  county  supervisor,  to  which 
important  office  he  was  elected  in  1910  and  the  duties  of  which  he  assumed 
in  191 1.  As  a  county  supervisor,  Mr.  Sampson's  administration  has  been 
creditable  to  himself  and  satisfactory  to  the  people  of  Audubon  county. 

Daniel  D.  Sampson  was  born.  May  4,  1852,  in  Iowa  county,  Wisconsin, 
and  is  a  well-known  farmer  of  Viola  township,  who  now  farms  three  hundred 
and  thirty  acres  in  this  township,  although  at  one  time  he  owned  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres.  He  has  resided  in  Viola  township  for  thirty-five  years. 
Mr.  Sampson  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Baker)  Sampson,  natives 
of  England,  where  they  were  born  and  reared.  Henry  Sampson  was  born  in 
181 5  and  came  to  America  early  in  life,  arriving  here  in  1842.  His  wife, 
Elizabeth  Baker,  came  in  1842  also,  and  they  were  married  in  Wisconsin. 
Henry  Sampson  died  in  Wisconsin  in  1893  and  his  wife  in  1863.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  Francis,  Cyrus,  who  lives  in  Audubon;  Daniel 
and  John. 

Daniel  D.  Sampson  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1879  and  located  on  a 
farm.  He  lived  with  his  brother  and  worked  land  which  he  had  previously 
bought.  He  purchased  one  hundred  acres  at  ten  dollars  an  acre  and,  sub- 
sequently, in  1880,  purchased  sixty  acres  at  ten  dollars  an  acre.  During  the 
succeeding  years,  Mr.  Sampson  bought  additional  land,  paying  from  ten  dol- 
lars to  sixty-two  and  one-half  dollars  an  acre.  As  he  acquired  the  land,  he 
planted  trees  upon  it,  erected  buildings  and  otherwise  improved  his  holdings. 
During  his  entire  life,  he  has  been  engaged  in  raising  stock  and  has  always 
been  successful.  He  still  sells  fifty  head  of  cattle  and  more  than  one  hun- 
dred head  of  hogs  every  year.  Mr.  Sampson  at  one  time  owned  six  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  land.  He  gave  to  each  of  his  three  sons  eighty  acres  of 
land  and  his  daughter  a  like  quantity,  and  they  have  all  been  quite  successful. 

Daniel  Sampson  was  married  on  December  15,  1882,  to  Anna  Neff,  the 


T7: 


danii:l  d.  sa:*ipson 


a 
5i 


72 


vRY 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  689 

daughter  of  George  Neff.  Mrs.  Sampson  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1864. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sampson  have  been  the  parents  of  four  children,  Allie,  the  wife 
of  Harley  Emley ;  Allen,  who  is  a  farmer  and  lives  at  home ;  John,  a  farmer ; 
and  Wilbur,  who  is  also  a  farmer  and  married  Myrtle  Callow  and  has  one 
son,  William  Daniel. 

John  Sampson,  who  is  farming  in  Viola  township,  and  who  owns  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  section  33,  given  to  him  by  his  father,  was  born  December 
6,  1888,  in  Viola  township,  and  is  the  son  of  Daniel  D.  Sampson,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  who  has  lived  in  this  township  since  1878.  John  Sampson 
was  educated  in  district  school  No.  8,  of  Viola  township;  he  also  spent  six 
months  in  the  schools  of  Audubon.  He  has  always  lived  on  the  farm  where 
he  now  resides.  Mr.  Sampson  is  a  Republican  and,  religiously,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  ^Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Although  he  owns  eighty  acres,  he 
is  farming  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  built  a  new  bungalow  in  1909 
and  erected  a  new  barn  in  the  fall  of  19 12.  John  Sampson  was  married  on 
December  31,  1909,  to  Bessie  Ruth  Edwards,  the  daughter  of  J.  M.  Edwards, 
of  Melville  township. 

Daniel  D.  Sampson  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  was  elected  county 
supervisor  in  the  fall  of  1910.  He  took  office  on  January  i,  191 1,  and  is 
now  serving  the  last  year  of  his  term.  Religiously,  Mr.  Sampson  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Few  men  living  in  Viola  township 
are  more  highly  respected  than  Daniel  D.  Sampson  and  few  men  living  in 
Audubon  county  are  better  known  than  he. 


CHRIS  PETERSEN. 


A  representative  of  the  second  generation  of  his  family  in  America, 
Chris  Petersen  is  a  son  of  Jens  and  Thomine  (Christensen)  Petersen,  who 
came  to  this  country  from  Denmark  in  1890,  locating  temporarily  in  Bray- 
ton,  Iowa.  They  owned  a  small  farm  in  Denmark,  and  this  they  cultivated 
until  they  came  to  America,  when  the  farm  was  sold.  After  living  in  Bray- 
ton,  Iowa,  for  one  winter,  the  parents  rented  a  farm  the  next  spring,  and 
then  purchased  eighty  acres  in  Oakfield  township.  The  father  was  engaged 
in  farming  until  his  death  on  April  10,   1909. 

Chris  Petersen,  who  was  born  on  December  4,  1872,  in  Denmark,  is 
one  of  eight  children  born  to  his  parents,  Jens  and  Thomine  (Christensen) 

(44) 


690  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

Petersen.  The  others  are  as  follow:  Mary,  Peter  C,  Stena,  Sena,  Thomas, 
Lena  and  Hannah.     Hannah  is  the  youngest  of  the  family. 

Educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  land,  Chris  Petersen 
came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1890.  During  the  first  two  years  of 
his  residence  in  America  he  worked  on  various  farms,  and  finally  with  his 
father.  Before  his  father's  death,  Chris  purchased  the  farm  of  eighty 
acres.  He  has  made  commendable  progress  in  his  life's  vocation.  The  farm 
was  purchased  nine  years  before  the  death  of  Jens  Petersen,  or  in  1900. 
Chris  Petersen  ordinarily  feeds  out  about  fifty  head  of  hogs  every  year, 
and  sometimes  a  few  cattle.  He  has  invested  about  two  thousand  dollars 
on  his  farm  since  purchasing  it. 

On  November  29,  1901,  Chris  Petersen  was  married  to  Mary  Petersen, 
and  they  have  had  six  children,  Albert,  Henry,  Harold,  Esther,  Emma  and 
Clara,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Petersen  and  family  are  members  of  the  Danish  Luth- 
eran church,  and  Mr.  Petersen  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Danish  Broth- 
erhood. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  A 
Democrat  in  politics,  he  has  served  as  school  director  in  Oakfield  township, 
and  has  filled  this  office  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  people  of  the  town- 
ship. A  man  who  has  been  honorable  and  upright  in  all  of  the  relations  of 
life,  he  well  deserves  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  neighbors,  which  as 
a  matter  of  fact  he  very  generally  enjoys.  He  is  cordial,  dependable  and 
frugal  in  his  daily  living,  a  combination  of  traits  which  have  made  him  a 
good  man  and  a  good  citizen. 


SOREN  P.  DAUGARD. 


One  of  the  highly-respected  farmers  and  citizens,  who  is  now  living 
retired  on  his  farm  in  Oakfield  township,  is  Soren  P.  Daugard,  who  owns 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  this  township  and  also  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  in  South  Dakota.  Born  on  May  19,  1857,  in  Den- 
mark, Soren  P.  Daugard  is  the  son  of  Swenton  and  Christena  (Birk)  Dau- 
gard, the  former  a  native  of  Sweden  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Denmark. 
Swenton  Daugard,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  lived  upon  a  farm  in  Denmark 
until  he  came  to  America  in  1887,  after  which  he  lived  retired  with  his  chil- 
dren until  his  death.  His  wife  is  also  deceased.  They  had  six  children: 
Soren  P.,  Dorothy,  Ellen,  Hans,  Anna  and  Anna  Marie.  The  father  was 
a  veteran  of  the  Danish-Prussian  War. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  69 1 

Soren  P.  Daugard  came  to  America  seven  years  before  his  parents. 
Before  coming  to  this  country  he  had  been  in  school  for  some  time,  and 
after  leaving  school  had  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  having  worked  in  a 
shop  from  the  time  he  reached  maturity  until  he  came  to  America.  Upon 
coming  to  this  country  in  1880,  he  located  on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives, 
purchasing  at  first  forty  acres  of  land,  which  he  has  gradually  increased  to 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  During  the  active  period  of  his  career,  he 
was  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  but  is  now  living  retired 
on  the  farm. 

In  1880,  the  same  year  in  which  he  came  to  America,  Soren  P.  Dau- 
gard was  married  to  Anna  Knus,  the  daughter  of  Chris  and  Anna  Mar- 
garett  (Ivisen)  Knus.  Nine  children  have  been  born  to  this  marriage: 
Margaret,  Christen,  John,  Fred,  Henry,  Theodore,  Christena,  Mary  and 
Serena.  Only  one  of  the  children,  Margaret,  is  married.  She  married  John 
C.  Larsen  and  has  five  children :  Soren,  Louis,  Anna,  Catherine  and  John. 
The  remainder  of  the  children  are  living  at  home  and  are  unmarried.  The 
mother  of  these  children  is  a  native  of  Germany,  as  were  her  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Soren  P.  Daugard  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church,  and  Mr.  Daugard  is  a  trustee  of  the  church.  A  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, the  only  office  which  he  has  ever  held  is  that  of  school  director,  an 
office,  however,  he  filled  with  rare  efficiency. 

Mr.  Daugard  is  a  man  of  modest  and  unassuming  manners,  who  has 
lived  a  quiet  life  and  enjoyed  a  satisfactory  measure  of  success.  He  is 
comfortably  situated  and  is  well  prepared  to  enjoy  his  declining  years  in 
ease  and  comfort. 


NELS  C.  JENSEN. 


Nels  C.  Jensen,  a  very  successful  farmer  of  Oakfield  township,  who 
owns  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  was  born  in  Denmark,  February  26, 
1862,  and  is  the  son  of  Jens  P.  and  Mary  K.  (Lostetter)  Jensen,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Denmark.  The  former  was  a  farmer  in  his  native 
land  and,  after  coming  to  America,  followed  this  occupation.  After  coming 
to  this  country,  he  located  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  temporarily,  where  he 
rented  a  farm  for  one  year.  He  then  moved  to  Audubon  county  and  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land  and  farmed  until  his  death  in  1900.  He  was  a 
veteran  of  the  Danish  War  of   1848.     Jens  P.  and  Mary  K.  Jensen  were 


692  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

the  parents  of  four  children :  Nels  C,  Jens  L.  and  two  who  died  in  infancy. 
After  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children,  Jens  P.  Jensen  married 
Mary  Sophia  Nelson  and  to  this  union  there  have  been  born  six  children: 
Hettie,  Charles,  John,  Chris,  Sophus  and  Petrea. 

After  completing  a  limited  educational  course  in  the  schools  of  his  na- 
tive land,  Nels  C.  Jensen  worked  for  a  short  time  on  a  farm  in  Denmark, 
his  wages  being  thirty  dollars  a  year.  He  then  came  to  America.  Settling 
first  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  one  year  and 
then  moved  to  Audubon  county  and  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  his  mar- 
riage. After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Jensen  rented  a  farm  and  farmed  for  him- 
self for  one  year,  after  which  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  which  con- 
stituted the  nucleus  of  the  two-hundred-acre  farm  he  now  owns,  and  on 
which  he  lives.  Here  he  has  invested  about  ten  thousand  dollars  in  various 
kinds  of  improvements,  including  a  residence  which  is  thoroughly  modern, 
and  outbuildings,  drains  and  fences.  Ordinarily,  he  raises  seventy  acres 
of  corn  a  year  and  thirty  acres  of  small  grain,  feeding  one  hundred  and 
fifty  head  of  hogs  a  year  and  milking  twenty  head  of  cows.  Mr.  Jensen 
raises  only  purebred  Poland  China  hogs  and  has  won  many  prizes  at  state 
and  countv  fairs. 

On  December  27,  1886,  Nels  C.  Jensen  was  married  to  Anna  K.  Pet- 
erson, and  to  them  have  been  born  eight  children :  Mary,  Marten,  Arthur 
(deceased),  Lawrence,  John,  Clarence,  Daisy  and  Elmer.  Mary  married 
Peter  Jacobsen  and  has  one  child,  Alice.  Lawrence  married  Dorothy  Mad- 
sen. 

Anna  K.  Peterson  was  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Jurgersen) 
Peterson,  both  natives  of  Denmark. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nels  C.  Jensen  and  family  are  members  of  the  Seventh 
Day  Adventist  church.  In  politics  Mr.  Jenson  is  a  Republican  and  the 
only  offices  which  he  has  held  are  those  of  school  director  and  road  su- 
pervisor. 

Nels  C.  Jensen  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs  and 
public  movements  and  his  support  in  behalf  of  worthy  public  enterprises 
can  always  be  depended  upon  by  the  people  of  his  community.  Popular 
with  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens,  he  has  never  had  an  ax  to  grind  with 
anyone,  but  has  gone  on  from  year  to  year  diligently  in  his  own  business 
and  paying  strict  attention  to  his  own  affairs.  He  has  done  worthily  his 
part  to  transform  the  raw  prairie  of  Audubon  county  into  farms  which 
produce  the  good  things  of  life. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  693 

HANS  A.   NELSON. 

Hans  A.  Nelson  is  a  successful  farmer  of  Exira  township,  who  owns 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Nelson  is  a  native  of  Iowa,  hav- 
ing been  born  on  November  28,  1877.  Although  most  of  Mr.  Nelson's  life 
has  been  devoted  to  farming,  during  a  part  of  it  he  was  engaged  in  business 
at  Exira.  Not  finding  the  business  to  his  liking,  Mr.  Nelson  traded  his 
business  interests  for  the  farm  he  now  owns. 

Hans  A  Nelson  is  a  son  of  L.  P.  and  Mary  (Peterson)  Nelson,  both 
natives  of  Denmark.  L.  P.  Nelson  was  a  farmer  in  his  native  land  and 
came  to  this  country  before  his  marriage.  He  traveled  over  the  country  for 
a  few  years  and  then  located  at  Des  Moines,  where  he  worked  in  a  brick 
yard.  In  1878  he  moved  to  Elkhorn,  Iowa,  and  bought  a  farm  near  there 
which  he  operated  for  two  years.  He  then  moved  to  Audubon  county  and 
located  three  miles  west  of  Exira,  Iowa.  Here  he  is  now  living,  although  he 
is  retired.  He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church.  L. 
P.  and  Mary  Nelson  were  married  in  1864.  They  had  nine  children:  Anna, 
Rosa,  Hans  A.,  Ida,  Martha,  Mary,  Ray,  Arthur  and  Albert.  Anna  married 
Gilbert  Nelson.  "Rosa  became  the  wife  of  John  Nelson  and  hves  southwest 
of  Brayton.  Ida  is  the  wife  of  Soren  Nelson.  Martha  married  T.  M.  Rass- 
mussen.  Mary  is  single  and  lives  at  home.  Ray  maiTied  Agnes  Nelson. 
Arthur  married  Emma  Hanson.     Albert  is  single. 

Hans  A.  Nelson  attended  school  in  Audubon  county  and  after  leaving 
school  farmed  with  his  father  until  he  was  twenty-seven  years  old.  He 
then  sold  eighty  acres  of  land  which  he  had  previously  bought  and  moved  to 
Cass  county,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  and  farmed  there  for  four  years.  He  then  moved  back  to  Exira  and 
engaged  in  the  implement  business  for  one  year.  He  traded  this  business 
for  the  farm  which  he  now  owns. 

On  March  20,  1902,  Hans  A.  Nelson  was  married  to  Susie  Huyck,  the 
daughter  of  George  and  Sarah  (Rudge)  Huyck.  To  this  marriage  five 
children  have  been  born.  Garland,  Ava,  Vera,  Floyd  and  Marjorie.  Mrs. 
Nelson  was  born  in  Exira.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Indiana  and  her 
mother  of  England.  Her  father  grew  to  manhood  in  Indiana  and  was 
twenty  years  old  when  he  came  to  Iowa,  since  which  time  he  has  farmed, 
but  at  the  present  time  lives  in  Exira.  George  and  Sarah  (Rudge)  Huyck 
were  the  parents  of  six  children :  Roxie,  Hattie,  Susie,  Charles,  Grace  and 
James.     Roxie  married  Roscoe  Clark.     Hattie,   who  is  deceased,   was  the 


694  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 

wife  of  Charles  McCord.  Charles  is  unmarried  and  lives  in  Wyoming. 
Grace  became  the  wife  of  Alfred  Esbeck.  James  married  Hattie  Struthers. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  are  members  of  the  Christian  church.  They  are 
both  prominent  and  influential  in  this  church.  Mr.  Nelson  is  a  trustee. 
Mr.  Nelson  generally  votes  the  Republican  ticket,  but  is  not  especially  active 
in  politics.  The  only  office  which  he  has  held  is  that  of  road  supervisor  of 
Oakfield  township.  Mr.  Nelson  has  never  had  any  ambition  to  hold  office,  but 
has  been  devoted  to  his  business  and  his  family. 


JOHN  W.  MARTIN. 


John  W.  Martin,  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  acres  in  Audubon  township.  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  was  born  on 
November  9,  1855,  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  the  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(Goforth)  Martin,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  the  latter  a  native  of 
Kentucky.  James  Martin  came,  to  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  when  a  young 
man,  and  after  farming  for  some  time  with  his  father,  learned  the  stone- 
mason's trade,  which  vocation  he  followed  until  his  marriage.  In  1869,  the 
family  moved  to  Audubon  county,  locating  in  Audubon  township,  where 
Mr.  Martin  purchased  forty  acres  of  land.  Subsequently  he  added  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  to  his  land  holdings,  and  on  this  large  farm  he  was 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  besides  which  Mr.  Martin 
worked  at  his  trade  as  stone-mason  until  1904,  when  he  retired  from  active 
life  and  moved  to  Exira.  James  and  Elizabeth  (Goforth)  Martin  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  John  W.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 
the  eldest,  the  others  being  Bruce.  George.  Blanche,  Jesse.  Winifred,  Rod- 
ney and  Lula,  the  last  named  being  deceased. 

John  W.  Martin,  after  completing  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Audubon  county,  farmed  with  his  father  until  he  reached  his  majority. 
He  then  worked  out  on  neighboring  farms  for  three  or  four  years,  after 
which  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  and  by  dint  of  industry  and  careful 
management,  gradually  increased  his  land  holdings  to  one  hundred  and  fiftv- 
two  acres.  He  has  invested  about  three  thousand  dollars  in  various  kinds 
of  improvements  on  his  farm,  and  has  brought  it  to  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. He  ordinarily  raises  about  sixty-five  acres  of  corn,  forty  acres  of  small 
grains,  and  feeds  out  forty  head  of  hogs  annually.  Mr.  Martin  sells  a  part 
of  the  grain  raised  on  his  farm. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  695 

John  W.  Martin  was  married  to  Minnie  Littlefield,  the  daughter  of 
Alonzo  F.  and  Sarah  Littletield,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  live  chil- 
dren, Elizabeth,  Cecil,  Basil,  Kermit  and  Cassius.  Minnie  Littlefield  was 
born  in  Madison  county,  Iowa,  her  parents  having  come  to  this  state  in 
pioneer  times  and  settled  in  the  western  part  of  Audubon  county,  where  her 
father  was  a  prominent  farmer  and  stock  breeder.  Alonzo  F.  and  Sarah  Lit- 
tlefield were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  except  one  are  liv- 
ing, as  follow :  Thomas,  Maggie,  Mrs.  Minnie  Martin,  Anna,  Charles,  John, 
William,  Foley,  Ernie,  Nell,  Roy  and  Alice  deceased. 

Mr.  Martin  has  always  been  identified  with  the  Democratic  party  and 
is  the  present  township  trustee  of  Audubon  township.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Yeomen.  Not  only  is  John  W.  Martin  prominent  as  a  farmer  of  this 
township,  but  he  is  likewise  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  educational  and  civic 
life  of  the  community.  As  a  farmer  and  citizen  he  is  highly  respected  for 
his  honorable  and  cordial  relations  with  his  fellow  men. 


NELS  P.  ANDERSEN. 


Nels  P.  Andersen,  farmer  and  stockman  of  Oakfield  township,  Audu- 
bon county,  Iowa,  who  owns  a  hundred  and  twenty  acre  farm  in  Oakfield 
township,  was  born  in  Denmark,  July  23,  1863,  the  son  of  Anders  and 
Kearstin  (Nelson)  Olsen,  both  of  whom  were  Danish  born.  The  father 
was  a  miller  in  his  native  land,  and  also  operated  a  bakery  until  he  came 
to  America  in  1894.  After  living  at  various  places  in  this  country,  the 
family  finally  settled  in  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  there  they  remained 
until  Mr.  Olsen's  death  in  1906.  Anders  and  Kearstin  Olsen  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  now  living,  as  follow:  Chris, 
Helen,  Christena,  Mary,  Nels  J.,  Nora,  Hans  and  Sena.  The  two  eldest 
children,  Chris  and  Helen,  and  the  fourth  child,  Mary,  are  still  living  in  their 
native  land. 

Nels  P.  Andersen  was  the  first  of  the  family  to  come  to  America. 
After  finishing  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  he  worked 
for  a  short  time  in  his  father's  flour-mill,  but  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one,  he  came  to  this  country  and  worked  for  four  years  as  a  laborer  at 
Green  Bay,  Wisconsin.  Removing  then  to  Clinton  county,  low^a,  he  worked 
five  years  as  a  farm  hand,  and  then  rented  land  for  six  years.  In  1900  he 
removed  to  Audubon  county  and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  to  which 


696  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

he  subsequently  added  forty  acres,  upon  which  he  is  now  living.  He  raises 
an  average  of  forty  acres  of  corn  and  twenty  acres  of  small  grain  every 
year,  feeding  fifty  head  of  hogs  and  a  few  cattle. 

On  December  10,  1898,  Nels  P.  Andersen  was  married  to  Carrie  An- 
derson, the  daughter  of  Anders  and  Catherine  Anderson.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Nels  P.  Andersen  have  had  three  children,  Hans,  Metta  and  Lydia,  all  of 
whom  are  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Carrie  Anderson  was  a  native  of  Denmark,  as  were  her  parents  before 
her.  Her  father,  a  farmer  and  laborer  by  occupation,  died  in  his  native 
land,  and  her  mother  is  still  living  there.  Anders  and  Catherine  Anderson 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  as  follow :  Anders ;  Annie,  who  married 
a  Mr.  Anderson;  Peter,  Julia,  Sena  and  Carrie.  One  of  these  children  is 
deceased.     The  living  children  are  all  residents  of  this  country. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nels  P.  Andersen  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church.  Mr.  Andersen  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the 
Danish  school  board.     He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Danish  Brotherhood. 

Mr.  Andersen  has  enjoyed  reasonable  success  as  a  farmer,  stock  raiser, 
and  during  his  comparatively  brief  residence  in  Audubon  county  has  man- 
aged to  establish  a  comfortable  home  and  acquire  a  splendid  farm.  He  is 
industrious,  foresighted  and  honorable  in  the  relations  of  life,  a  very  worthy 
citizen  of  Oakfield  township. 


GEORGE  JESSEN,  JR. 

George  Jessen,  Jr.,  a  farmer  of  Oakfield  township,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  the  son  of  a  veteran  of  the  Franco-Prussian  War  of  1870,  was  born 
on  October  22,  1878,  in  Schleswig,  Germany.  His  parents,  George  and 
Elizabeth  (Christensen)  Jessen,  after  coming  to  America  in  1881,  located 
at  Atlantic,  Iowa,  where  the  father  worked  on  the  railroad  for  two  years, 
and  then  moved  to  Audubon  county,  locating  upon  the  farm  where  his  son, 
George,  now  lives.  He  began  with  a  small  tract  of  land  and  gradually 
increased  his  holdings  until  he  owned  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  fine 
farming  land.  Although  he  had  very  little  when  he  came  to  this  country, 
by  earnest  and  unceasing  toil,  by  careful  management  and  frugal  living,  he 
has  come  to  be  very  prosperous  as  a  farmer  and  stockman.  George  and 
Elizabeth  (Christensen)  Jessen  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  Chris, 
Mary,  George  and  Theodore. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  697 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Oakfield  township,  Audubon  county, 
George  Jessen,  after  leaving  school,  farmed  with  his  father  until  twenty- 
eight  years  old,  when  he  rented  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  lives,  and 
where  he  has  remained  since  that  time.  Mr.  Jessen  raises  on  an  average 
eighty  acres  of  corn,  eighty  acres  of  small  grain,  and  feeds  most  of  the 
grain  raised  to  live  stock.  He  sells  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  head 
of  hogs  every  year  and  three  carloads  of  cattle.  He  is  well  known  in  this 
township  as  a  breeder  of  Shorthorn  cattle,  and  has  been  extensively  engaged 
in  this  business  for  a  number  of  years.  Approximately  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars has  been  invested  in  various  kinds  of  improvements  upon  this  farm, 
and  it  is  one  of  the  highly  productive  farms  of  the  township. 

On  July  8,  1900,  George  Jessen,  Jr.,  was  married  to  Bertha  Marie  Jen- 
sen, the  daughter  of  Klaus  Jensen.  Bertha  Marie  Jensen  was  a  native  of 
Denmark,  as  were  her  parents.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jessen  have  been  born 
six  children,  George,  Nannie,  Clara,  Theodore,  Bertha  and  Alice,  all  of 
whom  are  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

George  Jessen,  Jr.,  is  not  identified  with  any  particular  political  party. 
He  is  an  independent  voter,  and  has  little  faith  in  the  platforms  of  political 
parties  or  the  pledges  of  party  candidates.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  also  of  the  Danish  Brotherhood.  Air.  Jessen 
has  always  been  deeply  interested  in  the  civic  life  of  his  township,  and  has 
filled  the  position  of  school  director  and  also  that  of  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  his  township,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  these  offices  to  the  entire 
satisfaction  of  the  community  which  he  served. 

Mr.  Jessen  is  a  man  who  uses  only  the  most  improved  modern  methods 
in  his  farming  operations,  and  has  been  ver}^  successful  in  his  chosen  voca- 
tion. He  is  a  popular  young  citizen  of  Oakfield  township,  and  already  is 
recognized  as  having  made  a  good  start  in  life. 


JOHN  N.  ESBECK. 


A  prominent  farmer  and  an  influential  citizen  of  Exira  township,  and 
a  native  of  the  little  kingdom  of  Denmark,  is  John  N.  Esbeck,  who  owns 
one  hundred  and  forty-five  acres  of  land  in  Exira  township,  and  who  was 
born  in  Denmark  on  July  29,  1867,  the  son  of  Chris  N.  and  Catherine 
(Mortensen)  Esbeck,  both  natives  of  Denmark.  The  former  was  a  farmer 
in  his  native  land,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1868,  one  year  after 


698  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.      ' 

the  birth  of  John  N.  Chris  Esbeck  located  first  in  Illinois  after  arriving 
in  America,  but  only  lived  in  that  state  for  one  year,  when  he  removed  to 
Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  where  he  was  employed  on  the  Rock  Island  railroad, 
helping  to  construct  the  road  from  the  east  through  to  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa. 
In  1873,  he  removed  to  Missouri,  where  he  was  engaged  in  railroading,  and 
in  1 88 1  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  and  after  locating  in  Oakfield  town- 
ship, purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  farmed  in  this 
township  until  his  death  in  1888.  His  wife  died  in  1887,  after  having  reared 
a  family  of  ten  children,  three  of  whom  are  living,  Mary,  Alfred  and  John 
N.     Mary  is  the  wife  of  Jens  P.  Hanson.     Alfred  married  Grace  Huyck. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the  state  of  Missouri,  John  N.  Esbeck 
removed  to  Audubon  county  with  his  parents  about  the  time  he  finished 
school,  and  engaged  in  farming  with  his  father  until  he  was  twenty  years 
of  age.  Beginning  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  he  worked  in  the  implement 
business  at  Kimballton,  Iowa,  for  four  years,  after  which  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  Oakfield  township,  where  he  farmed  for  five  years. 
Disposing  of  his  farm  in  Oakfield  township,  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  Douglas  township,  and  farmed  there  for  about  eleven  years, 
when  he  again  sold  out  and  purchased  the  place  upon  which  he  now  lives. 
Since  acquiring  possession  of  this  farm  in  1910,  Mr.  Esbeck  has  invested 
about  six  thousand  dollars  in  buildings,  fences,  drains  and  other  forms  of 
improvement  on  the  farm.  He  raises  on  ah  average  of  fifty  acres  of  corn, 
thirty  acres  of  small  grains  and  feeds  out  fifty  head  of  hogs  each  year. 

On  March  22,  1895,  John  N.  Esbeck  was  married  to  Ingeborg  Nissen, 
the  daughter  of  Nis  and  Johanna  Nissen,  and  to  this  union  have  been  bom 
six  children,  Edna,  Esther,  Catherine,  Lela,  Agnes  and  Arnold,  all  of  whom 
are  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

A  charter  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  at  Kimballton. 
Iowa,  Mr.  Esbeck  has  been  prominent  in  this  organization.  He  and  his 
wife  and  family  are  earnest  and  faithful  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  served  as  assessor  of  Oakfield 
township  for  four  years,  as  township  clerk  of  Douglas  township  for  seven 
years,  and  also  as  a  school  director  at  various  places.  As  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  and  farmers  of  Exira  township,  Mr.  Esbeck  is  known  to  be  keenly 
interested  in  educational  affairs,  and  in  the  public  positions  which  he  has 
held,  he  has  acquitted  himself  with  credit,  and  has  won  honor  by  his  effi- 
cient service.  He  is  known  to  be  honorable  and  straightforward  in  all  of 
the  private  relations  of  life. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  699 


HANS  NYMAND. 


A  successful  farmer  of  Oaktield  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and 
one  who  owns  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres  of  fine  farming  land, 
Hans  Nymand  was  born  on  February  9,  1862,  in  Schleswig,  Germany,  the 
son  of  Hans  and  Katherine  (Miller)  Nymand,  both  natives  of  Schleswig, 
Germany.  Hans  Nymand,  Sr.,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  owned 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  his  native  country.  Of  his  ten  children,  six,  Jesse, 
Chris,  Christina,  Mettie  Marie,  Mary  and  Hans,  are  still  living.  .    . 

Hans  Nymand,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  has  become 
a  prosperous  farmer  in  this  country  and  a  leader  in  public  thought  in  the 
community  where  he  lives,  worked  as  a  farm  hand,  mostly  with  his  father, 
after  leaving  school.  In  1881  he  came  to  America,  and  after  locating  in 
Audubon  county,  worked  as  a  farm  laborer  for  one  year,  after  which  he 
rented  the  place  where  he  is  now  living.  After  renting  for  one  year  he  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  has  since  increased  his  land  hold- 
ings until  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres.  Mr.  Nymand 
has  invested  about  seventy-five  hundred  dollars  in  improvements  on  his 
farm,  which  consist  principally  of  out-buildings,  fences  and  drainage.  He 
feeds  about  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  every  year,  and  raises  a  good  grade 
of  live  stock  of  all  kinds.  Ordinarily  he  raises  forty  acres  of  corn  and  thirty 
acres  of  small  grain.  On  the  farm  where  he  lives  he  has  built  two  large 
silos,  which  hold  one  hundred  and  sixty  tons  of  ensilage. 

On  March  7,  1883,  Hans  Nymand  was  married  to  Mary  Knudson,  the 
daughter  of  Knud  and  Caroline  Knudson,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born 
three  children,  Harry,  Walter  and  Ella.  Harry  married  Nannie  Nelson, 
and  they  have  two  children,  Olivia  and  Imo.  Walter  and  Ella  are  unmar- 
ried and  are  still  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mary  Knudson  was  a  native  of  Denmark,  as  were  her  parents  before 
her.  They  came  to  America  in  1873  ^^^  located  at  Atlantic,  Iowa,  and  here 
her  father  worked  as  a  section  hand  on  the  railroad  for  one  year.  He  then 
removed  to  Audubon  county  and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  and  began 
farming  for  himself.  Mrs.  Nymand's  father  and  mother  are  now  deceased. 
Of  their  children  four  are  still  living,  Chris,  Peter,  Carolina  and  Mrs.  Mary 
Nymand. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hans  Nymand  and  family  are  faithful  and  earnest  mem- 
bers of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  and  take  a  great  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  this  congregation.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  he  has  served  as  assessor 
of  Oakfield  township,  and  was  also  a  school  director.     He  is  a  member  of 


700  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

the  Danish  Brotherhood,  in  which  he  formerly  served  as  president  and  sec- 
retary of  the  lodge.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  the  last 
named  lodge  he  has  filled  all  the  chairs  and  is  now  a  past  grand. 

Hans  Nymand  is  not  only  a  good  farmer,  but  he  is  a  good  citizen,  intel- 
ligent, progressive,  broad-minded,  courteous  and  considerate  of  the  rights 
of  others,  and  naturally  he  is  well  liked  in  the  neighborhood  and  is  popular 
in  religious  and  fraternal  circles  in  this  township. 


WILLIAM  AND  HENRY  ONKEN. 

William  and  Henry  Onken,  well-known  farmers  of  Oakfield  township 
and  sons  of  the  late  George  Onken,  are  at  present  managing  their  father's 
farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  Oakfield  township,  and  have  made  a  very 
commendable  success  of  farming. 

William  and  Henry  Onken  are  sons  of  George  Onken,  who  died  on 
October  2^,  191 3.  He  was  the  son  of  Hoegh  and  Mary  Onken,  natives  of 
Germany,  who  lived  and  died  in  their  native  land,  where  they  were  farmers. 
Upon  coming  to  America,  George  Onken  first  located  at  Marne,  Iowa, 
where  he  remained  with  his  uncle  on  a  farm  for  two  years.  Coming  to 
Audubon  county  in  1873,  he  purchased  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
land  on  Buck  creek  and  was  engaged  in  farming  there  for  sixteen  years, 
when  he  sold  out  and  purchased  two  hundred  acres  near  Brayton.  Here 
he  farmed  until  two  years  before  his  death,  when  he  moved  to  Brayton  and 
lived  retired.  George  Onken  and  his  wife  had  nine  children :  Mary,  Anna, 
Amolia,  Bertha,  William,  Henrv%  Kate,  Fred  and  Lillie.  William  was  born 
on  October  12,  1883,  and  Henry  was  born  on  October  28,  1885.  Several 
of  the  children  are  now  married.  The  late  George  Onken  was  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  church.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  he  held  several  minor  offices, 
such  as  road  supervisor  and  school  director.  He  was  also  president  of  Oak- 
field  cry. 

Educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Oakfield  township,  Audubon  county, 
William  and  Henry  Onken  worked  with  their  father  on  the  farm  until  his 
retirement  and  removal  to  Brayton.  At  this  time,  they  took  charge  of  the 
farm  and  have  been  managing  it  since  that  time.  They  raise  on  an  average 
of  seventy-five  acres  of  corn  and  thirty  acres  of  small  grain  every  year, 
and  feed  out  one  hundred  head  of  hogs.     William  and  Henry  Onken  are 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  7OI 

known  among  the  most  progressive  and  up-to-date  farmers  in  Oakfield 
township. 

On  November  i8,  1908,  WilHam  Onken  was  married  to  Anna  Ander- 
son, the  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Lena  Anderson.  They  have  two  children, 
Walter  and  Ethel. 

On  April  30,  1914,  Henry  Onken  was  married  to  Lena  Anderson,  also 
the  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Lena  Anderson.  The  wives  of  these  two  brothers 
are  sisters. 

Both  families  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church.  William 
and  Henry  Onken  are  Democrats  in  politics.  They  are  well-known  young 
farmers  of  Oakfield  township,  and,  being  well  advised  and  well  informed 
with  regard  to  modern  agricultural  methods,  their  advice  and  counsel  is 
freely  sought  by  other  farmers  of  Oakfield  township.  William  and  Henry 
Onken  are  popular  in  the  neighborhood  where  they  live. 


PETER  KNUDSEN. 


Peter  Knudsen,  who  purchased  and  now  owns  the  fine  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Oakfield  township,  which  his  father  before  him 
owned,  was  born  on  January  28,  1866,  in  Denmark,  the  son  of  Knud  C. 
and  Caroline  (Phillipson)  Knudsen.  A  farmer  in  his  native  land  until  he 
came  to  America  in  1874,  Knud  C.  Knudsen  located  in  Cass  county,  Iowa, 
and  there  worked  as  a  section  hand  on  the  railroad  for  one  year,  after  which 
he  moved  to  Audubon  county  and  located  in  Oakfield  township.  One  year 
later  he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  and  subsequently  added  forty 
acres  to  the  original  tract.  H  efarmed  this  land  until  his  death  in  1906. 
His  wife,  the  mother  of  Peter  Knudsen,  died  in  1910.  Knud  C.  and  Caro- 
line Knudsen  were  the  parents  of  four  children :  Chris,  Peter,  Mary  and 
Caroline. 

Eight  years  old  when  his  parents  brought  him  to  America,  Peter  Knud- 
sen received  all  of  his  educational  training  at  the  schools  of  Oakfield  town- 
ship, and  after  leaving  school  was  engaged  with  his  father  in  farming  until 
the  latter's  death  in  1906.  When  the  estate  was  settled,  Peter  Knudsen  pur- 
chased the  farm,  and  since  1906  has  invested  about  five  thousand  dollars  in 
buildings,  fences,  drains  and  various  processes  to  improve  the  fertility  of  the 
soil.  He  raises  on  an  average  of  forty  acres  of  corn  and  thirty  acres  of 
small  grain  every  year.     He  also  feeds  out  about  seventy  head  of  hogs.    The 


702  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

high  prices  paid  for  hogs  for  the  last  few  years  has  made  it  profitable  to 
raise  as  many  as  possible. 

On  April  24,  1888,  when  Peter  Knudsen  was  twenty-two  years  old,  he 
was  married  to  Minnie  Nelson,  the  daughter  of  Martin  Nelson.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Knudsen  have  had  eight  children :  Lillie.  Henry.  Christ,  Esther,  Anna, 
Theodore,  Arthur  and  Marie.  Lillie  married  Chris  Jensen  and  has  two 
children,  Arthur  and  Harry.  Henry  married  a  Miss  Hoegh  and  has  two 
children,  Ethel  and  Harry.  The  remainder  of  the  family  are  unmarried  and 
live  at  home  with  their  parents. 

The  Knudsen  family  are  prominent  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church,  in  which  Peter  Knudsen  is  a  trustee.  He  is  also  a  school  director 
in  Oakfield  township  and  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

For  his  enterprise  and  industry,  Peter  Knudsen  has  established  a  com- 
fortable home  in  Oakfield  township,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  rearing  a  large 
familv  of  children  to  honorable  and  useful  lives.  This  is  their  greatest  con- 
tribution to  the  happiness  of  the  neighborhood  where  they  live  and  where 
they  have  always  been  popular.  Like  so  many  of  his  fellow  countrymen 
who  have  made  commendable  successes  of  farming  in  the  new  country,  Peter 
Knudsen  has  become  an  enthusiastic  and  patriotic  American,  one  who 
admires  our  institutions  and  appreciates  the  opportunities  our  country  offers. 


ROSCOE  T.  TURNER. 


Roscoe  T.  Turner,  an  enterprising  farmer  of  Audubon  township,  Audu- 
bon county,  Iowa,  enjoys  the  distinction  of  owning  the  highest  assessed  farm 
in  Audubon  township.  Some  years  ago,  having  purchased  a  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land  in  section  33  of  this  township,  comprising  a  farm  which 
was  very  poorly  improved,  Mr.  Turner  set  to  work  diligently  and  within  a 
few  years  has  built  a  new  eight-room  house ;  a  large  barn,  thirty-six  by  fifty- 
four  by  twenty-two  feet ;  a  sheep  shed,  twenty-six  by  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet;  a  hog  house,  twenty-two  by  forty- four  feet,  with  a  feeding  floor,  thirty- 
six  by  fifty-four  feet ;  a  silo  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  tons  capacity,  and  many 
rods  of  woven-wire  fence.  Not  only  is  the  Turner  farm  recognized  as  being 
the  most  valuable  in  Audubon  township,  but  it  is  likewise  one  of  the  most 
attractive  farms  to  be  found  in  this  township. 

Roscoe  T.  Turner,  the  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Fannie  (Richardson)  Tur- 
ner, was  born  on  May  13,  1878,  in  Exira  township,  Audubon  county,  on  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  703 

old  Dick  Gault  farm.  Nathaniel  Turner,  who  was  born  in  Fulton  county, 
Illinois,  January  24,  1856,  was  the  son  of  John  and  Nancy  (Miller)  Turner, 
natives  respectively  of  Kentucky  and  Indiana.  John  Turner  was  a  private 
in  Company  G,  Eleventh  Illinois  Cavalry,  during  the  Civil  War.  Soon 
after  the  war  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Audubon  county,  arriving  at 
Exira,  October  28,  1868,  having  driven  overland  from  Des  Moines.  After 
living  until  1870  in  Exira,  where  they  kept  a  hotel  for  some  time,  they 
moved  to  Lewisville  and  rented  a  tract  of  land,  known  as  the  old  Ingham 
farm,  south  of  Exira.  After  farming  for  some  time,  John  Turner  and  his 
wife  retired  and  spent  their  remaining  days  with  their  son,  Nathaniel, 
and  family. 

On  January  4,  1877,  Nathaniel  Turner  married  Marguerite  Frances 
Richardson,  who  was  born  in  Jones  county,  Iowa,  December  3,  1861,  and 
who  was  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Phoebe  (Climer)  Richardson,  pio- 
neers of  the  section,  the  former  of  whom,  at  the  time  he  was  killed  in  the 
Civil  War,  left  a  widow  and  four  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Turner 
was  the  third  in  order  of  birth.  Airs.  Richardson  remarried  and  in  1870 
the  family  came  to  Audubon  county.  Nathaniel  and  Marguerite  F.  (Rich- 
ardson) Turner  had  two  children,  Roscoe,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and 
Alice,  born  on  February  7,  1894,  who  is  a  student  in  the  college  at  Sioux 
Falls,  South  Dakota,  but  is  now  living  at  home. 

Roscoe  T.  Turner  lived  at  home  until  he  was  married,  having  received 
his  education  in  the  school  at  Greeley  Center,  in  Greeley  township.  After 
he  was  married,  he  rented  a  farm  in  Melville  township  for  a  year,  and 
then  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  22  of  Greeley  township, 
living  on  that  farm  for  five  years,  or  until  he  purchased  the  hundred-and- 
sixty-acre  farm  where  he  now  lives.  Mr.  Turner  feeds  sheep  in  large 
numbers.  In  1914  he  fed  about  fifteen  hundred  head  and  in  191 5  he  had 
twelve  hundred  head.  He  also  raised  cattle  and  hogs,  selling  about  one  car 
load  of  cattle  and  two  carloads  of  hogs  every  year.  Mr.  Turner's  farm,  in 
which  he  takes  great  pride,  is  well  known  as  the  Valley  View  farm  and  may 
be  counted  as  one  of  the  best  in  Audubon  county. 

On  December  25,  1901,  Mr.  Turner  was  married  to  Edith  Pine,  who 
was  born  on  December  27,  1878,  in  Iowa  county,  Iowa,  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Elizabeth  (Correll)  Pine,  early  settlers  in  Audubon  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Turner  have  one  child,  Lois,  born  on  March  16,  1907. 

The  Turners  are  members  of  the  Congregational  church.  A  Democrat 
in  politics,  Roscoe  T.  Turner  has  served  as  township  clerk  in  both  Greeley 
and  Audubon  townships,  and  faithfully  discharged  the  duties  of  these  offices. 


704  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

He  is  a  young  man  of  engaging  personality,  popular  in  the  community  where 
he  lives,  and  honored  and  respected  by  those  with  whom  he  has  come  in 
contact. 


REV.  JOHN  MAYER. 


Audubon  county  has  been  the  home  and  the  scene  of  labors  of  many 
men,  who  have  not  only  led  lives  which  should  serve  as  a  lesson  and  an  inspira- 
tion to  those  who  follow  them  on  the  stage  of  life's  activities,  but  who  have 
also  rendered  important  service  in  the  civic  and  religious  life  of  the  com- 
munity. The  honored  and  highly  esteemed  Rev.  John  ]\Iayer,  pastor  of  the 
Holy  Trinity  Catholic  church  at  Exira,  is  a  man  well  rounded  in  character, 
sincere,  devoted  and  loyal.  He  has  been  pastor  of  the  Holy  Trinity  church 
since  September  18,  191 3,  and  during  the  intervening  period  has  gained 
many  warm  and  ardent  friends  in  this  part  of  Audubon  county. 

Rev.  John  Mayer,  pastor  of  Holy  Trinity  Catholic  church,  of  Exira, 
Iowa,  was  born  at  Goldshoefe,  Germany,  March  18,  1883,  ^^^^  is  a  son  of 
Michael  and  Rosena  (Klopfer)  Mayer,  both  of  whom  were  native-born  Ger- 
mans. Michael  Mayer  was  a  German  farmer  and  is  still  living  in  his  native 
land  on  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  and  is  engaged  in  general  farming. 

Michael  and  Rosena  (Klopfer)  Mayer  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, John,  George,  Joseph,  Kasper,  Anthony,  Michael,  Ottilia  and  Mary. 
Michael  is  a  soldier  in  the  German  army  at  the  present  time,  and  is  attached 
to  the  German  cavalry.  Kasper  is  also  a  German  soldier,  and  is  serving  in 
the  infantry.  All  of  the  Mayer  children  are  unmarried  and  are  still  living 
at  home.  Rev.  John  Mayer  is  the  only  member  of  the  family  who  has  come 
to  America. 

Rev.  John  Mayer  received  his  early  education  in  the  state  parochial 
school  of  Hofen,  Germany.  After  leaving  the  parochial  school,  he  attended 
the  state  college  of  Ewangen  for  five  years,  and  then  returned  to  his  home, 
after  which  for  four  years  he  worked  as  a  railroad  clerk. 

In  1905,  when  the  Rev.  John  Mayer  was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he 
came  to  America  and  located  in  New  York  City  with  an  uncle.  Rev.  John 
Mayer,  who  was  pastor  of  the  St.  Nicholas  church,  of  that  city.  Subse- 
quently, the  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  Vincent  College  at  Lathrop, 
Pennsylvania,  for  one  year,  and  from  Lathrop  College  he  went  to  the  Holy 
Ghost  College,  and  was  graduated  from  this  last  institution  in  1908.  Fol- 
lowing his  graduation  from  Holy  Ghost  College,  he  entered  St.   Meinard's 


REV.  JOHN  MAYER 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  705 

College,  Indiana,  where  he  remained  for  one  year,  after  which  he  entered 
Mount  St.  Mary's  College,  at  Emmettsburg,  Maryland,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years. 

On  July  17,  191 1,  Rev.  John  Mayer  was  ordained  at  Sacred  Heart 
Cathedral,  Davenport,  Iowa,  and  subsequently,  celebrated  his  first  mass  at  the 
Sts.  Peter  and  Paul  church,  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  After  this  he  was 
appointed  assistant  pastor  at  the  St.  Ambrose  church,  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 
He  remained  at  Des  Moines,  however,  but  a  brief  time,  when  he  was 
appointed  to  the  parish  at  Rosemount,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years.  On  September  i8,  19 13,  Rev.  John  Mayer  was  assigned  to  the  Holy 
Trinity  parish  of  Exira,  Iowa,  which  he  has  served  as  pastor  for  nearly  two 
years.  He  is  well  versed  in  several  foreign  languages,  and  is  a  profound 
student  of  history.  He  has  enjoyed  a  large  measure  of  success  in  the  min- 
istry and  altogether  has  made  rapid  progress  in  his  work.  He  is  not  yet 
thirty-five  years  of  age,  and  judging  from  his  past  work,  he  bids  fair  to 
become  one  of  the  leaders  in  his  church  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

Rev.  Mayer  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party,  but  his  calling  has 
prevented  him  from  taking  an  active  part  in  political  affairs,  although  he  is 
deeply  interested  in  all  public-spirited  movements  which  have  for  their 
object  the  advancement  of  his  community,  and  the  welfare  of  his  fellow 
citizens. 


HANS  R.  HANSEN. 


Among  the  native-born  Danish  farmers,  meaning  the  younger  farmers, 
of  Oakfield  township,  who  were  born  in  Schleswig,  Hans  R.  Hansen  has 
made  commendable  progress  since  coming  to  America  with  his  parents,  and 
is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Oakfield  town- 
ship. He  was  born  on  April  15,  1880,  in  Germany,  and  is  the  son  of 
Mathias  and  Anna  Marie  (Christensen)  Hansen,  who  came  to  America  to 
seek  their  fortune  in  the  new  world.  After  coming  to  America  they  located 
in  section  9,  in  Oakfield  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  here  pur- 
chased seventy-nine  acres  of  land,  which  Mr.  Hansen  farmed  for  one  year, 
or  until  his  untimely  death.  Mathias  Hansen  was  killed  by  a  horse,  about 
a  year  after  coming  to  this  country.  He  left  at  the  time  of  his  death  a 
widow  and  three  children,  Jesse  (deceased),  Walter,  and  Hans,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  After  his  untimely  death,  the  mother  married  Nels  Peter- 
sen, and  they  had  two  children.  Mathias  Hansen  was  killed,  November  11, 
1880.     Mrs.  Nels  Petersen  died,  January  14,  1914. 

(45) 


706  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

An  infant  when  brought  to  America  by  his  parents,  Hans  R.  Hansen 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  this  country.  He  attended  the  pubHc  schools 
of  Oakfield  township  and  received  a  good  common  school  education,  which 
has  been  very  helpful  to  him  in  his  career  as  a  farmer.  After  finishing 
school  he  worked  on  the  home  place  for  four  years,  and  then  did  farm 
work  on  various  farms  for  another  four  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he 
rented  a  farm  for  two  years,  and  was  then  married  and  moved  to  the  farm 
upon  which  he  is  now  living,  and  where  he  has  invested  five  thousand  dol- 
lars in  various  kinds  of  improvements.  Mr.  Hansen  has  found  mixed  farm- 
ing to  be  most  profitable,  and  raises  forty-five  acres  of  corn,  thirty  acres  of 
small  grain,  and  feeds  out  about  sixty  head  of  hogs  every  year. 

On  April  20,  1904,  when  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age,  Hans  R. 
Hansen  was  married  to  Anna  Hoegh,  daughter  of  Niels  P.  Hoegh,  whose 
wife  was  Catherine  Knoss,  the  daughter  of  Christian  Knoss.  Niels  P. 
Hoegh  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  farmers  and  bankers  of  Audubon 
county,  who,  since  coming  to  Audubon  county,  about  1875,  has  acquired 
a  substantial  interest  in  two  of  the  leading  banks  of  the  county,  a  large  lum- 
ber company,  and  who  owns  two  thousands  acres  of  land  in  Audubon  and 
Cass  counties.  Anna  Hoegh  was  one  of  eight  children  born  to  her  parents. 
The  others  are  George  (deceased),  William,  Walter,  Catherine,  Benjamin, 
Edward  and  Arthur. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hans  R.  Hansen  have  been  born  four  children,  as  fol- 
low: Edwin,  Dagmar,  Wilbert  and  Gladys.  All  of  these  children  are  liv- 
ing at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hans  R.  Hansen  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church.     Mr.  Hansen  is  a  Republican. 

Hans  R.  Hansen  is  not  only  an  enterprising  farmer,  but  he  is  a  good 
manager  and  a  successful  business  man,  who,  with  a  start  which  he  has 
already  won,  is  certain  to  achieve  newer  and  greater  things  in  life.  The 
people  of  Oakfield  township,  who  are  well  acquainted  with  him.  all  like 
Hans  R.  Hansen,  and  everybody  is  interested  in  his  success.  Aggressive 
and  straightforward  in  dealings  with  his  fellows,  he  well  merits  the  confi- 
dence which  he  so  universally  enjoys. 


HENRY  TORPY. 


Another  native-born  citizen  of  the  great  Hawkeye  state,  of  Irish  parent- 
age, is  Henry  Torpy,  the  owner  of  Sun  Slope  stock  farm,  of  two  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  in  Lincoln  township. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  70/ 

Henry  Torpy  was  born  at  Stanwood,  Iowa,  March  17,  1867.  His  par- 
ents, Thomas  and  Mary  (Constentine)  Torpy,  both  came  from  Ireland.  The 
former  was  a  farmer,  who  followed  that  occupation  in  the  Emerald  isle  until 
he  was  twenty  years  old,  when  he  came  to  America.  He  located  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  worked  for  a  time  in  the  coal  mines  of  that  state.  Eventually 
he  came  to  Iowa  and  farmed  in  this  state  for  a  few  years,  settling  first  in 
Cedar,  then  later,  in  Crawford  county.  In  1874  he  purchased  a  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Shelby  county,  and  five  years  later  purchased  land 
in  Audubon  county.  Mr.  Torpy  first  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  one-half  at  sixteen  and  a  half  dollars  an  acre  and  the  other  half  at 
twelve  dollars  an  acre.  He  farmed  here  until  1901,  when  he  moved  to 
Omaha.  His  death  occurred  on  February  24,  1905,  and  his  wife  died  on 
January  15,  1902.  They  had  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living.  Henry 
is  the  only  one  living  in  Audubon  county. 

Henry  Torpy  received  his  education  in  Crawford  and  Audubon  coun- 
ties, and  after  leaving  school  farmed  with  his  father  until  he  was  of  age. 
He  then  rented  a  hundred  acres  of  land  and  began  farming  for  himself. 
The  first  year  he  rented  land  and  then  purchased  the  farm  for  twenty-two 
dollars  and  a  half  an  acre.  It  is  the  same  farm  upon  which  he  is  now  living. 
During  the  past  twenty-five  years  Mr.  Torpy  has  invested  ten  thousand 
dollars  in  various  kinds  of  improvements,  and  now  has  one  of  the  best-kept 
and  most  highly  profitable  farms  in  Lincoln  township.  He  raises  pure-bred 
Belgian  horses,  Hereford  cattle  and  Duroc  Jersey  hogs. 

Henry  Torpy  was  married  May  15,  1889,  to  Mary  Coates,  daughter  of 
\Mlliam  and  Mary  (Maloney)  Coates,  the  former  a  native  of  England  and 
the  latter,  of  Ireland.  Two  children,  Thomas  W.  and  Olive  M.,  have  been 
born  to  this  marriage.  Mrs.  Torpy  was  born  at  Denison,  Crawford  county, 
Iowa.  William  Coates  was  a  farmer  in  England,  where  he  was  married, 
and  after  staying  there  three  years  they  came  to  America  in  1870,  and 
located  at  Denison,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  for  the  railroad  company  for  a 
few  years.  He  then  purchased  a  farm  a  few  miles  from  Vail,  Iowa,  and 
farmed  there  until  his  retirement.  He  moved  to  Vail  in  1900,  and  died  on 
April  17,  1906.  Mrs.  Coates  is  still  living  at  Vail.  They  had  four  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Torpy  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Torpy  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  while,  in  poli- 
tics, he  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

During  recent  years  Henry  Torpy  has  gained  an  enviable  reputation  in 
Audubon  county  as  a  breeder  of  pure-bred  Belgian  horses,  and  has  built  up 
a  large  and  extensive  market  for  this  breed.     Mr.  Torpy's  standing  in  Lin- 


708  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

coin  township,  however,  does  not  rest  entirely  upon  his  reputation  as  a 
farmer.  He  is  a  good  citizen  and  popular  in  his  neighborhood,  since  he  is  a 
man  of  genial  and  agreeable  personality.  Few  men  are  better  known  or  bet- 
ter liked  in  Lincoln  township  than  he. 


ELMER  C.  PORCH. 


Elmer  C.  Porch,  a  farmer  of  Audubon  township,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  who  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Audubon  and  Exira 
townships,  was  born  on  September  22,  1863,  in  Knox  county,  the  son  of 
Joshua  and  Maria  (Smith)  Porch,  natives  of  Holmes  and  Wayne  counties, 
Ohio,  respectively.  The  former  was  a  son  of  David  and  Catherine  Porch, 
who  were  natives  of  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter 
was  the  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Delilah  (Smith)  Smith,  natives  of  Wayne 
county,  Ohio.  The  Porch  family  is  of  Pennsylvania-Dutch  descent,  though 
Joshua  Porch  became  a  farmer  in  Ohio;  he  came  to  Iowa  in  1874,  located  in 
Cass  county.  After  living  at  Atlantic  for  several  months,  in  1875  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Grant  township,  Cass  county,  where  he  lived  until  19 12, 
when  he  retired  from  active  farm  life  and  removed  to  Anita. 

Elmer  C.  Porch  was  the  only  child  born  to  his  parents.  After  receiv- 
ing a  good  common  school  education,  he  lived  at  home  until  his  marriage, 
when  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  31,  Audubon  township, 
where  he  is  now  living.  He  has  since  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  in  addition  to  the  original  tract,  forty  acres  of  which  is  located 
in  section  36  of  Exira  township  and  eighty  acres  in  Audubon  township. 
When  Mr.  Porch  first  purchased  this  farm  there  were  no  improvements 
whatever.  After  building  a  fourteen-by-twenty-foot  shack,  he  lived  in  this 
building  for  three  years,  and  then  added  two  more  rooms,  which  served  until 
191  o,  when  he  remodeled  it,  and  now  has  a  large  seven-room  house,  with 
waterworks  and  other  modern  conveniences.  In  1902  Mr.  Porch  built  a 
large  barn,  forty-eight  by  fifty-four  feet  in  size,  and  in  the  meantime  has 
added  other  outbuildings,  such  as  cribs,  granaries,  etc.  Mr.  Porch  makes  a 
specialty  of  thoroughbred  Duroc- Jersey  hogs. 

On  June  30,  1886,  in  Cass  county,  Iowa.  Mr.  Porch  was  married  to 
Mary  Parker,  who  was  born  in  LaSalle  county,  Illinois,  and  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  A.  and  Esther  (Garver)  Parker,  who  came  west  to  Cass  county 
in  1880.  Mrs.  Mary  (Parker)  Porch  died  in  1893,  leaving  two  children, 
Esta,  born  May  22,  1887,  and  Clarence  Glenn,  born  July  24,  1894.  The 
former  married  James  Rickle,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Marie  Violet. 
A  third  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porch  died  in  infancy. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  709 

On  February  26,  1902,  in  Cass  county,  Mr.  Porch  was  married  to  Anna 
Griffith,  who  was  born  January  28,  1872,  in  Marion  county,  Iowa,  and  who  is 
a  daughter  of  Levi  and  Minerva  C.  (Adams)  Griffith,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  a 
native  of  Herkimer  county,  New  York.  When  seven  years  of  age,  Levi  H. 
Griffith  removed  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio  with  his  parents,  and  eventually 
came  from  that  state  to  Marion  county,  Iowa.  The  Adams  family 
removed  from  New  York  state  to  Kansas  in  an  early  day,  and  from  that 
state  to  Marion  county,  Iowa,  where  Mrs.  Porch's  father  and  mother  were 
married.  In  1869  they  came  to  Cass  county,  Iowa,  where  they  rented  land 
for  a  time,  after  which  they  purchased  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land,  where  they  lived  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  Mr.  Griffith's  death 
occurring  in  191 1,  while  his  wife  passed  away  in  1895.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Griffith  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are  still  living,  Mrs. 
Louisa  J.  Regan,  Mrs.  Delia  C.  Winder,  Mrs.  Sarah  Norton,  Mrs.  Anna  M. 
Porch,  Ella,  Grant  J.,  Roscoe  C.  and  Isaac.     Edwin  died  in  1901. 

By  his  second  marriage,  Mr.  Porch  has  had  three  children,  two  of  whom 
are  living,  Mildred  L.,  born  October  24,  1904,  and  Roscoe  E.,  born  April  28, 
1 9 10,  while  Carlton  B.,  the  eldest  child  of  this  second  marriage,  who  was 
born  on  December  20,  1902,  died  on  April  27,  1906. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porch  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
although  Mrs.  Porch  is  a  supporter  of  the  Christian  Science  faith.  She  is 
also  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union 
and  of  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Society,  in  both  of  which  organiza- 
tions she  takes  an  active  interest.  Mr.  Porch  formerly  belonged  to  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  but  has  not  been  active  in  this  organiza- 
tion during  late  years.  Politically,  he  is  an  adherent  of  the  Democratic  party, 
but  has  not  held  any  public  offices.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Porch  are  popular  mem- 
bers of  society  in  the  community  where  they  live,  and  Mr.  Porch  is  an  hon- 
ored citizen  of  Audubon  township.  His  success  as  a  farmer  is  a  result  of 
his  unceasing  industry  and  his  careful  and  wise  management. 


DOC  B.  ANDERSON. 


Doc  B.  Anderson,  a  popular  farmer  of  Hamlin  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  was  born,  April  22,  1863,  in  Marion  county,  Iowa,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  and  Zeruiah  (Anderson)  Anderson,  natives  of  Ohio,  who  were 


7IO  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

married  in  that  state  and  who  moved  from  Ohio  to  Indiana,  and  from 
Indiana  to  Ray  county,  Missouri.  After  Hving  in  Missouri  for  a  few  years, 
they  moved  to  Marion  county,  Iowa,  and  in  1875  came  to  Audubon  county, 
where  they  Hved  until  their  deaths.  They  purchased  land  in  Leroy  town- 
ship, and  lived  to  rear  a  family  of  three  children,  Abe  R.,  B.  J.  and  Doc. 

After  having  received  a  common  school  education.  Doc  Anderson  lived 
at  home  until  twenty  years  of  age,  and  then  rented  land,  which  he  cultivated 
along  with  eighty  acres  of  land  which  his  father  had  given  to  him.  Mr. 
Anderson  has  added  to  this  original  tract  until  he  now  owns  forty  acres  in 
section  25  in  Leroy  township,  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  section 
36,  Leroy  township,  and  a  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres  in  section  i  in 
Hamlin  township,  making  altogether  five  hundred  and  eight  acres. 

In  1897,  in  the  city  of  Omaha,  Nebraska,  Mr.  Anderson  was  mar- 
ried to  Lillian  Brandstatter,  who  was  born  on  December  10,  1876,  in  John- 
son county,  Iowa,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Campbell) 
Brandstatter.  These  parents  were  natives  of  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  and 
Montreal,  Canada,  respectively,  the  latter  having  come  to  Iowa  with  her 
parents  when  a  girl  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  old,  and  having  been  married 
to  Daniel  Brandstatter  in  Iowa  City  on  October  10,  1874.  In  1883  they 
came  to  Audubon  county,  arriving  in  Exira  on  February  20  of  that  year. 
The  following  summer  they  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  which  they 
improved.  This  farm  was  located  in  section  14,  Hamlin  township.  The 
father  has  since  lived  in  several  places,  and  now  owns  the  Exira  livery  and 
feed  stable.  At  one  time  he  was  a  resident  of  Texas.  He  and  his  wife 
had  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  living,  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Snively,  Mrs. 
Anderson,  Alice,  Philip,  Mrs.  Nellie  Clapp  and  Mrs.  Clara  Terry.  The 
wife  and  mother  of  these  children  died  on  April  17,  1891,  and  the  father 
later  married  Mrs.  Martha  A.  (Osterreicher)  Campbell.  Three  children, 
Isabelle,  Edith  and  Clarence,  have  been  born  to  this  second  union. 

Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Doc  Anderson  have  had  five  children:  Bessie,  who  was 
born  on  April  24,  1898,  married  Austin  Keness  on  January  i,  191 5.  and 
they  live  in  Leroy  township;  Nellie,  born  on  February  2,  1900;  Alice,  born 
on  June  8,  1903;  Mary,  born  on  November  27,  1907,  and  Hope,  born  on 
April   16,    1913. 

Mr.  Anderson  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  is 
well  known  over  the  country,  being  admired  by  the  host  of  friends  he  has 
made.     A  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  never  held  any  offices. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  7II 

■  PETER  M.  JESSEN. 

Specific  mention  is  made  in  this  volume  of  many  of  the  worthy  citizens 
of  Audubon  county,  citizens  who  have  figured  in  its  growth  and  develop- 
ment and  Vk^hose  interests  have  been  identical  with  its  every  phase  of  prog- 
ress. Each  has  contributed  in  his  place  to  the  well-being  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  resides  and  to  the  advancement  of  its  normal  and 
legitimate  growth.  Among  this  number  is  Peter  M.  Jessen,  a  successful 
and  well-known  farmer  of  Hamlin  township.  Peculiar  interest  attaches 
to  Mr.  Jessen's  career  from  the  fact  that  he  is  one  of  those  men  born  in  a 
foreign  land  who  has  carved  out  his  success  in  a  new  and  strange  country, 
where,  for  a  time,  language,  manners  and  customs  were  entirely  different. 

Peter  M.  Jessen  was  born  on  January  6,  1870,  in  North  Schleswig, 
Germany,  the  son  of  Peter  A.  and  Marn  (Juhler)  Jessen,  who  also  were 
natives  of  the  same  country  while  it  was  a  province  of  Denmark.  The 
elder  Jessen  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  but  also  worked  at  carpentering 
and  masonry  work.  Peter  A.  Jessen  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters,  Jens  C,  Peter  M.,  Martin  A.,  Chris 
A.,  Marie  Stone,  Mrs.  Christena  M.  Peterson,  Mrs.  Ottolena  Petersen, 
Andrew  and  Nes,  all  of  whom  are  living  in  Audubon  county,  having  come 
from  their  native  land.  The  family  came  to  the  United  States  at  different 
times,  Martin  and  Jens  coming  here  first  in  the  fall  of  1888.  In  the  spring 
of  1889  Peter  M.  came  to  this  country  and  the  rest  of  the  family  came  later, 
the  parents  coming  last  in    1893. 

Peter  M.  Jessen,  after  arriving  in  this  country,  came  directly  to  Marn, 
Cass  county,  Iowa,  where  his  two  brothers  were  located.  He  obtained 
work  on  a  farm  and  has  followed  agriculture  ever  since.  He  worked  out 
by  the  month  for  three  years  and  then  rented  a  farm  in  partnership  with 
his  brother,  Martin,  although  he  had  purchased  his  present  farm  previous 
to  this.  He  rented  land  for  three  years  and  then  purchased  an  old  house 
of  four  small  rooms  and  moved  it  to  his  farm.  He  built  some  straw  sheds 
and  then  moved  to  his  own  land.  He  lived  in  this  house  for  nine  years, 
when  he  built  his  present  eight-room  home.  He  had  erected  barns,  cribs, 
hog  houses  and  a  windmill  before  that.  The  land  was  new  prairie  and 
nearly  all  of  it  had  to  be  broken  for  the  first, time.  This  land  cost  him 
twenty-two  dollars  and  a  half  per  acre,  but  is  now  worth  many  times  that 
amount. 

In  December,  1891,  Marn  Smith,  who  became  the  wife  of  the  subject, 
came  to  the  United  States,  locating  first  in  Chicago,  where  her  parents 
already  lived.     She  was  born  on  March  9,  1873,  in  North  Schleswig,  Ger- 


712  AUDUBON    COUNTY,   IOWA. 

many,  near  where  Peter  M.  Jessen  was  born,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Hans 
and  Hannah  (Brandt)  Smith,  who  also  were  natives  of  Schleswig,  where 
Hans  Smith  was  a  general  laborer.  Hans  Smith  and  wife  were  the  parents 
of  four  children,  Mrs.  Elsie  M.  Paulsen,  Mrs.  Rosie  Petersen,  Arthur  H., 
and  Marn,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Jessen.  In  April,  1892,  Marn  Smith  came  to 
Audubon,  where  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Jessen  on  July  12th  of  that  year. 

Peter  M.  Jessen  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  eight  children:  Marne 
Hansina,  born  May  12,  1893,  married  Peter  Hundebl,  and  they  are  now 
living  in  Allerup  Tjarefborg,  Denmark,  and  have  one  child,  Kattie;  Walter 
P.,  born  on  May  27,  1895;  Hannah,  born  on  November  17,  1897;  Thomas 
P.,  born  on  August  31,  1901 ;  Marlow  H.,  born  on  July  4,  1904;  Rosie,  born 
on  June  6,  1907;  Lillie,  born  on  March  27,  1909;  Ethel,  born  on  June  16, 
T912. 

Mr.  Jessen  does  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  is  a  stock- 
holder in  the  West  Hamlin  Creamery  Company,  and  has  been  on  the  board 
of  directors  for  a  number  of  years,  being  now  president  of  the  board. 

The  Jessen  family  are  earnest  and  devout  members  of  the  Danish 
Lutheran  church,  and  Mr.  Jessen  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  St.  John's 
Lutheran  church  in  Oakfield  township.  Politically,  Mr.  Jessen  is  an  adher- 
ent of  the  Democratic  party,  but,  with  the  exception  of  serving  on  the  board 
of  school  directors,  he  has  not  held  public  office,  nor  has  he  been  especially 
active  in  political  affairs.  Mr.  Jessen  is  one  of  the  well-known  citizens  of 
Hamlin  township,  progressive  in  his  methods  and  broad-minded  in  his 
viewpoint.  He  is  admired  and  respected  by  his  neighbors  and  acquaint- 
ances. 


J.  B.  J.  LOHNER. 
(Full  name,  John  Bjorn  Johnsen  Lohner.) 

Comparatively  speaking,  there  are  very  few  native-born  Norsemen  living 
in  Audubon  county,  Iowa;  but,  wherever  the  Norsemen  have  settled  in  the 
United  States,  they  have  proved  themselves  good  citizens  from  every  point 
of  view. 

J.  B.  J.  Lohner,  a  well-known  real  estate  dealer  of  Exira,  Audubon  coun- 
ty, is  one  of  the  few  members  of  the  Lohner  family  who  settled  in  America. 
His  brother,  Klaus,  and  sister,  Aaste,  came  to  this  county  later  and  stayed 
some  years,  but  returned  to  Norway  in  the  spring  of  19 14.     Mr.  Lohner  also 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  713 

has  two  cousins  living  in  this  country,  namely,  John  T.  Lohner,  now  of 
Kirkman,  Iowa,  and  Thomas  Lohner,  now  of  Manchester,  South  Dakota. 
Those  two  men  were  brothers,  and  were  formerly  in  the  mercantile  business 
in  Exira  at  different  times. 

J.  B.  J.  Lohner  has  been  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  in  Exira 
since  June,  1902,  and  has  made  a  remarkable  success  of  his  business.  He 
had  to  start  in  a  very  small  way,  as  he  had  but  little  money  with  which  to 
pay  the  expenses  connected  with  the  business.  Mr.  Lohner  was  born  on  a 
farm  named  Lohner,  in  Tordal  county,  near  Kragero  City  on  the  southern 
coast  of. Norway.  Lohner  is  a  group  of  farms  from  which  the  family  takes 
its  last  name  and  is  about  forty-two  English  miles  inland  from  Kragero. 
Mr.  Lohner  was  born  on  December  19,  1873.  His  parents.  John  Thomasen 
and  Anne  Lohner  were  both  natives  of  Norway  and  lived  there  all  their 
lives.  John  Thomasen  Lohner  was  a  farmer,  who  owned  considerable  tim- 
ber and  grazing  land,  and  had  twenty-eight  acres  under  cultivation.  He  died 
in  1895.  Mr.  Lohner's  mother  died  in  1875.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Those  who  grew  to  maturity  were, 
Thomas,  Halvor,  Klaus,  Aaste  and  John.  After  -the  death  of  his  first  wife, 
the  father  married  again  and  five  additional  children  were  born,  as  follow : 
Anne,  Gunhild,  Nils,  Olav  and  Andrea.  All  of  the  children  are  living  in 
Norway  at  the  present  time  except  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Having  received  a  very  limited  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Norway,  consisting  of  three  months  each  year  from  the  age  of  seven  till 
fourteen,  Mr.  Lohner  came  to  America  in  the  month  of  April,  1893,  when 
nineteen  years  old.  He  immediately  went  to  work  on  the  farm  for  O.  P. 
Tyler,  one  mile  south  of  Hamlin.  He  worked  on  the  farm  several  sum- 
mers, and  went  to  country  schools  during  the  winters ;  he  also  went  to  school 
five  months  in  the  grammar  room  in  the  Exira  public  schools.  He  then 
moved  to  Audubon  and  worked  his  way  through  the  Audubon  high  school, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1900,  at  which  time  he  ranked  No.  i  in  his 
class,  with  an  average  scholarship  percentage  of  ninety-nine.  After  leaving 
school,  he  went  to  Des  Moines  and  worked  at  the  painter's  and  paperhanger's 
trade  for  two  years.  After  that,  he  returned  to  Audubon  county  and,  in 
June,  1902,  located  permanently  in  Exira,  where  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business.  He  had  a  hard  time  to  get  started,  partly  because  of  his  inexperi- 
ence in  business;  but  mainly  because  of  the  lull  in  the  real  estate  business 
which  followed  the  boom  that  was  on  during  1901  and  the  first  half  of  1902. 
Twice  he  failed  to  get  a  start,  and  had  to  return  to  the  painter's  and  paper- 


714  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

hanger's  trade  in  order  that  he  might  earn  some  expense  money.  Undaunted 
by  failure,  he  pushed  onward,  economizing  as  best  he  could.  Once,  he 
set  out  to  walk  nearly  forty  miles  to  see  a  prospective  land  buyer  living  in 
Shelby  county ;  but  the  prospective  buyer  quickly  informed  Mr.  Lohner  that 
he  was  not  in  the  market  for  a  farm  at  that  time.  Mr.  Lohner  then  returned 
by  railroad,  having  enough  cash  to  pay  his  expenses  one  way.  This  little 
incident  throws  a  good  deal  of  light  upon  the  patience,  perseverance  and 
"wood-sawing"  abilities  of  Mr.  Lohner,  qualities  which  are  so  essentially 
necessary  in  the  making  of  success. 

Mr.  Lohner  gained  the  confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  had  business 
dealings  and  several  men  offered  to  furnish  him  money  with  which  to  buy 
farms  in  partnership,  Lohner  to  pay  interest  on  one-half  of  the  actual  invest- 
ment. From  then  on,  Mr.  Lohner  has  been  buying  and  selling  farms  and  has 
succeeded  far  beyond  his  greatest  hopes,  being  now  recognized  as  one  of  the 
most  successful  real  estate  dealers  in  Audubon  county. 

Mr.  Lohner  is  a  genuine  booster  for  the  upbuilding  and  betterment  of 
his  community  and  country ;  indeed,  he  is  not  only  a  booster,  but  is  an  actual 
builder.  He  is  almost  continually  putting  up  buildings  and  otherwise  improv- 
ing the  different  farms  which  he  buys  and  sells.  In  19 13,  he  built  a  large 
and  splendid-looking  garage  on  \\  ashington  street  north  of  Exira  Park,  the 
equal  of  which  cannot  be  found  in  this  state  in  any  town  of  the  size  of  Exira. 

Mr.  Lohner  was  married  on  December  3,  191 1,  to  Ida  Larson,  whose 
parents.  Marten  J.  and  Laura  (Nelson)  Larson,  are  living  four  miles  north 
of  Avoca,  Iowa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lohner  have  one  child,  John  Julius.  Mrs. 
Lohner  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  but  her  parents  were  natives  of 
Denmark.  Her  father  clerked  in  a  store  before  he  came  to  America.  He 
located  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  after  coming  to  this  country,  and  subse- 
quently purchased  the  farm  on  which  he  is  still  li\ing.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  twelve  children  as  follow:  Louise,  Minnie,  Nels 
(deceased),  Ida,  Sena,  Lawrence,  JMary,  Edna,  Olga,  Clarence,  Lillie  and 
Harry    (deceased). 

The  Lohner  family  are  members  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 
Mr.  Lohner  is  not  only  a  member  of  the  blue  lodge  of  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
but  he  is  a  member  of  the  chapter  and  commandery  at  Audubon,  and  the 
Shrine  at  Des  Moines.  He  served  as  worshipful  master  of  Exodus  Lodge 
No.  342  for  the  year  19 14  and  was  re-elected  to  serve  in  the  same  capacity 
for  this  year  (1915).  This  lodge  is  located  at  Exira.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  has  been  secretary  of  the  local  chapter 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  715 

since  1909.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  first  board  of  directors  of  the  Exira  Co-operative  Company 
(a  farmers'  company)  and  is  the  present  secretary  of  the  same. 

Mr.  Lohner  has  been  RepubHcan  committeeman  from  Exira  townshi]) 
since  1908,  and,  in  this  capacity,  has  able  and  efficiently  served  the  Republi- 
can party  with  which  he  has  been  identified  ever  since  his  arrival  in  America. 
He  is  known  as  a  wise  and  judicious  political  leader  and  his  counsel  is  much 
sought  by  the  people  of  this  congressional  district. 


JAMES  A.  CAMPBELL. 


James  A.  Campbell,  who  is  one  of  the  largest  farmers  of  Lincoln  town- 
ship,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  who  owns  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  in  that  township,  was  born  on  May  29,  1857,  in  Jasper  county, 
Iowa.  He  is  the  son  of  A.  D.  and  Nancy  (Tramel)  Campbell,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  native  of  Indiana  and  the  latter,  a  native  of  Ohio.  After  being 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Indiana,  A.  D.  Campbell  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  until  he  had  reached  his  majority,  and  then  farmed  for  himself.  Com- 
ing west  in  1852,  shortly  after  his  marriage,  he  settled  in  Jasper  county, 
lowd,  and  there  entered  three  hundred  acres  of  land  at  a  dollar  and  twenty- 
five  cents  an  acre.  The  trip  from  Indiana  to  Iowa  was  made  with  a  horse 
team.  Mr.  Campbell  remained  in  Jasper  county  until  his  death,  in  1899,  his 
wife  having  died  eleven  years  previously,  in  1888.  They  had  six  children, 
two  of  whom,  A.  B.  and  James  A.,  are  now  living. 

James  A.  Campbell,  after  having  completed  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  twenty-four  years  old, 
when  he  removed  to  Audubon  county  and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  at 
ten  dollars  an  acre.  Mr.  Campbell  broke  the  sod  and  improved  the  place 
in  various  ways  and  in  the  beginning  erected  a  shack,  fourteen  by  twenty 
feet.  Mr.  Campbell's  means  naturally  were  very  limited  when  he  came  to 
Audubon  county,  and  especially  because  of  the  low  price  of  farm  products. 
He  was  compelled  to  sell  his  wheat  at  a  price  as  low  as  twenty-five  cents  a 
bushel.  On  the  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  where  he  lives  he  has  invested 
eighteen  thousand  dollars  in  improvements.  He  feeds  some  two  hundred 
head  of  hogs  and  raises  seventy-five  acres  of  corn  every  year,  as  well  as  fifty 
acres  of  small  grain. 


7l6  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

James  A.  Campbell  was  married  on  February  9,  1882,  to  Mary  Craw- 
ford, daughter  of  J.  B.  and  Eliza  Crawford.  To  this  marriage  two  children, 
Mae  and  Floyd,  have  been  born.  Mae  married  a  Mr.  Aikman,  and  they  have 
two  children,  Ethel  and  Gladys.  Floyd  is  unmarried.  Mrs.  Campbell  was 
born  in  Jasper  county,  Iowa,  her  father  having  been  a  native  of  Virginia  and 
her  mother  of  Ohio.  These  parents  were  married  in  Ohio  and,  after  their 
marriage,  removed  to  Benton  county,  Iowa,  where  they  farmed  for  a  short 
time,  and  then  removed  to  Jasper  county  and  there  farmed  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.     Mrs.  Campbell  was  one  of  six  children  born  to  her  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  A.  Campbell  are  members  of  the  United  Brethren 
church  and  Mr.  Campbell  was  township  trustee  for  ten  years.  Fraternally, 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.     In  politics,  he  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 

James  A.  Campbell  is  a  man  who  thoroughly  understands  the  science  of 
farming.  He  especially  understands  the  value  of  mixed  farming  and  the 
value  of  raising  thoroughbred  stock.  In  fact,  he  is  an  extensive  breeder  of 
thoroughbred  Shorthorn  cattle.  Moreover,  he  is  not  only  a  good  farmer,  but 
is  a  man  whose  influence  in  the  community  is  always  counted  on  the  side 
of  the  very  best  things.  James  A.  Campbell  has  a  large  number  of  friends  in 
Lincoln  township  and  Audubon  county,  men  who  know  and  appreciate  him 
for  his  real  worth. 


JOHN  R.  HEIKEN. 


In  the  fall  of  1871  there  might  have  been  seen  moving  slowly  across 
the  prairie  from  Illinois  to  Iowa,  the  old-fashioned  "prairie  schooners,"  in 
which  so  many  families  came  to  this  state  about  that  time.  The  journey 
from  Illinois  to  Iowa  overland,  via  the  "prairie  schooner,"  required  about 
three  weeks  in  those  days.  In  these  present  days,  of  course,  a  trip  could 
be  made  in  a  single  night,  but  railroads  were  not  so  numerous  then  as  they 
are  now.  In  one  of  the  typical  vehicles  which  crossed  the  prairie  in  the 
fall  of  1871  was  the  family  of  Peter  and  Marie  Hillers  Heiken,  both  of 
whom  had  come  to  America  from  Germany,  where  the  former  was  a  laborer. 
With  this  family  was  a  son,  then  about  eighteen  years  old,  John  R.  Heiken, 
who  has  become  in  recent  years  one  of  the  largest  landowners  in  Audubon 
county.  The  Heikens,  after  coming  to  America  in  1867,  had  located  first 
in  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  and  had  again,  after  renting  land  for  four 
years  in  Whiteside  county,  packed  up  their  belongings  and  proceeded  west- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  717 

ward.  Arriving  in  Audubon  county  late  in  the  fall  of  1871,  the  Heiken 
family  settled  in  section  29  of  Oakfield  township,  where  Peter  Heiken 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  and  where  he  engaged  in  general  farming. 
From  year  to  year  he  increased  the  acreage  of  this  farm  until,  in  1899, 
when  he  retired  and  moved  to  Atlantic,  Iowa,  he  owned  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres.  He  died  in  January,  1902,  leaving  a  widow,  who  is  still 
living  at  Atlantic. 

Peter  and  Marie  Heiken  had  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  are  now 
living:  John  R.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Maggie,  Ida,  Roy,  Jennie,  Anna, 
Ine,   Harry  and  Peter. 

John  R.  Heiken  was  thirteen  years  old  when  he  was  brought  to  Amer- 
ica by  his  parents  and  had,  therefore,  attended  school  in  his  native  land, 
having  been  born  November  27,  1854,  in  Oldenburg,  Germany.  His  edu- 
cation was  completed  in  Illinois  and,  after  leaving  school,  he  worked  for  a 
time  with  a  construction  gang  on  the  Rock  Island  railroad.  After  being 
engaged  in  railroad  work  for  two  years,  he  started  farming  with  his  father, 
with  whom  he  remained  until  he  was  twenty-six  years  old.  At  that  time, 
he  rented  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  and  in  1884,  when  he  was 
thirty  years  old,  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  became 
the  nucleus  of  his  great  fortune  in  real  estate.  The  fourteen  hundred  acres 
of  land  which  he  owns  in  Audubon  county  he  now  rents  and,  aside  from  the 
supervisory  interest  he  takes  in  the  cultivation  of  this  land,  he  devotes  prac- 
tically all  of  his  time  to  several  business  enterprises  in  which  he  is  inter- 
ested, one  of  which  is  the  elevator  at  Gates,  Iowa.  He  is  also  interested  at 
several  places  in  the  implement  business. 

On  February  22,  1882,  Mr.  Heiken  was  married  to  Bertha  Knopp,  the 
daughter  of  Theodore  and  Annie  Knopp.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heiken  have  five 
children  living:  Louise  married  George  Hansen  and  has  four  children!, 
Florence,  Merrill,  Leroy  and  Imo;  Horace  married  Anna  Knopp;  John 
and  Grover  are  at  home^  and  Lillian  is  a  senior  in  the  College  of  Liberal 
Arts  at  Highland  Park  College,  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 

Religiously,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heiken  and  family  are  members  of  the  Ger- 
man Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Heiken  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has  always 
been  interested  in  educational  affairs  and  served  thirteeen  years  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  in  Oakfield  township.  At  present  he  is  a  director 
of  a  lumber  yard  and  of  three  different  banks. 

John  R.  Heiken  deserves  great  credit  for  his  progress  as  a  farmer  in 
this,  his  adopted,  country.  He  has  assisted  in  the  great  work  of  improving 
the  soil  and  in  increasing  its  production  of  grains  and  live  stock.     He  has 


7l8  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

assisted  in  many  ways  to  promote  the  development  of  the  county  and  today 
is  regarded  as  one  of  its  leading  citizens  and  business  men,  a  man  of  remark- 
able intuition,  having  been  the  founder  of  the  town  of  Gates.  Mr.  Heiken 
has  always  been  highly  respected  and  enjoys  today  confidence  and  esteem 
of  the  people  of  Oakfield  township. 


PERRY  L.  CARTER. 


Perry  L.  Carter,  who  owned  a  splendid  farm  of  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  in  Melville  township,  but  who  is  now  living  retired  in  Audubon, 
Iowa,  was  born  on  January  5,  1858,  in  Venango  county,  Pennsylvania.  He 
is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  Ann  (AA'atts)  Carter.  Henry  Carter,  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  was  reared  and  remained  in  Pennsylvania  all  his 
life.  He  was  the  father  of  twelve  children,  only  three  of  whom,  Robert 
M.,  Hannah  M.  and  Perry  L.,  are  now  living.  Both  Henry  and  Mary 
Ann   (Watts)   Carter  are  now  deceased. 

Perry  L.  Carter  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Venango 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  after  leaving  school  farmed  with  his  father 
until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age.  He  then  came  west  and  located  in 
Kansas,  where  he  lived  for  a  short  time,  and  afterwards  he  came  to  Iowa 
and  located  in  Audubon  county.  In  1880  he  settled  in  Greeley  township, 
where  he  worked  on  a  farm.  Later,  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  at 
seven  dollars  an  acre,  improving  the  place  in  various  ways  and  especially 
by  breaking  the  tough  sod.  Three  years  later  he  purchased  eighty  acres 
more  and  engaged  in  general  farming  in  that  township  until  1900,  when  he 
purchased  a  half  section  and  farmed  for  one  year.  In  1901  he  removed  to 
Melville  township,  where  he  purchased  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
land.     Here  he  farmed  until  1Q07,  when  he  retired  and  moved  to  Audubon. 

Mr.  Carter  was  married  on  December  25,  1881,  to  Nannie  K.  Ness, 
daughter  of  Martin  and  Hannah  K.  Ness,  and  to  this  happy  union  six 
children  w^ere  born:  Clifton  L.  married  Myrtle  Pickens  and  they  have  two 
children,  Durward  B.  and  Bernard  L. ;  Girt  L.  married  Sadie  McCoy;  Edgar 
G.  married  Jessie  Thompson,  and  they  have  tw^o  children,  Margaret  Evelyn 
and  Charles  Perry;  Lola  H.  married  Charles  Owen,  and  they  have  two 
children,  Virgil  and  William  Donald ;  Zenia  Mae  married  Robert  Twist  and 
they  have  three  children,  Merle  Emma,  Helen  Lucile  and  Veda  Mae ;  Henry 
M.     Mrs.  Perry  L.  Carter  died  on  February  7,  1908,  and  some  time  after 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA.  719 

her  death  Mr.  Carter  married  Carrie  D.  Gardner,  daughter  of  Jotham  and 
Lydia  F.  (Appleton)  Gardner.  No  children  have  been  born  to  this  second 
marriage. 

Pohtically,  Mr.  Carter  is  a  Republican.  He  has  always  been  inter- 
ested in  the  educational  affairs  of  Audubon  county  and  has  served  as  a 
school  director  in  this  county.  Mr.  Carter  has  been  a  successful  farmer, 
an  industrious  worker  and  a  good  manager.  He  is  well  informed  on  public 
questions  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  matters  that  have  any  relation 
to  the  public  welfare.  He  can  always  be  found  in  the  front  ranks  of  those 
who  are  leading  worthy  public  enterprises  and  his  support  can  always  be 
depended  upon.  He  is  a  man  of  warm  and  sympathetic  impulses,  a  good 
neighbor  and  a  good  citizen. 


MATT  CHRISTENSEN. 


Matt  Christensen,  although  of  Danish  parentage,  is  one  of  Uncle  Sam's 
true  children  and  with  whom  he  is  well  pleased,  as  there  is  no  vocation  in 
which  he  is  more  interested,  or  stands  ready  to  give  his  valuable  advice  and 
assistance  to,  than  that  of  agriculture.  No  man  need  suffer  for  the  want  of 
proper  instruction  in  conducting  his  farm  along  the  most  approved  and  up- 
to-date  lines.  All  he  has  to  do  is  to  spend  a  few  moments  of  his  time,  and  a 
two-cent  postage  stamp,  and  Uncle  Sam  does  the  rest.  U  the  necessary 
information  is  not  at  hand,  he  sees  to  it  that  same  be  secured  and  forwarded 
to  his  child  of  the  soil,  with  the  least  possible  delay. 

Matt  Christensen,  general  farmer  and  stockman,  of  Lincoln  township, 
Audubon  county,  was  born  on  November  29,  1878,  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa. 
He  is  a  son  of  Christian  Christensen  and  Marie  Peterson,  his  wife.  In  his 
early  youth,  he  attended  the  public  schools  of  Shelby  county,  quitting  school 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  He  farmed  with  his  father  until  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  when  he  rented  a  farm  in  Shelby  county  and  cultivated  it  for  two 
years.  Giving  this  up,  he  returned  to  his  father's  farm,  where  he  has  been 
ever  since.  He  has  given  his  special  attention  to  the  raising  of  cattle  and 
hogs,  and  his  crops,  principally  corn  and  small  grain,  have  been  fed  to  the 
stock  on  the  place.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  of 
Shelby  county,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican. 

The  parents  of  the  subject  were  born  in  Denmark,  and  married  in 
Davenport,  Iowa.     His  father  lived  on  a  farm  of  four  hundred  and  forty 


720  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

acres  in  Shelby  county  all  his  life,  up  to  19 14,  when  he  retired  and  moved  to 
Kimballton,  Iowa.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  Christ,  Nels, 
Anna,  Matt,  Johannes,  Nels,  Madia,  Martha  and  Mary. 

In  1901  Matt  Christensen  was  united  in  marriage  with  Anna  Petersen, 
daughter  of  Christ  Petersen,  of  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  by  whom  he  has  had 
four  children,  Matie,  Christena,  Laura  and  Mabel,  the  three  eldest  of  whom 
are  attending  the  county  school. 


HANS  HANSEN. 


Hans  Hansen,  one  of  the  younger  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Douglas 
township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  a  native  of  Denmark,  was  born  on 
October  7,  1879,  the  son  of  Jens  C.  and  Nyson  Hansen,  also  natives  of  Den- 
mark. The  father  was  a  dealer  in  stock  in  the  old  country,  who  came  to  this 
country  in  i88'o,  and  after  landing  in  New  York  city,  proceeded  to  Atlantic, 
Iowa,  where  he  worked  in  a  brickyard  for  a  time.  After  living  here  for 
some  time  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  near  Elkhorn,  Iowa,  and  within 
the  next  few  years,  bought  and  sold  several  farms  in  this  neighborhood. 
After  buying  and  selling  forty  and  eighty  acres  near  Elkhorn,  he  rented  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  in  Hamlin  township,  Audubon  county,  which  he 
farmed  for  a  few  years  and  then  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
Douglas  township,  and  was  living  on  the  latter  farm  at  the  time  of  his  retire- 
ment from  active  farm  life  and  his  removal  to  Audubon.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  twelve  children. 

Hans  Hansen  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Audubon 
county,  and  also  attended  school  one  year  in  Elkhorn,  after  which  he  began 
working  for  his  father  on  the  farm,  and  here  he  remained  until  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  when  he  rented  a  farm  southwest  of  Audubon,  consisting  of  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  and  started  out  in  life  for  himself.  After  living 
here  for  two  years  he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty-six  acres  in  Guthrie  county, 
Iowa,  which  he  owned  for  one  and  one-half  years.  After  disposing  of  the 
farm  in  Guthrie  county,  he  bought  the  farm  comprising  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  where  he  now  lives,  for  which  he  paid  fifty-two  dollars  an  acre. 
In  1 91 3  he  built  a  thoroughly  modern  house  equipped  with  waterworks  and 
a  lighting  system,  which  is  available  in  every  part  of  the  house  and  which  cost 
about  five  thousand  dollars.  In  1914  he  built  a  new  barn  at  a  cost  of  about 
fifteen  hundred  dollars.     All  of  the  grain  raised  on  the  farm  is  fed  to  live 


'A 

l-H 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  721 

Stock.  Ordinarily,  Mr.  Hansen  sells  about  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  every 
year,  and  is  very  successful  in  the  breeding  and  handling  of  live  stock. 

In  1 90 1,  Hans  Hansen  was  married  to  Anna  Hansen,  the  daughter  of 
Peter  Hansen,  of  Brayton,  Iowa,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  four  chil- 
dren, Maggie,  Agnes,  Petrea  and  Rose,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home  with 
their  parents,  and  all  of  whom  attend  school. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansen  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  at 
Audubon,  and  are  actively  interested  in  the  affairs  of  this  denomination. 
Mr.  Hansen  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  but  on  account  of  his 
extensive  agricultural  interests  in  the  county,  he  has  taken  no  considerable 
part  in  the  political  life  of  his  township  and  county,  but  has  left  the  manage- 
ment of  political  situations  to  others.  As  a  citizen  of  this  great  state,  he 
has  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities,  and  is  entitled  to  exceptional  credit 
for  his  part  in  the  agricultural  development  of  Audubon  county.  Mr.  Hansen 
is  well  known  in  the  neighborhood  where  he  lives  and  has  a  host  of  friends 
in  the  county. 


L.  PETER  NELSON. 


Among  the  thousands  of  foreign-born  citizens  of  this  country,  who 
have  found  in  many  instances  both  fame  and  fortune  and  who,  in  practically 
every  instance,  have  found  here  what  they  would  have  been  unable  to  acquire 
in  their  native  lands — a  comfortable  home  and  opportunities  for  their  chil- 
dren— it  is  not  unusual  to  find  that  elder  sons  have  come  first  and  that  they 
have  been  followed  with  in  a  few  years  by  their  parents.  Such  an  instance 
is  to  be  found  in  the  case  of  the  Nelson  family.  L.  Peter  Nelson,  now  a 
retired  farmer  of  Oakfield  township,  who,  until  a  year  or  two  ago,  was  one 
of  the  largest  farmers  in  Audubon  county,  was  the  first  member  ot  his  fam- 
ily to  come  to  America.  Finding  this  country  all  that  he  had  hoped  and 
expected  it  to  be,  he  was  followed  in  eight  years  by  his  parents,  who  also 
made  this  their  home  during  their  declining  years. 

L.  Peter  Nelson,  of  Oakfield  township,  was  born  on  August  14,  1844, 
in  Denmark  and  is  the  son  of  Hans  and  Christina  (Larsen)  Nelson,  both 
natives  of  Denmark.  The  former,  a  wagonmaker  by  trade,  followed  that 
occupation  until  he  came  to  America  in  1872,  when  he  became  a  farmer, 
first  in  Cass  county,  Iowa.  After  having  purchased  forty  acres  of  land 
in  Cass  county,  he  subsequently  added  forty  acres  more  and  engaged  in 
general  farming  in  Cass  and  Audubon  counties  for  five  years.  Before 
(46) 


722  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

coming  to  America,  he  had  served  his  time  in  the  Danish  army.  Hans 
and  Christena  Nelson  had  six  children:  Catherine,  Mary,  Juliane,  L.  Peter, 
Nels  C.  and  Charles  F.  Although  L.  Peter  Nelson  came  to  America  in 
1864,  it  was  six  years  before  he  permanently  established  himself  in  the 
Hawkeye  state.  Before  coming  to  this  country,  he  had  received  a  good 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  land  and  had  been  a  wagon- 
maker,  working  with  his  father.  After  coming  to  this  country,  he  located 
temporarily  in  Michigan,  where  he  worked  in  the  pineries  in  the  winter 
and  at  carpentry  in  the  summer.  After  being  in  Michigan  two  years,  he 
went  on  to  Minnesota  and  lived  in  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin  for  three  years, 
or  until  1870,  when  he  moved  to  Cass  county  and  purchased  forty  acres  of 
land.  There  he  farmed  for  six  years  and  in  1878  he  moved  to  Audubon 
county  and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  the  farm  upon  which  he  is  now 
living.  Year  by  year  his  profits  grew  and  his  savings  increased,  and  as  his 
savings  accumulated,  he  bought  more  and  more  land  until,  when  he  divided 
his  land  among  his  children,  on  November  26,  19 14,  he  owned  altogether 
eight  hundred  acres  in  Audubon  and  Cass  counties. 

Thanksgiving  day  of  1914  was  a  joyous  occasion  for  the  Nelson  fam- 
ily, for,  on  that  day,  the  loving  and  generous  father  of  the  Nelson  children 
divided  his  eight  hundred  acres  of  land  among  the  children,  giving  each 
child  eighty  acres.  Mr.  Nelson  was  married  on  November  12,  1866.  two 
years  after  coming  to  America,  to  Mary  Petersen,  the  daughter  of  Peter 
Petersen.  To  them  have  been  born  ten  children :  Gilbert  P.,  who  married 
Anna  Nelson;  John  C,  who  married  Rosa  Nelson;  Julius  A.,  who  married 
Elizabeth  Brown;  Edward  M.,  who  married  Mae  Jonson;  Ludvig  R.,  who 
married  Elsie  Madison;  Alfred  A.,  who  married  Bessie  Brown;  Alma  C, 
who  married  Harry  Traum;  Christina,  who  became  the  wife  of  Evans 
Marquesen;  Rosa  and  Martha,  who  are  unmarried.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  on  January  14,  1908. 

During  his  lifetime,  Mr.  Nelson  has  been  a  member  of  the  Danish 
Lutheran  church  and  has  been  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  although 
he  has  never  been  especially  active  in  its  councils.  Few  men  show  a  more 
commendable  spirit  of  generosity  than  L.  Peter  Nelson,  who,  by  his  gift 
to  his  children,  has  thoroughly  proved  his  keen  and  abiding  interest  in  their 
welfare.  Mr.  Nelson  divided  ^  !.-  -oroperty  with  the  spirit  of  the  father 
who  wants  to  see  his  ch'^dien  enjc  while  he  still  lives,  the  things  which, 
to  some  extent,  thev  assisted  him  i  accumulating.  Very  few  fathers  in 
Oakfield  township  arc  more  dearly  lo\  "d  today  than  the  venerable  L.  Peter 
Nelson. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  723 

HERMAN  ULLERICH. 

In  the  study  of  the  history  and  habits  of  foreigners,  who  have  come 
to  America  to  gain  their  fortunes,  no  characteristic  is  so  strongly  presented 
to  our  view  as  that  of  restlessness.  In  fact,  it  was  this  very  characteristic 
that  prompted  Columbus  to  undertake  his  hazardous  voyage  of  exploration. 
It  was  in  the  make-up  of  our  colonial  and  Revolutionary  ancestors,  very  few 
of  whom  remained  where  they  first  settled  on  arrival,  and  the  same  spirit 
is  as  strong  today  in  their  descendants  as  it  was  in  them.  It  is  present  in 
business,  as  well  as  the  home,  and  so  strong  is  its  influence  that  practically 
few  American  families  remain  banded  together  after  the  age  of  maturity 
has  been  reached.  This  spirit  is  perhaps  better  known  as  "progression," 
masquerading  under   another   name. 

Herman  Ullerich,  general  farmer  and  stockman  of  Lincoln  township, 
was  born  on  August  22,  1871.  He  is  a  son  of  George  and  Barbara  (Lauer) 
Ullerich.  His  early  education  was  secured  in  the  schools  of  Lincoln  town- 
ship, after  which  he  attended  school  for  one  year  at  Milwaukee,  quitting 
at  the  age  of  sixteeen,  when  he  went  to  work  for  his  father,  with  whom 
he  remained  until  twenty-seven  years  old.  He  was  married  on  November 
25,  1897,  to  Nancy  Ketelsen,  daughter  of  Henry  Ketelsen,  and  lived  in 
Crawford  county  one  year  after  his  marriage,  going  from  there  to  Man- 
ning, where  he  bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  which  he  sold  two  years 
later  and  bought  his  present  home  place  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in 
section  27.  He  rented  this  place  out  and  moved  to  Charter  Oak,  where 
he  engaged  in  business. 

After  living  here  a  year  and  a  half,  he  went  back  to  Manning  and 
bought  eighty  acres  more,  on  which  he  lived  a  year  and  then  moved  onto 
his  farm  in  Audubon  county,  where  he  still  resides  and  now  is  the  owner 
of  four  hundred  acres  of  land  and  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  bank. 

All  the  grain  and  feed  for  the  stock  is  grown  on  the  farm.  He  has 
spent  between  four  thousand  and  five  thousand  dollars  in  improvements  on 
the  place  and  raises  and  feeds  cattle  and  hogs.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ullerich 
are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church,  while,  in  politics,  Mr.  Ullerich 
is  a  Republican.  To  these  parents  were  '  ojn  the  following  children :  Clara, 
Walter,  Herbert,  Julius,  Linn,  Victor,  .irwin,  Rose  and  Hugo,  who  died. 
The  living  children  are  all  still  at  ho    i. 

The  parents  of  the  subject,  Gef  rge  and  Barbara  Ullerich,  were  both 
born  in  Germany,  where  they  continued  to  reside  for  sixteen  years  after 
they  were  married.     From  there  they  came  direct  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa, 


724  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

and  took  up  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  paying  nine  dollars 
an  acre.  They  came  as  far  as  Iowa  City  on  the  railroad,  and  there  bought 
a  team  and  wagon,  with  which  they  drove  the  balance  of  the  way. 

In  the  early  years  they  had  many  hardships  to  endure,  living  in  a  sod 
house.  Carroll,  Westside,  Exira  and  Atlantic  were  their  nearest  trading 
points  and  they  had  to  travel  thirty  to  thirty-five  miles  over  the  prairie  with 
no  house  in  sight  for  miles,  crossing  creeks  where  there  were  no  bridges, 
and  sometimes  getting  lost  in  the  snow  storms,  so  it  often  took  three  to 
four  days  before  they  returned.  They  also  had  to  fight  prairie  fires  to  pro- 
tect their  property. 

They  had  eight  children,  namely :  Lottie,  who  lives  in  Missouri ;  George, 
deceased;  Anna,  who  lives  in  Crawford  county,  Iowa;  Barbara,  deceased; 
Carrie,  who  lives  in  Crawford  county;  Mary,  who  lives  in  Charter  Oak; 
Christ,  who  also  lives  at  Charter  Oak,  and  Herman. 


ALFRED  WYMAN  HARVEY. 

Young  men  who  begin  life  with  no  financial  assistance  are  at  a  great 
disadvantage  when  their  life  and  works  are  contrasted  with  those  more  fa- 
vored by  circumstances.  Yet  it  is  a  mark  of  especial  credit  and  distinction 
when  a  young  man  who  at  a  tender  age,  is  thrown  upon  his  own  resources, 
and  after  living  about  among  strangers,  finds  his  place  in  the  world  and 
establishes  for  himself  a  pleasant  and  profitable  business.  Such  young  men, 
perhaps,  deserve  more  credit  for  their  accomplishments  than  any  other  class, 
and  Alfred  Wyman  Harvey,  a  well-known  real  estate  and  insurance  dealer, 
undoubtedly  belongs  to  that  class  of  young  men  who  succeed  in  spite  of  the 
most  discouraging  obstacles. 

Mr.  Harvey  was  born  on  August  14,  1878,  in  Morgan  county,  Indiana, 
near  Mooresville,  the  son  of  Alfred  and  Mary  Ellen  (Harrison)  Harvey, 
who  were  natives  of  Morgan  county,  Indiana,  and  South  Carolina,  respect- 
ively. Mr.  Harvey's  grandfather  on  his  paternal  side  was  William  Harvey, 
a  native  of  England.  His  father,  Alfred  Harvey,  was  the  first  telegraph 
operator  at  Martinsville,  Indiana. 

In  the  spring  of  1881  the  family  came  west  to  Exira,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  where  the  parents  lived  until  their  deaths,  the  father  dying  in  1885  and 
the  mother  in  1895.  They  had  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  living;  Mrs. 
Nettie  Cochran,  of  near  Anita,   Iowa;  Arthur  H.,   of  Duluth,   Minnesota; 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  725 

Mrs.  Amy  B.  Elliott,  of  Los  Angeles,  California;  Mrs.  Nellie  C.  Jensen,  of 
Waterloo,  and  Alfred  Wyman,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

When  Alfred  Wyman  Harvey  was  ten  years  old  he  was  compelled  to 
live  among  strangers,  working  for  his  board  in  the  winter  and  attending 
school  until  sixteen  years  old.  in  the  meantime  completing  the  eighth  grade 
of  the  common  schools.  In  the  summer  he  worked  for  what  wages  he  was 
able  to  command.  During  the  winter  he  was  seventeen  years  old,  he  started 
in  the  old  Stuart  Bank  as  a  general  man-of -all-work,  and  remained  in  the 
bank  continuously  until  the  summer  of  1912,  a  period  of  seventeen  years, 
during  which  he  held  all  of  the  offices  from  janitor  up  to  and  including  the 
vice-presidency  of  the  bank.  Along  with  banking,  he  had  engaged  in  the 
insurance  business  as  early  as  1896,  and  after  leaving  the  bank  he  engaged 
altogether  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business.  About  the  same  time 
he  purchased  a  controlling  interest  in  the  Exira  Drug  Company,  and  this 
business  has  proved  very  profitable. 

On  August  15,  1897,  Alfred  Wyman  Harvey  was  married  to  Alice 
Viola  Williams,  the  daughter  of  Thomas  Williams,  a  former  merchant  of 
Exira.  Two  children  were  born  to  this  marriage,  Alfred  Thomas  and 
Beatrice,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  October  29,  1898,  and  the  latter, 
on  October  3,  1899.  Both  are  now  attending  school  at  Hampton,  Iowa.  On 
October  3,  1904,  Mr.  Harvey  was  married  to  Genevieve  Snyder,  who  was 
born  on  January  11,  1882,  in  Marshall,  Michigan,  and  who  is  the  daughter 
of  John  and  Julia  H.  (Clark)  Snyder,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York,  respectively.  The  parents,  who  never  came  farther  west  than  the 
state  of  Michigan,  died  when  Mrs.  Harvey  was  thirteen  years  old,  and  after 
this  Mrs.  Harvey  and  her  sister  Rosella,  now  the  wife  of  Maurice  Jensen, 
came  west  to  Audubon  county,  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  L.  Curd,  uncle  and 
aunt,  live.  Here  Mrs.  Harvey  lived  until  she  was  married.  She  has  one 
brother  and  four  sisters  living;  Horace  M.  Snyder  lives  at  Augustus, 
Georgia;  Mrs.  Frank  P.  Shaw  lives  at  San  Diego,  Cahfornia;  Mrs.  Blanche 
Pryor  lives  at  Albion,  Michigan;  Mrs.  T.  J.  Jones  lives  at  Glenwood,  Iowa, 
and  Rosella  is  the  wife  of  Maurice  Jensen. 

To  Alfred  W.  and  Genevieve  Harvey  have  been  born  two  children, 
Ruth  Genevieve  and  Ethel  Evelyn,  the  former  born  on  December  19,  1905, 
and  the  latter,  on  November  18,  1907. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Harvey  is  a  member  of  the  blue  lodge  of  Masons  at 
Exira,  the  chapter  and  commandery  at  Audubon,  and  the  Shrine  at  Des 
Moines.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star  at  Exira,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  the  Pythian  Sisters,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  the  American 


726  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Nobles,  at  Exira,  and  the  Elks  at  Atlantic.  For  many  years  he  has  been 
township  clerk  and  for  four  years  he  has  served  as  town  treasurer.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Audubon  County  Fair  Association  and,  as  a  fancier  of  fine 
horses,  is  the  owner  of  the  only  team  of  Arabian  horses  in  Audubon  county. 
Alfred  W.  Harvey  is  extremely  popular  in  business,  professional  and  social 
circles  in  Audubon  county.  His  long  residence  here  as  an  enterprising  and 
progressive-spirited  young  business  man  has  won  for  him  a  host  of  friends, 
not  only  in  this,  but  in  adjoining  counties,  where  he  is  quite  as  well  known. 
In  no  sense  of  the  word  is  he  narrow  minded  or  bigoted,  but  liberal  in  his 
views,  tolerant  in  his  general  attitude  and  cordial  in  his  relations  with  his 
fellows. 


FRANK  L.   MILLER. 


The  prosperity  and  substantial  welfare  of  a  community  are  in  a  large 
measure  due  to  the  enterprise  and  wise  foresight  of  its  farmers  and  business 
men.  It  is  the  progressive,  wide-awake  men  of  affairs  who  make  the  real  his- 
tory of  a  community.  Their  influence  in  shaping  and  directing  its  various 
interests  is  difficult  to  estimate.  The  well-known  gentleman  whose  name 
appears  at  the  top  of  this  sketch,  has  for  many  years  ranked  among  the 
leading  farmers  and  business  men  of  Audubon  county.  It  is  to  such  enter- 
prising spirits  as  he  that  the  locality  is  indebted  for  its  recent  substantial 
growth  and  for  the  high  position  it  occupies  as  a  center  of  agricultural 
activities. 

Frank  L.  Miller,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Melville  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  and  the  proprietor  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres,  com- 
prising the  Miller  estate,  was  born  on  May  11,  1867,  in  Audubon  county, 
two  miles  south  of  Exira  on  the  Dick  Gault  farm.  Mr.  Miller  lives  in  the 
second  house  built  in  Melville  township  and  the  Miller  estate,  of  which  he 
is  the  proprietor  at  present,  originally  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres,  but  Mr.  Miller  has  added  eighty  acres  to  that  tract. 

Frank  L.  Miller  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  F.  and  Hannah  (Wheeler) 
Miller.  Benjamin  F.  Miller  was  the  son  of  Robert  Miller,  who  was  born  in 
Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  June  9,  1807,  and  died  in  Leroy  town- 
ship, Audubon  county,  on  July  28,  1886.  He  learned  the  miller's  trade  and 
was  a  farmer.  He  was  married  on  April  2,  1834,  to  Elizabeth  Woodburn, 
who  was  born  in  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  the  eldest  daughter  of 
William  and  Elizabeth   (Veasy)   Woodburn.     They  were  of  Irish  descent, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  727 

being  the  second  generation  of  their  family  Hving  in  America.  In  the  fall 
of  1856  Robert  Miller  moved  to  Audubon  county  and  settled  three  miles 
south  of  Exira  on  the  Gault  homestead,  which  he  farmed  for  two  years.  He 
then  purchased  a  farm  in  section  i  of  Leroy  township,  consisting  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty-three  acres,  and  here  he  carried  on  general  farming  and 
live-stock  breeding.  He  and  his  wife  had  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  grew 
to  maturity:  William,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years;  Martha  W.,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Perry  Roberts;  Benjamin  F.,  who  died  in  November,  1886; 
Elizabeth,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven;  James,  who  died  in  January,  1884; 
Thomas,  who  is  a  farmer;  Samuel;  John  A.;  Mary  J.,  who  died  on  Febru- 
ary 3,  1874;  and  Sarah  A.,  who  died  on  December  5,  1879.  Robert  Miller 
was  appointed  postmaster  during  President  Hayes'  administration  and  kept 
the  postoffice  in  his  home.  He  was  a  Democrat  of  the  old  school.  Benjamin 
F.  and  James  Miller  served  in  the  Civil  War.  The  former  was  a  member  of 
the  Thirtieth  Volunteer  Infantry  and  was  orderly  sergeant  in  Company  G. 
James  ]\Iiller  was  a  member  of  Company  E,  Ninth  Illinois  Mounted  Infantry, 
and  served  four  years,  during  which  period  he  enlisted  twice. 

Frank  L.  Miller  was  one  year  old  when  his  parents  moved  to  the  farm 
where  he  now  lives.  He  has  lived  longer  in  Melville  township  than  any 
other  citizen.  His  parents  settled  on  the  prairie  when  there  was  not  a  house 
in  sight.  Benjamin  F.  Miller  first  purchased  ninety-six  acres  of  land  and 
built  the  second  house  in  Melville  township.  Frank  L.  Miller  lived  five  years 
in  Audubon,  operating  a  corn  sheller  and  doing  other  work.  He  lived  five 
years  in  Ross  and  two  years  on  the  Eddy  farm  near  Ross.  In  1907  he  moved 
to  the  old  homestead  farm.  Mr.  Miller's  education  was  very  limited.  He 
attended  the  small  school  on  the  Doc  Stearns  place  and  was  a  student  at  the 
same  time  Ella  Stearns  attended  this  school. 

Frank  L.  Miller  was  married,  on  June  25,  1891,  to  Flora  Carper,  who 
was  born  on  June  21,  1871,  near  Trenton,  Henry  county,  Iowa,  and  who  is 
the  daughter  of  Martin  Luther  and  Jane  (Colista)  Carper,  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia and  Henry  county,  Iowa,  respectively.  They  came  to  Audubon  county 
in  1878  and  settled  in  Melville  township.  Martin  Luther  Carper  was  born  in 
1841  and  now  lives  in  Ross.  His  wife,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Jane 
Colista,  was  born  in  1850  and  died  in  June,  1908.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank 
L.  Miller  have  been  born  four  children :  Bessie  Vera,  who  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Audubon  high  school;  Nellie  May,  Benjamin  Franklin  and  Chester  Ful- 
ton, all  of  whom  are  living  at  home. 

Frank  L.  Miller  is  an  ardent  Democrat,  but  has  never  been  especially 
active  in  politics.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  and  is  influential  in  this  organization. 


728  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

ORRIN  SCOTT  WELCH. 

The  examples  furnished  by  the  biographies  of  steadfast  men  serve  as  a 
stimulus  to  Others,  spurring  them  on  to  success.  In  the  case  of  the  successful 
citizen  of  Lincoln  township  to  whom  the  following  pages  are  devoted,  he  had 
seen  others  of  his  class  rise  to  positions  of  influence  in  the  township  in  which 
he  lived,  and  he  made  a  mental  resolution  to  exert  his  own  force  and  will- 
power to  the  utmost,  and  win  for  himself  a  position  equal  to  those  occupied 
by  others,  who  served  as  guides  to  his  final  success. 

Orrin  Scott  Welch,  general  farmer  and  stockman,  Lincoln  township, 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  was  born  in  McHenry  county,  Illinois,  October  11, 
1855,  the  son  of  David  and  Matilda  (Shields)  Welch.  At  the  age  of  six 
he  came  with  his  parents  to  this  state  and  started  to  school  at  McGregor, 
where  he  attended  until  he  was  nine  years  old.  They  then  moved  to  Clinton 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  attended  school  for  nine  years,  coming  later  to 
Crawford  county.  In  1878  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  locating  in  Lincoln 
township,  where  he  invested  his  surplus  funds  in  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  which  he  purchased  from  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  Company 
for  nine  dollars  per  acre.  This  he  cultivated  to  such  a  degree  of  success  that 
he  was  enabled  later  to  purchase  from  his  neighbors  the  balance  of  his  pres- 
ent splendid  property  of  four  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  this  county^  On 
this  farm  he  has  placed  about  ten  thousand  dollars  worth  of  substantial 
improvements,  including  six  hundred  rods  of  tiling.  The  crops  to  which 
he  principally  devotes  his  attention  are  corn  and  small  grain,  the  corn  aver- 
aging about  forty-five  bushels  to  the  acre  and  the  oats  about  thirty-five  bush- 
els, all  of  which  is  fed  to  the  stock  raised  on  the  place,  amounting  to  about 
two  cars  of  cattle  and  one  car  of  hogs  each  year.  Mr.  Welch  is  especially 
interested  in  the  breeding  of  thoroughbred  Hereford  cattle  and  Poland 
China  hogs.  He  has  not  escaped  all  the  township  offices,  having  served  as 
school  director  and  trustee  for  a  number  of  years.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  mem- 
mer  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  in  which  he  has  held  several  offices.  In  religion, 
the  family  are  attendants  of  the  United  Brethren  church,  contributing  their 
share  to  its  support.  In  politics,  Mr.  Welch  is  a  never- failing  voter  on  the 
Republican  ticket. 

David  Welch,  father  of  the  subject,  lived  in  Ohio,  where  he  owned  and 
cultivated  a  farm,  which  he  later  sold  and  moved  to  Illinois.  Here  he  bought 
another  farm,  on  which  he  lived  until  1859,  and,  still  not  being  satisfied  with 
his  location,  he  again  sold  out,  and  came  to  Iowa,  where  he  went  into  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTYj    IOWA.  729 

lumber  business  at  McGregor,  remaining  in  that  work  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1863.  The  children  born  to  him  were  as  follow: 
Amanda,  Thomas,  Ellen,  Martin,  Phoebe,  Cynthia,  Orrin,  and  two  others 
who  are  deceased. 

Orrin  Scott  Welch  was  married  on  May  16,  1879,  to  Matilda  Oddy,  the 
daughter  of  Joseph  Oddy,  of  Guthrie  county.  To  this  couple  were  born  the 
following  children :  Willie  is  married  and  lives  near  Dale  City,  in  Guthrie 
county;  John  and  Frank  are  married  and  reside  three  miles  east  of  Audubon; 
Myrtle  died  in  1893.  About  two  years  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Mr. 
Welch  was  married  to  Belle  Arnold,  of  Ohio,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children, 
namely:  Clint,  Ben,  Orrin,  Lyle,  Mabel,  Elsie,  Hazel,  Earl,  Ivan  and  Lloyd. 
The  three  latter  children  are  deceased.  All  of  the  other  children  are  at  home 
with  the  exception  of  Ben  and  Mabel.  Ben  is  married  and  resides  northeast 
of  Manning,  and  has  one  child.     Mabel  is  married  and  resides  at  Gray. 

Mrs.  Welch  is  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Ellen  (Toothman)  Arnold, 
the  former  a  native  of  Illinois  and  the  latter  of  Ohio.  They  were  married 
in  Ohio,  where  they  lived  for  a  time,  and  then  came  to  Ringgold  county, 
Iowa,  where  they  remained  for  a  time  and  then  moved  to  Missouri.  Here 
they  lived  until  Mrs.  Welch  was  fourteen  years  old,  when  they  again  moved 
to  Ringgold  county,  where  they  lived  until  the  father's  death.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  as  follow :  Ida,  Sam,  Florence,  Belle,  Dora  and 
Cora,  twins,  Willie  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 


CHRISTIAN  C.  MOLLER. 

Many  prominent  residents  of  this  county  have  braved  the  dangers  of  a 
sea  voyage  in  order  that  they  might  build  their  homes  in  a  new  country,  with- 
out having  the  restrictions  of  the  Old  World  to  hamper  their  progress ;  but 
few  on  their  westward  journey  passed  through  as  hazardous  experiences  as 
did  the  subject  of  this  review.  There  is  little  in  the  conditions  now  surround- 
ing Christian  C.  Moller  to  indicate  the  tempestuous  nature  of  his  advent  to 
America,  but,  in  order  to  realize  his  dream  of  life  in  a  vast,  untried  land,  he 
passed  through  experiences  more  varied  than  those  which  fall  to  the  lot  of 
the  average  voyager. 

Born  in  Ringkoving,  Jutland,  Denmark,  on  February  2,  1870,  he  lived 
the  usual  life  of  the  farmer's  boy  until  his  nineteenth  year,  when  he  decided 
to  cross  the  ocean  and  work  out  success  for  himself.     Mother  and  father, 


730  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

brothers  and  sisters,  were  all  left  at  home.  Christian  C,  his  father,  for  whom 
he  was  named,  was  a  farmer,  and  early  taught  his  boys  the  principles  upon 
which  they  could  build  successful  careers  in  that  occupation.  The  mother, 
Mary  (Christiansen)  Moller,  lived  a  quiet  life,  but  took  great  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  her  five  children.  Both  lived  in  their  native  country  until  they 
passed  away,  he  in  1880,  and  she  thirty  years  later.  Both  were  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church.  Their  children  Avere:  Christian,  a  merchant  in  Aar- 
huus,  Denmark ;  Martin,  a  farmer  near  the  same  place ;  Peter,  who  continues 
farming  on  the  old  home  place ;  Mette,  who  married  Christian  Sorensen  after 
coming  to  America,  and  whose  home  is  in  Hamlin  township,  this  county; 
and  Christian  C,  the  subject  of  this  biography. 

Christian  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  of  attending  school  as 
long  as  he  could,  receiving  a  common-school  education.  Presentlv  there 
came  the  inspiration  to  seek  America,  and  he  set  sail  in  a  vessel  called  the 
"Denmark."  The  boat  was  wrecked  in  mid-ocean,  the  crew  and  passengers 
being  picked  up  by  a  German  vessel,  which  landed  them  safely  on  the  Azore 
islands.  The  castaways  remained  there  for  two  weeks,  and  then  took  passage 
to  New  York,  the  journey  requiring  two  months.  Christian  had  lost  all  that 
he  had,  and  when  he  found  himself  in  the  great  metropolis  he  had  just  fifty 
cents  in  his  pocket. 

From  New  York  Christian  C.  Moller  soon  immigrated  westward,  work- 
ing as  a  farm  hand  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  "settled  in 
Audubon  county  and  rented  the  farm  he  now  owns  in  section  38,  Sharon 
township.  After  living  here  four  years  as  a  tenant  he  bought  eighty  acres, 
and  then  later  added  forty  acres  and  then  eighty  acres  more.  Now  his  farm 
is  considered  one  of  the  most  valuable  in  the  county,  being  located  on  the 
ridge  road  between  Audubon  and  Kimballton.  On  the  original  eighty  acres, 
there  was  a  small  house  and  barn,  but  these  have  been  replaced  by  splendid 
new  buildings. 

Lizzie  Olsen  became  the  wife  of  Christian  C.  Moller  on  February  9, 
1893.  The  bride  was  a  native  of  New  York  state,  and  the  daughter  of  Hans 
Olsen  and  Annie  Christina  Carstensen,  both  of  Denmark.  The  parents  of 
Mrs.  Moller  first  lived  in  the  Empire  state  and  later  went  to  Iowa  City  to 
reside,  following  this  by  a  residence  in  Shelby  county,  and  then  moved  to 
Sharon  township,  Audubon  county.  They  owned  part  of  the  land  which  Mr. 
Moller  bought,  and  were  engaged  there  in  farming.  The  father  and  mother 
both  worshipped  in  the  Lutheran  church,  and  were  pious.  God-fearing  people. 
The  mother  passed  away  in  1907,  and  the  father,  three  years  later.     Mrs. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  73 1 

Moller  has  an  elder  brother  named  Peter  Kving  in  Atlantic,  Iowa,  and  a 
younger  brother,  Ole,  of  Sharon  township. 

While  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moller  took  up  their  residence  on  the  present  farm 
in  1893,  it  was  not  until  1912  that  they  drew  the  plans  for  the  fifteen-room 
house  in  which  they  have  since  lived.  No  home  in  the  vicinity  is  more  beau- 
tiful or  more  comfortable  than  is  this;  equipped  as  it  is  with  hot  and  cold 
water,  bath,  furnace  heat  and  gas.  Improvements  amounting  to  over 
twelve  thousand  dollars  have  been  added  to  the  farm,  these  including  a  fine 
barn  built  in  1902.  The  stock  bred  by  Mr.  Moller  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
other  stock  raisers  of  the  vicinity,  consisting  of  Shorthorn  cattle,  Belgian 
draft  horses  and  Duroc-Jersey  hogs,  of  which  he  usually  has  from  one  hun- 
dred to  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  head.  His  average  planting  of  corn 
is  seventy  acres. 

Mr.  Moller  has  been  identified  with  other  enterprises  than  farming, 
having  been  secretary  of  the  Sharon  Creamery  Company  for  six  years,  and 
a  stockholder  in  the  same  business,  and  a  stockholder  in  the  telephone  com- 
pany and  also  in  the  Atlantic  Northern  railroad. 

Seven  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christian  C.  Moller,  the 
eldest  being  Annie  C.  The  next  daughter,  Maria,  married  Simon  Lykke,  of 
Popular,  Iowa.  The  others  are,  in  the  order  of  their  birth,  Olga  C,  Hans 
C,  Clara  C,  Juel  C.  and  Thora  C.  All  were  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  also  in  the  Danish  schools  of  the  county. 

The  community  in  which  Mr.  Moller  lives  has  shown  its  confidence  in 
his  judgment  and  integrity  by  honoring  him  with  the  office  of  school  director, 
in  which  capacity  he  has  served  for  several  years.  He  is  also  at  this  time 
trustee  of  the  Sharon  township  schools,  and  gives  his  time  and  attention  in  a 
spirit  of  unselfish  interest  that  secures  the  appreciative  recognition  of  all  who 
know  him.  Mr.  Moller  is  interested  also  in  politics,  and  has  always  cast  his 
lot  with  the  Democratic  party.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moller  are  adherents  of  the 
Danish  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Moller  is  a  man  of  refined  tastes  and  intellectual  accomplishments. 
Beauty  in  all  its  forms  makes  a  strong  appeal  to  him,  and  he  and  his  wife 
have  surrounded  themselves  with  artistic  environments.  Many  exquisite 
paintings,  as  well  as  the  furnishings  of  their  home,  create  an  artistic  atmos- 
phere which  makes  a  visit  with  them  a  pleasant  experience. 

Some  time  ago,  Mr.  Moller  visited  his  old  home  in  Denmark  and  brought 
back  with  him  many  attractive  pictures  of  his  native  country,  including  views 
of  his  own  boyhood  home.  The  influence  of  such  a  man  as  has  been  described 
very  briefly  is  not  bounded  by  the  circle  of  his  daily  activities  and  acquaint- 


732  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

ances.  One  whose  chief  interests  are  along  the  Hne  of  mental  and  n^oral  well- 
being  is  a  constant  source  of  strength  and  inspiration  to  his  family,  to  his 
neighbors,  and  to  all  who  come  within  the  range  of  his  influence.  While 
successful  as  a  farmer  and  business  man,  he  has  not  allowed  material  affairs 
to  usurp  all  of  his  thought,  but  all  the  time  that  he  was  getting  ready  to  live, 
he  has  really  lived.  All  of  his  joys  and  sorrows  have  been  shared  by  his 
faithful,  genial  and  capable  wife,  whose  industry  and  encouragement  has 
been  a  leading  factor  in  his  success. 


HANS  MORTENSEN. 


Hans  M.ortensen  has  attained  pronounced  prestige  in  Hamlin  township, 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  by  reason  of  natural  and  acquired  ability  and  also 
because  of  his  prominence  in  the  commercial  and  financial  life  of  this  town- 
ship. Mr.  Mortensen  takes  a  deep  and  abiding  interest  in  everything  which 
pertains  to  the  material  advancement  of  Hamlin  township.  Every  enterprise 
intended  to  promote  the  advancement  of  Audubon  county  is  certain  to  receive 
his  hearty  support.  He  is  rated  as  one  of  the  progressive  citizens  of  the 
community  in  which  he  lives  and  the  high  respect  in  which  he  is  held  by  all 
classes  of  people  is  a  deserving  compliment  to  an  intelligent,  broad-minded 
and  most  worthy  man. 

Hans  Mortensen  was  born  on  May  13,  1877,  in  the  province  of  Schles- 
wig,  Germany.  He  is  the  son  of  Nels  and  Carrie  (Rattenborg)  Mortensen, 
who  were  natives  of  Denmark  and  farmers.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  Hans  was  the  third.  He  received  a  good  common-school 
education  but,  being  the  eldest  son,  he  was,  to  his  regret,  compelled  to  quit 
school  and  go  to  work  before  he  had  proceeded  far  with  his  education. 

When  Hans  Mortensen  was  three  years  of  age,  the  family  came  to  the 
United  States,  landing  in  New  York  City.  After  landing  in  this  country, 
the  family  proceeded  to  Cass  county,  Iowa,  locating  near  Atlantic,  where 
they  remained  for  nearly  two  years.  Then  they  came  to  Audubon  county 
and  located  near  Gray.  Later  they  moved  to  Sharon  township  and  after  that 
to  Hamlin  township,  where  the  parents  died. 

Mr.  Mortensen  lived  at  home  until  he  had  reached  his  majority  and 
then  worked  out  by  the  month  for  one  year.  He  was  then  married  and 
rented  land  for  three  years,  later  purchasing  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
in   Sharon  township.     After  five  years,   he  sold  this   farm  and  purchased 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  733 

eighty  acres  in  Hamlin  township.  He  Hved  upon  this  farm  for  four  years. 
In  1 9 10  Mr.  Mortensen  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  HamHn 
township.  This  farm  was  without  any  material  improvements  at  the  time 
Mr.  Mortensen  acquired  possession  of  it.  Subsequently,  he  built  a  large 
ten-room'  house,  with  a  bath,  pantry,  closets  and  all  of  the  modern  equip- 
ments for  the  up-to-date  country  house.  It  it  a  most  modern  home  and  has 
furnace,  gaslights,  waterworks,  etc.  Mr.  Mortensen  also  built  good  barns, 
sheds,  silos,  etc.  His  silo  holds  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  ensilage.  The 
barn  is  a  very  large  structure,  fifty-two  by  sixty  feet,  and  has  a  basement  and 
a  brick  foundation. 

On  September  5,  1900,  Mr.  Mortensen  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Juel, 
who  was  born  on  March  18,  1884,  in  Schleswig,  Germany.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Nels  and  Mary  (Carstensen)  Juel,  who  came  to  the  United  States 
about  1894.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mortensen  have  one  daughter,  Valborg,  who  was 
born  on  October  26,  1904. 

Mr.  Mortensen  has  the  most  modern  improvements  on  his  farm  that 
may  be  found  in  this  section  of  the  state  of  Iowa  and  he  has  a  reputation  of 
having  the  best  set  of  buildings  in  Audubon  county.  The  improvements  cost 
approximately  ten  thousand  dollars,  outside  of  Mr.  Mortensen's  own  work 
and  other  incidental  expenses.  He  also  has  a  splendid  orchard.  Mr.  Mort- 
ensen helped  to  organize  the  Farmers  Savings  Bank  and  is  a  director  of  this 
bank  at  the  present  time.  He  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Farmers  Thresh- 
ing Company. 

Politically,  Hans  Mortensen  'is  a  Democrat.  He  is  at  present  the  trustee 
of  Hamlin  township  and  is  filling  this  office  with  credit  to  himself  and  to 
the  people  who  elected  him.  The  Mortensen  family  are  members  of  the 
Danish  Lutheran  church  and  are  active  in  the  support  of  this  denomination. 


JAMES   WILLIAM   JENSEN. 

Although  James  William  Jensen,  a  successful  farmer  of  Greeley  town- 
ship, Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is  a  native  son  of  this  country,  his  parents  were 
natives  of  Denmark.  They  located  in  this  country,  however,  more  than  a  half 
century  ago.  For  several  years  James  William  Jensen  was  a  successful 
school  teacher  in  Audubon  county,  but  gave  up  this  profession  for  farming. 
His  valuable  and  highly  productive  farm  in  Greely  township  is  an  evidence 
of  the  wisdom  of  his  choice  in  quitting  the  school  room  for  the  farm. 


734  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Mr.  Jensen's  parents  were  Hans  and  Bertha  (Frederickson)  Jensen, 
both  natives  of  Denmark.  Hans  Jensen  was  a  farmer  in  his  native  land  and 
served  the  legal  period  in  the  Danish  army.  He  came  to  America  in  1863 
when  he  was  thirty  years  old.  He  first  located  in  Wisconsin,  where  he 
bought  a  farm  and  farmed  until  1869,  six  years  after  his  arrival  in  America. 
In  1869  he  removed  to  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  and  assisted  in  building  the  Rock 
Island  railroad  through  Walnut.  He  also  helped  build  the  first  house  in 
Walnut.  Later  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Shelby  county.  He  Hved  in  Shelby 
county  for  twelve  years,  and  in  the  spring  of  1881  he  moved  to  Audubon 
county  and  purchased  a  farm.  He  farmed  in  Audobon  county  until  1894, 
when  he  retired,  and  during  the  succeeding  years  lived  with  his  son,  James 
William. 

James  William  Jensen  was  born  on  August  3,  1869,  in  Sheby  county, 
Iowa.  He  received  his  education  in  the  country  schools  and  after  leaving 
the  common  schools  he  attended  high  school  at  Atlantic,  Iowa.  Then  he 
taught  for  several  years.  In  1895  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  Sharon  township,  Audubon  county,  and  was  engaged  in  general 
farming  there.  He  now  has  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  but  it  is  located  in 
Greeley  township.  He  feeds  about  a  carload  of  cattle  every  year,  and 
seventy-five  head  of  hogs. 

Mr.  Jensen  was  married  on  August  17,  1894,  to  Matilda  Peterson, 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Johannah  (Larson)  Peterson.  Three  children  have 
been  born  to  this  marriage,  Harvey,  Eleanor  and  Leonard ;  the  last-named 
died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Jensen  was  born  in  Denmark.  Her  parents,  who  were 
also  natives  of  that  country,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1890,  and  located 
in  Atlantic,  Iowa.  After  being  there  a  short  time,  they  rented  a  farm  in 
Shelby  county,  and  then  purchased  a  farm  in  Audubon  county.  Mrs.  Jen- 
sen's parents  are  now  living  retired  in  Exira.  They  had  eight  children,  Law- 
rence, Marten,  Chris,  Louis,  Anna,  Matilda,  Albena,  and  Peter,  who  is 
deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  William  Jensen  are  members  of  the  Seventh  Day 
Adventist  church.  Air.  Jensen  has  been  an  elder  in  the  church  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  is  now  serving  in  this  capacity.  He  is  identified  with  the  for- 
tunes of  the  Republican  party,  but  has  never  been  active  in  its  councils. 
Nevertheless,  he  is  interested  in  all  civic  matters  and  is  considered  a  man 
whose  support  can  always  be  depended  upon  when  public  improvements  are 
proposed.  He  has  done  much  to  build  up  a  wholesome  and  active  com- 
munity spirit  and  enjoys  the  confidence  of  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  735 

CHRIS  KNUTSEN. 

The  Knutsen  family,  which  is  well  known  in  Oakfield  township,  Audu- 
bon county,  Iowa,  has  as  one  of  the  representatives  of  the  second  generation, 
Chris  Knutsen,  who  owns  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Oakfield 
township,  and  who  was  born  on  December  3,  1853,  in  Denmark,  the  son  of 
Knud  and  Caroline  (Phillipsonj  Knutsen.  A  farmer  in  his  native  land  until 
he  came  to  America  in  1874,  Knud  Knutsen  located  in  Cass  county,  Iowa, 
and  there  worked  as  a  section  hand  on  the  railroad  for  one  year,  after  which 
he  removed  to  Audubon  county  and  located  in  Oakfield  township.  One  year 
later  he  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  and  subsequently  added  forty  acres 
to  the  original  tract.  He  farmed  this  land  until  his  death  in  1906.  His  wife, 
the  mother  of  Chris  Knutsen,  died  in  1910.  Knud  and  Caroline  Knutsen  had 
four  children,  Chris,  Peter,  Mary  and  Caroline. 

Chris  Knutsen,  who  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Denmark, 
came  to  America  when  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  arriving  here  in  1871,  three 
years  before  the  arrival  of  his  parents.  He  located  at  Atlantic,  Iowa,  tempor- 
arily, and  there  worked  as  a  section  hand  on  the  Rock  Island  railroad  for  six 
years,  and  then  went  to  Wyoming,  where  he  worked  for  a  time.  Upon  re- 
turning from  Wyoming,  he  came  to  Oakfield  township,  Audubon  county,  and 
here  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  16,  subsequently  buying  eighty 
acres  more.  Remaining  in  Oakfield  township  until  1904,  he  then  moved  to 
Cass  county,  Iowa,  and  remained  there  for  five  years,  when  he  returned  to 
Audubon  county  and  purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  lives.  This 
farm  consists  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Ordinarily  Mr.  Knutsen 
raises  forty  head  of  hogs  every  year,  and  by  feeding  a  considerable  portion 
of  his  grain  to  the  hogs  he  has  been  able  to  derive  a  very  satisfactory  profit. 

In  January,  1880,  nine  years  after  coming  to  America,  Chris  Knutsen 
was  married  to  Carrie  Hansen,  daughter  of  Hans  N.  and  Ingabore  Hansen 
They  had  one  child,  Kearne,  who  was  born  shortly  before  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Knutsen.  After  her  death  Mr.  Knutsen  was  married  to  Sena  Nelsen,  daugh- 
ter of  Rasmus  and  Bertha  Nelsen.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  this 
second  marriage,  Bertha,  Philip  and  Clarence. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chris  Knutsen  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church.  A  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  Knutsen  has  held  only  minor  offices, 
but  served  efficiently  as  school  director  and  road  supervisor,  two  of  the  most 
important  local  offices  in  any  community. 

Like  his  brother,  Peter,  of  Oakfield  township,  and  his  father  before  him, 
Chris  Knutsen  is  a  worthy  citizen,  a  man  who  has  conscientiously  and  honor- 


'J'i)^  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

ably  discharged  all  of  the  duties  devolving  upon  the  citizen  of  a  great  demo- 
cratic country.  Mr.  Knutsen  has  prospered  since  coming  to  this  country, 
and  no  one  is  more  willing  than  he  to  admit  that  this  success  is  the  result  of 
the  superior  opportunities  offered  in  this  country.  Mr.  Knutsen  is  very 
popular  with  the  people  of  Oakfield  township. 


NIELS  P.  HOEGH. 


Difficult  as  it  is  to  explain  individual  and  personal  successes  in  life, 
nevertheless  it  would  appear  that  large  successes  are  very  closely  related  to 
large  personal  worth.  During  the  twenty-year  period  from  1865  to  1885, 
hundreds  of  industrious  and  ambitious  young  Danes  came  to  America  to 
seek  their  fortune  in  a  new  land.  In  fact,  many  hundreds  of  them  event- 
ually settled  in  Audubon  county,  Iowa.  It  is  a  tribute  to  the  enterprise  of 
these  splendid  young  emigrants  that  very  few  have  failed  to  make  good  in 
the  new  world.  Yet  the  exceptional  success  which  has  accompanied  the 
efforts  of  perhaps  a  half  dozen  men  in  Audubon  county  arouses  our  curi- 
osity and  accentuates  our  interest  in  the  peculiar  qualifications  which  these 
few  men  possess  at  the  outset  and  which  were  responsible  for  the  larger 
measure  of  prosperity  which  they  have  enjoyed  in  their  adopted  country. 
Niels  P.  Hoegh,  in  one  respect  at  least,  is  not  different  from  the  hundreds 
of  his  fellow  countrymen  who  have  settled  in  Audubon  county,  since  his 
success  was  founded  upon  agriculture.  Perhaps  he  was  possessed  of  a 
superior  quality  of  managerial  ability.  Perhaps  he  possessed  greater  fore- 
sight than  many  of  the  young  men  who  came  here  with  him.  In  any  event 
his  success  has  been  large,  measured  not  only  by  the  wealth  and  capital 
he  has  accumulated,  but  by  the  conspicuous  position  he  has  taken  in  the 
civic  and  political  life  of  this  section. 

Niels  P.  Hoegh,  who  is  president  of  the  Brayton  Savings  Bank,  of 
Brayton,  Iowa,  the  Farmers  Bank  at  Elkhorn,  Iowa,  and  the  Farmers  Sav- 
ings bank  of  Atlantic.  Iowa,  and  the  Brayton  Lumber  Company,  besides 
owning  two  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Audubon  and  Cass  counties,  was 
born  on  September  12,  1847,  in  Denmark,  and  is  the  son  of  Jorgen  P.  and 
Anna  Katherine  Hoegh,  both  natives  of  that  country.  The  former,  a  car- 
penter by  trade,  followed  this  occupation  in  his  native  land,  and  when  he 
came  to  America  lived  retired  with  his  children,  of  whom  there  were  six, 
as  follow :    Peter,  who  is  still  in  Denmark ;  Jorgen,  deceased ;  Mettie  Marie, 


I— ( 


ffi 


Q 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  737 

who  lives  near  Davenport;  Anna  Marie,  who  is  deceased;  Niels  P.,  and  a 
daughter  who  died  in  infancy. 

Many  young  men  enjoy  exceptional  success  in  life  because  of  the  good 
start  they  received  from  an  inheritance  or  gift  at  the  beginning  of  their 
career,  but  this  is  not  the  case  with  Niels  P.  Hoegh,  whose  splendid  fortune 
is  the  consequence  of  his  own  personal  efforts.  He  had  no  better  educa- 
tional advantages  than  hundreds  of  his  countrymen  who  came  to  America, 
and  who  have  been  less  successful  than  he.  He  did,  however,  receive  a 
practical  common  school  education,  and  after  leaving  school  worked  out  as 
a  farm  hand  in  his  native  land.  Wages  are  very  much  less  in  Denmark 
than  in  this  country,  and  for  Mr.  Hoegh's  last  year's  labors  in  that  country 
he  received  only  thirty  dollars. 

After  locating  near  Davenport,  Iowa,  he  was  compelled  to  look  for 
work  for  five  weeks,  and  his  first  job  was  cleaning  a  cellar,  for  which  he 
was  paid  seventy-five  cents.  From  this  time  he  was  always  busy  and  for 
the  most  part  always  able  to  find  something  to  do.  After  working  near 
Davenport  for  three  years  as  a  farm  hand,  he  spent  one  year  working  for 
the  railroads,  afterwards  went  to  Colorado,  where  he  worked  in  a  silver 
mine  for  three  years.  Upon  returning  to  Davenport,  he  remained  there 
a  short  time,  and  then  removed,  about  1875,  to  Audubon,  and  was  married, 
and  located  on  a  farm  which  he  had  purchased.  This  farm  of  fifty-three 
acres  was  the  nucleus  of  the  two  thousand  acres  of  land  he  has  since 
acquired.  This  large  estate  has  been  built  up  from  year  to  year,  a  little 
land  added  here  and  a  little  there.  Seven  hundred  acres  of  the  two  thou- 
sand acres  which  Mr.  Hoegh  owns  is  covered  with  timber.  Mr.  Hoegh's 
fortune  has  been  built  around  the  first  fifty-three  acres  he  owned,  but  before 
that  it  was  founded  on  one  hundred  dollars  in  gold,  which  he  brought  with 
him  to  America,  which  he  exchanged  for  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  dol- 
lars in  greenbacks  in  1868. 

On  June  10,  1875,  Niels  P.  Hoegh  was  married  to  Mary  Katherine 
Knoss,  the  daughter  of  Christian  Knoss.  Eight  children  were  born  to  this 
marriage,  as  follow:  George,  died  on  May  17,  1915,  married  Anna 
Hoogensen  and  had  four  children,  Evelyn,  Raymond,  Harvey  and  Mildred; 
William,  married  Anna  Johnson  and  had  three  children,  Theodore,  Harry 
and  Leo;  Annie,  married  Hans  R.  Hansen  and  had  four  children,  Edwin, 
Dagma,  Wilbur  and  Gradis;  Walter,  married  Bertha  Hansen  and  had  one 
child,  Adel;  Arthur  N.,  married  Hannah  Walters  and  had  one  child,  Erma; 
Benjamin,  married  Emma  Clauson;  Katrina,  married  Walter  Hansen; 
Edward  lives  at  home. 

(47) 


738  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Mrs.  Hoegh  and  her  parents  were  natives  of  Denmark,  and  located  at 
Davenport,  Iowa,  in  pioneer  times.  After  the  death  of  her  father,  her 
mother  came  to  Audubon  county  and  hved  in  her  home. 

Niels  P.  Hoegh  has  never  divided  his  energies  and  perhaps  that  is  the 
explanation  for  his  success.  A  member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church, 
he  and  his  wife  and  family  have  done  their  part  in  behalf  of  this  church, 
and  the  Hoeghs  are  people  of  strong  religious  inclinations.  But  Mr.  Hoegh 
has  never  permitted  his  attention  to  be  diverted  by  politics,  and  although  an 
ardent  Republican,  the  only  office  he  has  ever  held  is  that  of  county  super- 
visor, which  he  held  for  nine  years.  In  this  office  he  made  a  commendable 
record,  and  one  which  was  a  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  people  of  Audubon 
county.  Naturally  he  gave  to  the  office  the  same  business-like  attention 
that  he  has  always  given  to  his  own  private  affairs. 

As  suggested  in  the  beginning  of  this  sketch,  it  is  probable  that  Niels 
P.  Hoegh's  success  is  founded  upon  his  own  personal  worth  as  much  as 
upon  anything  else ;  upon  his  cordial  relations  with  the  public ;  upon  his 
honorable  and  fair  dealing  in  the  business  affairs  of  life.  Men  have  learned 
to  believe  in  him,  and  as  they  have  believed  in  him  he  has  been  able  not 
only  to  bestow  favors  upon  his  business  associates,  but  likewise  he  himself 
has  been  able  to  profit  by  these  relations.  He  is  a  very  worthy  man.  and 
a  good  citizen  of  this  great  county. 


ABEL  S.  STONE. 


Abel  S.  Stone,  a  farmer  of  Exira  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and 
the  proprietor  of  sixty  acres  of  land  in  this  township,  was  born  in  Denmark, 
May  I,  1865,  the  son  of  Soren  Anderson  and  Caroline  (Sorensen)  Stone, 
both  natives  of  Denmark.  Soren  Anderson  Stone  was  a  laborer  in  his  native 
land,  and  is  still  living  in  that  country.  His  wife  is  deceased.  They  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  iMiller.  Jens.  Frederick,  Amelia,  Abel  S.,  Peter 
and  Christina. 

Abel  S.  Stone  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  and  after 
leaving  school  he  took  up  carpenter  work  and  followed  this  until  he  came  to 
America  in  1884.  He  located  in  Cass  county.  Illinois,  where  he  worked  on  a 
farm  for  two  years.  He  then  took  up  butter  making  and  followed  this  trade 
at  St.  Charles,  Illinois,  for  several  years,  when  he  came  to  Elkhorn.  Iowa, 
and  worked  as  a  butter  maker  there  for  a  vear.     Mr.  Stone  then  removed 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  739 

to  West  Hamlin,  Audubon  county,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres, 
farming  it  for  three  years,  after  which  he  removed  to  Oakfield  township, 
and  Hved  there  for  two  years.  He  then  sold  out  and  bought  the  place  upon 
which  he  is  now  living.  Mr.  Stone  has  invested  thirty-five  hundred  dollars  in 
improving  the  place,  which  is  one  of  the  best-conducted  small  farms  in  the 
township.  Mr.  Stone  feeds  about  fifty  head  of  hogs  each  year  for  the  market, 
and  has  made  a  success  of  raising  corn,  feeding  it  to  hogs. 

Abel  S.  Stone  was  married  on  November  i,  1895,  to  Mary  K.  Jessen, 
the  daughter  of  Peter  and  Maren  (Peterson)  Jessen.  To  this  union  six  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  Chris,  Caroline,  May,  Peter,  Adelbert  and  Elmer,  the 
last  named  being  deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stone  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church.  Mr. 
Stone  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party. 


CHARLES  LEWIS  BISOM. 

Charles  Lewis  Bisom,  a  well-known  citizen  of  Brayton,  Iowa,  and  a  re- 
tired druggist  of  this  city,  was  born  on  June  16,  1858,  in  Berkeley  county. 
West  Virginia,  the  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Hauck)  Bisom,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Germany.  The  former  came  to  America  when  seventeen 
years  old,  and  after  locating  in  Berkeley  county.  West  Virginia,  worked  as 
a  laborer  for  some  time,  and  then  purchased  a  farm  and  was  engaged  in 
farming  until  1865;  when  he  removed  to  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  remaining 
there  only  five  months,  and  then  removing  to  Poweshiek  county,  Iowa,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres.  Here  he  farmed  until 
a  few  years  before  his  death,  when  he  retired,  living  thereafter  with  his  son 
Dan,  at  Primghar,  Iowa,  until  his  death  in  1894,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three. 
His  wife,  who  was  born  in  182 1,  is  also  deceased.  To  them  were  born  the 
following  children :  Henry,  John,  Dan,  George,  Charles,  Eliza,  Susan,  Mag- 
gie, Laura,  Mabel  and  Fannie. 

After  having  received  a  common-school  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Poweshiek  county,  Iowa,  Charles  Lewis  Bisom  attended  Western  College, 
at  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  and  later  the  State  Normal  College,  at  Cedar  Falls, 
Iowa.  Upon  leaving  school  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  for  two  years,  and 
then  began  working  in  the  drug  store  at  Audubon  as  a  clerk  for  Dr.  J.  F. 
Cloughly.     Here  he  remained  for  one  and  one-half  years,  when  he  became 


740  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

assistant  auditor  of  Audubon  county,  which  position  he  held  for  a  short 
time,  and  then  worked  for  WilHam  Cloughly  a  year.  Finally  he  was  pre- 
pared for  the  examination  as  a  pharmacist,  and  after  passing  this  examina- 
tion began  business  for  himself  in  Brayton,  Iowa.  Altogether,  Mr.  Bisom 
was  engaged  in  this  business  at  Brayton  for  a  period  of  twenty-three  years, 
and  during  six  years  of  this  period  he  also  was  engaged  in  the  purchase  and 
sale  of  live  stock. 

In  September,  1880,  Charles  Lewis  Bisom  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Wattles,  and  to  them  have  been  born  five  children,  as  follow :  Imo,  Edna, 
Ethel,  Charles  and  John.  Imo  married  Raymond  Miller,  and  they  have  three 
children,  Lucele,  Cosetta  and  Charles.  Edna  married  Henry  Hansen,  and 
they  have  three  children.  Mack,  Majorie  and  Charles  Donald.  Ethel  mar- 
ried Earl  Brown. 

Mr.  Bisom  has  always  been  identified  with  the  Republican  party.  He  is 
an  ardent  believer  in  the  principles  announced  by  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  has 
been  influential  in  the  local  councils  of  the  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  lodge,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he  is  a 
past  grand,  and  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Charles  Lewis  Bisom  has  been  known  as  a  good  citizen  in  the  commun- 
ity where  he  has  lived  so  long.  During  his  active  career  in  business  he  en- 
joyed a  good  trade,  which  was  founded  upon  honorable  and  square  dealing 
with  the  public.  Courteous  to  everybody,  broad  and  liberal  in  his  views,  he 
today  enjoys  many  warm  and  ardent  friendships  with  the  people  of  this 
community. 


JESSE  NYMAND. 


Jesse  Nymand,  a  retired  farmer  of  Oakfield  township,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, was  born  on  March  9,  1858,  in  Schleswig,  the  son  of  Hans  and  Cath- 
erine (Miller)  Nymand,  both  natives  of  Germany.  The  former,  a  farmer, 
was  born  in  1826,  and  died  in  1888.  He  owned  a  small  farm  which  he  culti- 
vated until  his  death.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in  1828,  died  in  1892,  four 
years  after  the  death  of  her  husband.  They  had  eight  children :  Jesse,  Hans, 
Lawrence,  Christian,  Christena,  Meta  Marie,  Katherine  and  Marie. 

The  five  years  immediately  preceding  Mr.  Nymand's  coming  to  America 
he  spent  in  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  working  there  at  various  things.  He  had 
received  his  education  in  his  native  land,  and  had  gone  to  Copenhagen  imme- 
diately after  finishing  his  school  training.     In    1882   Mr.   Nyman  came  to 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  741 

America,  and  located  near  Brayton,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand 
for  one  year.  The  following  summer  he  spent  in  Colorado  working  on  the 
railroad,  and  the  next  winter  he  spent  in  Arizona.  From  this  time  until  1883 
he  was  located  near  San  Francisco,  where  he  was  engaged  in  working  on  a 
farm. 

In  1883  Jesse  Nymand  came  to  Audubon  county,  at  which  time  he  and 
his  brother,  Hans,  purchased  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Oak- 
field  township.  They  operated  this  farm  from  1883  until  1908,  in  partner- 
ship, when  Jesse  sold  his  interest  to  Hans.  Jesse  Nymand  purchased  a  ten- 
acre  lot  in  Brayton,  and  here  he  is  now  living  retired. 

Jesse  Nymand  was  married  in  1886,  four  years  after  coming  to  America, 
and  one  year  after  coming  to  Audobon  county,  to  Anna  Christena  Hansen,  the 
daughter  of  Hans  Hansen.  After  the  death  of  Mrs.  Anna  (Hansen)  Ny- 
mand, Mr.  Nymand  was  married  to  Christena  Jacobsen,  who  has  been  the 
mother  of  one  child,  Catherine.  Catherine  married  Walter  Nelson,  and  they 
have  two  children,  Catherine  and  Florence. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nymand  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church, 
and  formerly  Mr.  Nymand  was  a  trustee  in  this  church.  He  has  also  served 
as  township  trustee,  having  been  nominated  and  elected  as  a  Democrat,  the 
party  with  which  he  has  been  affiliated  since  coming  to  America. 

Mr.  Nymand  has  a  host  of  friends  in  this  section  of  Audobon  county, 
where  he  is  well  known  for  his  quiet  and  unassuming  manners,  and  for  his 
genial  and  friendly  disposition.  He  is  a  man  who  has  never  failed  to  dis- 
charge faithfully  and  conscientiously,  not  only  the  duties  of  a  private  citi- 
zen, but  the  duties  of  a  public  official.  He  well  deserves  the  confidence  and 
esteem  which  he  so  generally  enjoys. 


WILLIAM  GEORGE  ONKEN. 

One  of  the  best-known  and  most  successful  farmers  of  the  last  gen- 
eration in  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  was  the  late  William  George  Onken,  who 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  sixty-five,  October  27,  1913.  Born  in  Schleswig, 
Germany,  April  13,  1848,  he  was  the  son  of  Hoegh  and  Mary  Onken,  both 
natives  of  Germany,  where  the  former  was  a  farmer  and  where  both  lived 
and  died. 

The  German  schools  have  always  been  known  for  their  thoroughness 
and  particularly  for  the  skill  with  which  they  master  local  problems.     It 


742  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

is  the  rule  in  this  country  that  young  men  who  expect  to  be  farmers  will  be 
educated  in  those  things  which  will  best  fit  them  for  their  vocation.  It  was 
in  the  German  schools  that  William  George  Onken  received  his  education  and 
he  was  therefore  well  equipped  for  farming  when  he  had  completed  his 
school  days.  After  leaving  school,  he  worked  with  his  father  on  the  farm 
until  he  came  to  America. 

After  arriving  in  this  new  country,  the  late  William  George  Onken 
located  in  Marne,  Iowa,  remaining  with  his  uncle  on  a  farm  near  that  place 
for  two  years.  Coming  to  Audubon  county  in  1873,  at  a  time  when  there  were 
very  few  settlers  in  the  county,  he  purchased  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres 
of  land  on  Buck  creek  and  farmed  there  for  sixteen  years;  when  he  sold 
out,  purchasing  two  hundred  acres  of  land  near  Brayton,  Iowa,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  until  two  years  before  his  death.  He  then  retired, 
having  accumulated  a  substantial  competence,  and  moved  to  Brayton,  where 
he  died. 

On  August  22,  1874,  William  George  Onken  was  married  to  Elizabeth 
Hardwick,  who  was  born  on  February  12,  1856,  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Mary  (Beech)  Hardwick,  both  natives  of  England,  where  they  lived  and  died. 
Elizabeth  Hardwick  came  to  America  with  her  brother  and  located  on  Buck 
creek,  in  Audobon  county. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  George  Onken  were  born  nine  children: 
Mary,  Anna,  Amelia,  Bertha,  William,  Henry,  Kate,  Fred  and  Lillie.  Mary 
married  Peter  Leander  and  had  six  children;  George,  Minnie,  Clarence, 
Harry,  Bessie  and  Mabel,  the  latter  two  deceased.  Anna  married  George 
Astings  and  has  one  child.  Pearl.  Amelia  became  the  wife  of  John  Kracck 
and  has  two  children,  Carl  and  Donald.  Bertha  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Bell 
and  has  two  children,  Henry  and  Glynn.  William  married  Anna  Anderson 
and  has  two  children,  Walter  and  Ethel.  Henry  married  Lena  Anderson. 
Kate  is  the  wife  of  Asa  Brewer  and  has  one  child,  Gerald.  Fred  married 
Dorothy  Anderson  and  has  one  child,  Mildred.     Lillie  married  Geors-e  An- 

o 

derson  and  has  one  child,  Harry. 

William  George  Onken  was  a  Democrat  and  held  several  offices  of  local 
importance.  He  served  many  years  as  road  supervisor,  and  was  also  a  school 
director  and  served  as  president  of  the  Oakfield  creamery  one  year.  The 
Onken  family  are  all  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  William  George  Onken  had  a  host  of  friends 
in  Audobon  county  and  today,  now  that  he  is  gone,  his  memory  is  revered, 
not  only  by  his  loving  sons  and  daughters,  but  by  those  friends  who  knew 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  743 

him  for  his  worth  as  a  neighbor  and  citizen.  He  was  a  man  of  generous  and 
kindly  impulses,  a  friend  to  the  poor  and  charitable  to  a  fault.  He  took  a 
keen  interest  in  his  family  and  his  home,  and  at  his  death  his  children  were 
well  provided  with  the  comforts  of  life. 


CHARLES  A.  PARDEE. 


Charles  A.  Pardee,  the  proprietor  of  "Pleasant  View  Farm,"  in  Greeley 
township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  one  of  the  well  known  farmers  of 
this  township,  was  born  on  August  7,  1867,  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  the 
son  of  Edward  L.  and  Marinda  (Burdick)  Pardee,  natives  of  New  York 
and  Vermont,  respectively.  The  latter  came  to  Iowa  with  her  parents,  and 
the  former  was  a  young  man  when  he  came  to  Iowa  alone.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  serving  in  the  Twenty-second  Iowa  Infantry  as  a 
private  for  three  years,  and  was  wounded  in  the  hand  at  the  battle  of  Port 
Gibson.  In  1871  the  family  moved  to  Pottawattamie  county,  Iowa,  where 
the  father  purchased  land.  In  1881  he  again  removed  to  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Lincoln  township,  living  there  until 
1890,  about  which  time  he  made  several  moves,  finally  purchasing  a  farm 
south  of  Walnut,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  for  several  years.  Subsequently, 
however,  he  retired  and  moved  to  Omaha,  where  he  lived  until  his  death, 
and  where  the  mother  is  still  living.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, as  follow :  Mrs.  Eva  Travis,  Edwin  L.,  Charles  A.,  George,  Mrs. 
Mary  Martin,  Mrs.  Etta  Martin,  William,  Mrs.  Inez  Lahr  and  Roy. 

Charles  A.  Pardee  lived  at  home  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  hav- 
ing in  the  meantime  received  a  common-school  education.  After  leaving 
home  he  worked  out  at  farm  work  in  the  summer  and  taught  school  in 
the  winter,  teaching  seven  or  eight  terms  of  school  in  Lincoln  township. 

About  1892  Mr.  Pardee  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Lincoln  town- 
ship, and  farmed  it  for  one  year  before  he  was  married.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  rented  his  farm  out  and  he  himself  rented  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  selling  his  eighty-acre  farm  in  1897.  In  1906  he  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  north  of  Ross  in  Cameron  township, 
living  there  until  1909,  when  he  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
section  11,  Greeley  township.  Although  fairly  well  improved  at  the  time 
he  purchased  it,  Mr.  Pardee  has  built  another  large  barn  and  has  made 
many  minor  improvements.     The  farm  has  been  named  and  registered  as 


744  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

the  "Pleasant  View  Farm."  Mr.  Pardee  is  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock  raising ;  he  owns  a  few  thoroughbred  Shorthorn  cattle,  but  has 
never  undertaken  to  make  a  specialty  of  raising  this  breed.  Gradually,  how- 
ever, he  expects  to  acquire  only  thoroughbred  live  stock  of  all  kinds. 

On  May,  1897,  Charles  A.  Pardee  was  married  in  Manning,  Carroll 
county,  Iowa,  to  Celia  Martin,  who  was  born,  July  22,  1871,  in  Fulton 
county,  Illinois,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Jane  (Roy)  Martin, 
who  came  to  Audubon  county  about  1884.  Mrs.  Pardee  is  a  sister  of  the 
two  Martin  boys  who  married  Mr.  Pardee's  two  sisters.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pardee  are  the  parents  of  eight  children:  Earl,  born  on  June  22,  1898; 
Giles,  December  29,  1900;  Grace,  June  29,  1902;  Ernest,  November  19, 
1904;  Irma,  November  22,  1906;  Wayne,  November  17,  1908;  Mary,  Au- 
gust 2,  1910,  and  Bernard,  May  22,  1912. 

Upon  the  formation  of  the  Progressive  party,  Mr.  Pardee  identified 
himself  with  this  organization.  For  many  years  he  has  been  a  loyal  and 
devoted  follower  of  Colonel  Roosevelt,  and  has  held  firmly  to  the  policies 
for  which  he  stands.  The  only  office  which  he  has  ever  held  is  that  of 
township  constable. 

For  many  years  Charles  A.  Pardee  has  been  considered  an  influential 
man  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  He  is  a  man  who  is  well  read 
and  well  informed  and  who  not  only  has  kept  himself  fully  advised  as  to 
present-day  progress  in  farming,  but  in  other  lines  of  endeavor  as  well.  He 
has  many  friends  in  this  section  of  Audubon  county.  The  Pardee  family 
are  all  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


FRED  KLINE. 


Fred  Kline,  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  Audubon  township,  Au- 
dubon county,  Iowa,  who,  with  his  wife  owns  an  excellent  farm  of  two 
hundred  acres  in  this  township,  was  born,  July  9,  1867,  in  Johnson  county, 
Iowa,  and  is  the  son  of  Alexander  and  Este  (Martin)  Kline,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  respectively,  the  former  having  been  born  near 
Pittsburgh. 

Alexander  Kline's  father,  having  died  before  Alexander  was  born,  and 
his  mother  having  died  when  he  was  three  years  old,  he  was  bound  out  to 
one  of  his  uncles,  where  he  remained  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  when 
he  ran  away  and,  in  company  with  some  drovers,  he  left  Pennsylvania  for 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  745 

Indiana;  from  Indiana  he  went  to  Illinois,  and  from  Illinois  to  Iowa,  about 
1863.  Following  his  marriage  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  he  came  west  to 
Audubon  county  in  1871,  arriving  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  when  he  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land  from  the  railroad  company,  paying  six  dollars 
an  acre.  After  improving  the  farm  and  holding  it  for  five  years,  he  bought 
eighty  acres  just  north  of  the  original  farm,  and  after  improving  that,  keep- 
ing it  seven  years,  he  sold  out  and  purchased  eighty  acres  one  mile  east  of 
the  second  farm,  where  he  lived  for  three  years;  but  as  a  consequence  of 
bad  luck  and  various  misfortunes,  was  compelled  to  return  to  renting.  After 
renting  land  for  eight  years  he  purchased  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  east 
of  Exira,  where  he  lived  for  six  years,  when  he  again  sold  out  and  bought 
a  farm  in  Audubon  township,  where  he  lived  for  a  few  years  and  then  re- 
tired to  Exira.  After  living  in  Exira  for  some  time,  he  came  to  live  with 
his  son,  Andrew  J.,  with  whom  he  remained  until  his  death.  Although  a 
wagon  maker  by  trade,  he  was  always  more  pleased  to  work  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  or  with  an  old  threshing  machine.  For  thirty-six  consecutive  sea- 
sons he  operated  a  threshing  machine  in  Audubon  county.  Alexander  and 
Este  (Martin)  Kline  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  six  sons  and  three 
daughters,  of  whom  Fred,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  second  born. 

Receiving  only  a  very  limited  education  in  the  country  schools  of  the 
various  neighborhoods  where  he  lived,  Fred  Kline  lived  at  home  imtil  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  was  married  and  began  renting  land. 
After  renting  for  one  year  he  purchased  sixty  acres  of  land  in  section  17 
of  Audubon  township  but  held  it  only  one  year,  when  he  sold  out  and  be- 
gan working  for  his  father-in-law,  continuing  for  four  years.  After  rent- 
ing land  southeast  of  Exira  for  four  years,  he  farmed  a  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  owned  by  Mrs.  Kline,  located  in  section  21,  Audubon 
township,  and  in  1907  purchased  an  additional  eighty  acres,  where  he  now 
lives,  having  removed  the  buildings  from  the  first  farm  to  their  present 
location. 

On  September  3,  1891,  Mr.  Kline  was  married  in  Audubon  to  Leona 
Davis,  daughter  of  Wihiam  and  Martha  (Davis)  Davis,  both  natives  of 
Wales.  The  former  came  to  America  with  his  parents,  David  and  Lucy 
Davis  when  five  years  old,  and  first  settled  in  Pennsylvania  near  Miners- 
ville,  where  they  lived  for  several  years,  and  where  he  was  a  coal  miner  for 
more  than  forty  years.  He  followed  his  occupation,  however,  in  different 
parts  of  the  country.  Mrs.  Kline's  father  and  mother  both  were  married 
twice.  Each  had  one  child  by  a  former  marriage.  David,  the  father's  son 
by  his  first  wife,  lived  in  St.  Louis,  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hill,  the  mother's 


746  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

child  by  her  first  husband  lived  near  Exira.  Mrs.  Kline  is  one  of  four 
children  born  to  her  parents.  One  is  deceased  and  the  others,  William  and 
Frank,  are  living  in  Audubon  county.  About  1879  the  Davis  family  came 
to  Audubon  county,  and  there  established  a  family  home,  originally  buying 
land  from  the  Rock  Island  railroad. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  Kline  have  been  born  five  children,  as  follow: 
Jay  D. ;  Eunice,  who  married  Frank  Klemish,  and  who  is  the  mother  of 
one  child,  Lawrence;  Veda,  Florence  and  Chester. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Kline  has  served  as  school  director.  The 
Kline  family  are  supporters  and  frequent  attendants  at  the  Congregational 
church,  although  they  are  not  church  members. 

Lately,  Mr.  Kline  has  improved  his  farm  by  the  erection  of  a  large 
fourteen-room  house  with  baths,  waterworks,  and  every  other  modern  con- 
venience. His  barns  are  kept  in  first-class  condition,  and  he  is  numbered 
among  the  up-to-date  and  enterprising  citizens  of  this  county,  a  worthy 
citizen  in  every  respect. 


FRED  WAHLERT,  SR. 


For  many  years  an  active  and  well-known  farmer  of  Audubon  county, 
Fred  Wahlert,  Sr.,  who  has  passed  the  age  of  seventy-five,  is  still  capable 
of  doing  the  work  of  a  much  younger  man.  Since  retiring  from  the  farm 
and  moving  to  Exira,  he  has  taken  the  agency  for  the  Greeley  Mutual  In- 
surance Company  and  also  the  agency  for  the  State  Tornado  and  Fire  In- 
surance Company  and  is  proving  a  very  capable  representative  in  this  sec- 
tion for  these  companies.  When  Mr.  Wahlert  retired  from  farming,  he 
owned  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  well-improved  land.  He  now  owns 
one  of  the  most  splendid  dwellings  and  residence  properties  in  the  town  of 
Exira. 

Fred  Wahlert.  Sr.,  was  born  on  IMarch  29,  1840,  in  Schleswig-Holstein, 
Germany,  the  son  of  John  and  Arsby  (Starman)  Wahlert,  also  natives  of 
Schleswig-Holstein. 

Mr.  Wahlert  received  a  good  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
land  and  after  leaving  school,  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  for  twelve  years. 
When  he  was  twenty-six  years  old,  or  in  1866,  he  came  to  America,  and 
locating  in  Moline,  Illinois,  worked  in  a  saw-mill  for  one  year.  Mr.  Wahl- 
ert then  obtained  a  position  with  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  rail- 
road as  a  fireman  and  was  employed  in  this  capacity  for  two  years.     At 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  747 

the  end  of  that  time  he  rented  a  farm  in  Henry  county,  IlHnois,  where  he 
farmed  for  twelve  years.  Coming  to  Audubon  county  in  1881,  he  pur- 
chased two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land,  and  the  same  year  Mr.  Wahlert's 
parents  crossed  the  Atlantic  from  the  old  country  and  came  to  Audubon 
county,  where  they  lived  until  their  deaths. 

On  August  18,  1862,  Fred  ^^'ahlert,  Sr.,  was  married  to  Anna  Polm, 
the  daughter  of  John  Polm,  who  also  was  a  native  of  Germany.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fred  Wahlert,  Sr..  have  had  five  children:  Fred,  Jr.,  John,  Carrie, 
Winnie  and  Anna.  Fred  Jr.,  married  Emma  Porter  and  has  five  children, 
Clarence,  Elva,  Thelma,  Randall  and  Raymond;  John  married  Emma  Fronz 
and  has  five  children,  Esther,  Harry,  Francis,  Cora  and  Mary  Elizabeth; 
Carrie  is  the  wife  of  Arthur  Schweneker  and  has  six  children,  Clara,  Sarah, 
Elsie,  Peter,  Carl  and  Helen;  W'innie  became  the  wife  of  Louis  Schweneker; 
Anna  married  John  Kibbens. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  Wahlert  has  served  as  township  trustee 
and  held  other  minor  offices  in  the  community  where  he  lived  while  engaged 
in  active  farming.  The  Wahlert  family  are  all  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Wahlert  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons  and  also  the  Maccabees.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star. 

Fred  Wahlert,  Sr.,  is  not  only  well  known  in  Exira  and  the  surround- 
ing country,  but  he  is  also  popular  as  a  man  of  exceptional  intelligence  and 
kindly  manners.  Out  of  the  toil  of  his  early  years  he  has  saved  a  substan- 
tial competence  for  his  declining  days,  which  he  is  expecting  to  pass  in 
peace  and  plenty. 


JOHN  C.  TIBBEN. 


John  C.  Tibben,  a  representative  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  of 
Audubon  county,  which  has  long  been  prominent  in  the  agricultural  life  of 
this  county  and  himself  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  forty-two  acres 
of  land  in  Audubon  township,  was  born  on  March  24,  1872,  in  Rock  Island 
county,  Illinois,  the  son  of  John  W.  and  Catherine  (Schweneker)  Tibben. 
John  W.  and  Catherine  Tibben  were  natives  of  Hanover  and  Schleswig- 
Holstein,  Germany,  respectively,  the  former  being  only  fourteen  or  fifteen 
years  old  when  he  was  brought  to  America  by  his  parents.  Henry  and  Anna 
(Gummers)  Tibben.  After  landing  at  New  Orleans,  the  family  had  pro- 
ceeded as  far  as  St.  Louis  up  the  river,  when  John  C.  Tibben's  grandfather 


748  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

was  taken  violently  ill  and  died  of  cholera.  His  grandmother,  the  next 
spring,  brought  the  family,  including  Mr.  Tibben's  father,  to  Port  Byron, 
Illinois,  where  they  lived  until  1880,  when  Mr.  Tibben's  father  and  mother 
came  to  Audubon  county,  and  where  the  mother  lived  until  her  death  at  the 
age  of  ninety  years.  John  C.  Tibben's  father  was  married  in  Rock  Island 
county,  Illinois,  to  Catherine  Schweneker,  who  had  come  with  her  parents 
to  America  when  about  seventeen  years  old  in  1862.  They  purchased  three 
hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  unimproved  land  from  the  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  Railroad  Company  in  1877,  paying  seven  dollars  an  acre  for  it.  The 
first  house,  a  rude  structure,  eighteen  by  twenty-six  feet,  with  twelve-foot 
posts,  served  as  a  home  until  1885,  when  it  was  remodeled  and  additions 
made  to  it.  The  parents  lived  on  the  home  farm  in  section  2  of  Audubon 
township  until  their  death.  The  father  had  added  eighty-six  acres  more  to 
the  farm,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  owned  about  four  hundred  acres. 

John  C.  Tibben,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  after  living  at  home  until 
he  was  twenty-one  years  old,  was  then  married  and  rented  land  for  two 
years.  He  then  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  section  25  of 
Greeley  township,  where  he  lived  for  seven  years.  His  father,  having  died, 
he  came  to  live  with  his  mother,  making  the  change  on  November  14,  1900. 
In  1902  Mr.  Tibben  sold  his  Greeley  township  farm,  having  purchased  one 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  the  home  place.  He  has  added  to  this  tract, 
in  the  meantime,  until  he  now  owns  three  hundred  and  forty-two  acres. 
Forty  acres  were  added  at  one  time,  forty  acres  at  another  time  and  eighty- 
two  acres  in  the  last  tract.  Mr.  Tibben  has  one  other  set  of  buildings  be- 
sides those  on  the  home  place. 

On  December  16,  1891,  John  C.  Tibben  was  married  in  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  to  Anna  Wahlert,  who  was  born  on  March  30,  1872,  in  Henry 
county,  Illinois,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  Fred  and  Anna  (Polm)  Wahl- 
ert, natives  of  Holstein,  Germany.  Mr.  Tibben's  mother  and  Mrs.  Tibben's 
mother  were  chums  during  school  days  in  the  old  country. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tibben  have  been  the  parents  of  ten  children,  nine  of 
whom  are  living:  Fred,  born  on  July  24,  1892;  Frank,  February  13,  1894, 
who  married  Lillie  Creese  and  has  two  children,  Donald  and  Merlin  Edwin; 
Laura,  April  14,  1896,  who  married  Peter  J.  Schwab;  George,  December  5, 
1900;  Warren,  July  29,  1903;  Arnold,  April  27,  1906;  Veda,  December  24, 
1908;  Gertrude,  December  18,  1910,  and  Ruth,  December  17,  1913. 

John  C.  Tibben  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  has  served  as  township 
assessor  for  five  years.  Although  the  Tibben  family  were  baptized  in  the 
German  Lutheran  church,  they  are  not  members  of  this  church. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  749 

Mr.  Tibben  is  not  only  one  of  the  most  extensive  farmers  of  this 
section,  but  he  is  one  of  the  most  skillful.  He  has  watched  closely  the  mod- 
ern developments  in  farming  and,  as  fast  as  they  have  appeared,  has  adopted 
the  improved  and  scientific  processes.  Mr.  Tibben  is  popular  in  his  com- 
munity and  is  considered  an  excellent  judge  and  a  successful  practitioner 
of  scientific  farming. 


GEORGE  J.  MEYER. 


George  J.  Meyer,  of  Audubon  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who 
first  came  to  this  county  in  1885,  and  who  has  been  prominent  in  the  busi- 
ness, civic  and  fraternal  life  of  the  township  for  many  years,  was  born 
January  17,  i860,  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois.  He  is  the  son  of  John 
J.  and  Magdalena  (Bamholt)  Meyer,  natives  of  Holstein,  Germany,  who 
were  married  in  their  native  land  and  who  came  to  this  country  about  1854. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  J.  Meyer,  after  landing  in  New  York,  journeyed  to 
Chicago,  where  they  lived  for  a  time.  From  Chicago  they  moved  to  Mo- 
line,  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  and  here  the  father  lived  as  a  farmer 
until  his  death,  following  which  the  mother  moved  to  Des  Moines.  They 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are  living,  as  follow: 
Mrs.  Eliza  Ash,  Mrs.  Mary  Mason,  George  J.,  Robert  and  Henry.  George 
J.  is  the  only  member  of  the  family  living  in  Audubon  county. 

George  J.  Meyer  attended  the  common  schools  in  Illinois  until  fifteen 
years  old,  being  unable  to  obtain  a  thorough  education.  When  twenty-one 
years  old  he  started  in  life  for  himself,  working  out  for  a  time  by  the  month. 
Later,  he  rented  the  home  farm  and  operated  that  until  1891,  when  he  came 
to  Audubon  county,  where  he  purchased  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  in  section  9,  Audubon  township.  This  farm  was  only  slightly  im- 
proved and  Mr.  Meyer  has  since  erected  a  large  house,  barn,  cribs  and 
other  buildings,  making  it  one  of  the  most  highly-improved  farms  of  the 
township. 

On  February  10,  1885,  Mr.  Meyer  was  married  to  Anna  Jacobsen,  who 
was  born  in  Schleswig,  Germany,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  Carl  and 
Ida  (Volck)  Jacobsen,  natives  of  Germany,  born  near  Kiel.-  They,  after 
coming  to  the  United  States,  first  lived  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois, 
and  in  1885  they  moved  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa. 

After  Mr.  Meyer's  marriage,  he  and  his  wife  returned  to  Illinois,  and 
lived  there  until  1891.     Of  the  ten  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.   Meyer, 


750  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

only  seven  are  now  living.  Charles,  George  and  Nora  died  during  an 
epidemic  of  diphtheria  in  the  fall  of  1892.  The  living  children  are,  Walter, 
who  was  born  March  10,  1887,  and  married  Nettie  Tibben;  John,  June  i, 
1892;  NelHe,  December  25,  1894;  Ida,  September  12,  1896;  Robert,  May 
13'  1899;  Magdalena,  March  10,  1901,  and  Earl,  June  21,  1904. 

A  member  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the  Modern  Brother- 
hood of  America,  Mr.  Meyer  is  considered  prominent  in  fraternal  circles 
in  this  vicinity.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyer  are  also  members  of  the  Eastern  Star, 
the  Ladies'  Auxiliary  of  the  Masonic  lodge.  Both  are  members  at  Exira. 
Although  Air.  Meyer  was  formerly  a  Democrat,  he  has  been  an  independent 
voter  during  late  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meyer  were  baptized  in  the  Lutheran 
church,  of  which  denomination  their  parents  were  members.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Meyer's  children  are  members  of  the  Audubon  township  Christian  church, 
and  Mr.  Meyer  was  one  of  ihe  substantial  contributors  to  the  fund  raised 
in  connection  with  the  organization  of  this  church. 

George  J.  Meyer  believes  in  keeping  only  the  best  stock  obtainable  and 
was  one  of  the  leading  organizers  of  the  Audubon  Township  Creamery 
Company,  of  which  he  has  been  treasurer  for  more  than  twelve  years.  Mr. 
Meyer  is  a  prominent  citizen;  is  a  man  of  strong  convictions,  and  being  ag- 
gressive in  his  attitude,  is  a  natural  leader  of  men.  The  ]\Ieyer  family  are 
popular  in  Audubon  township. 


ANTON  PETERSEN. 


A  popular  farmer  of  Audubon  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who 
since  1909  has  owned  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  section  15,  where 
he  now  lives,  is  Anton  Petersen,  born  on  March  10,  1861,  in  Schleswig, 
Germany,  and  the  son  of  Peter  N.  and  Marie  (Kruse)  Petersen,  also  prob- 
ably natives  of  Schleswig.  Mr.  Petersen,  whose  fortunes  have  survived 
the  loss  sustained  in  a  disastrous  fire,  makes  a  specialty  of  dairying,  and 
has  been  very  successful  in  mixed  farming. 

Mr.  Petersen's  father,  a  day  laborer  in  Germany,  had  nine  children, 
five  of  whom  are  deceased,  and  four  of  whom  are  still  living.  Those  living 
are,  Nels,  a  former  resident  of  Audubon  county  and  a  merchant  at  Bray- 
ton  for  several  years ;  Nicoline.  who  lives  in  Schleswig,  Germany :  Nes,  who 
hves  near  Elkhorn,  Shelby  county,  and  Anton,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
The  deceased  children  are,  Anna,  Martin,  Mary,  Anna  Marie  and  an  infant 
son. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  75 1 

After  attending  school  until  about  sixteen  years  old,  Anton  Petersen 
worked  out  by  the  month,  until  nineteen,  and  then  came  to  the  United  States 
in  the  fall  of  1880,  settling  first  in  Pottawattamie  county,  Iowa,  where  his 
brothers  live.  After  working  on  a  farm  for  about  a  year  and  a  half,  he 
began  working  for  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroad  as  a  section 
hand,  and  was  so  employed  for  three  years.  He  then  rented  a  farm  in 
Shelby  county,  and  continued  as  a  renter  for  twenty- four  years,  living  on 
one  farm  for  sixteen  years.  In  1909  he  purchased  a  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  section  15  of  Audubon  township,  and  here  he  now  lives. 
While  living  in  Shelby  county,  his  premises  were  burned  out,  and  on  that 
occasion  he  lost  many  valuable  records. 

In  January,  1880,  before  coming  to  the  United  States,  ^Nlr.  Petersen 
was  married  to  Anna  Smith,  who  was  born  on  December  14.  1859,  in 
Schleswig.  when  it  was  a  part  of  Denmark.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Hans 
J.  and  Christena  (Hase)  Smith,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of 
Schleswig,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Aalborg,  Denmark.  Only  a  few  years 
after  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Petersen  had  come  to  this  country,  Mrs.  Petersen's 
parents  came  over  also.  They  first  located  in  Illinois  and  after  living  in 
that  state  for  five  years,  removed  to  Minnesota,  where  they  Hved  for  twelve 
years.  After  the  death  of  the  father,  while  the  family  was  living  in  Min- 
nesota, the  mother  returned  to  Illinois,  where  some  of  the  children  lived. 
Four  brothers  and  one  sister  lived  to  maturity,  as  follow :  Christian,  John, 
Martin,  Peter  and  Mrs.  Bertha  Shafer.  Martin  came  to  the  United  States 
before  Mrs.  Peterson,  his  sister,  and  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
but  his  whereabouts  are  unknown.     Peter  lives  in  Michigan. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Petersen  have  been  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  as 
follow:  Christena,  who  was  born  on  January  20,  1881,  married  Nels  Nelsen, 
and  they  had  five  children  at  the  time  of  the  father's  death,  James  William, 
Anton,  Andrew  and  Anna;  Mary,  October  i,  1883,  married  Nels  Salmon- 
sen,  and  they  live  in  Montana,  and  have  seven  children,  Elmer,  Bertha, 
Arthur,  Martha,  Anna,  Carl  and  Peter;  Peter,  August  30,  1885;  Hans, 
December  10,  1887;  Andrew,  September  2,  1888;  Anna,  August  30,  1891, 
and  married  Jerry  Josephsen.  of  Adair  county,  by  whom  she  has  had  three 
children,  Esther,  Elvera  and  Carl;  Martha,  January  10,  1893;  Lena,  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1895;  Arthur,  May  23,  1897;  Clara,  August  23,  1899,  and  Anton, 
May  26,  1903. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Petersen  has  held  no  offices.  He  is  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  his  success  as  a  farmer 
is  due  to  the  close  attention  which  he  has  paid  to  his  vocation  and  to  the 


752  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

study  which  he  has  made  of  the  improved  methods  and  to  his  capacity  for 
putting  those  methods  into  effect.  Popular  in  the  neighborhood  where  he 
Hves,  he  has  had  a  commendable  part  in  every  worthy  enterprise  of  his 
vicinity. 


JOHN  NISSEN. 

John  Nissen,  one  of  the  more  extensive  farmers  of  this  county,  and 
the  only  member  of  the  Nissen  family  who  has  come  to  Audubon  county, 
was  born  on  June  14,  1867,  in  Schleswig,  Germany,  the  son  of  John  and 
Lena  (Jacobson)  Nissen,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Schleswig,  Ger- 
many. John  Nissen,  Sr.,  a  farmer  in  his  native  land,  came  to  America  in 
1869,  and  located  in  Scott  county,  Iowa,  where  he  rented  a  farm  for  eight 
years,  and  then  removed  to  Shelby  county,  Iowa.  There  he  purchased  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  increased  his  holdings  eventually  to  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres.  He  was  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing until  his  retirement  a  few  years  ago,  when  he  removed  to  Harlan.  He 
is  a  veteran  of  the  Danish-German  War  of  1864,  having  served  during  the 
entire  period  of  that  memorable  struggle.  John,  Sr.,  and  Lena  (Jacobson) 
Nissen  had  seven  children,  Chris,  Charles,  Peter,  Hattie,  Minnie,  Christina 
and  John,  Jr.     The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  November  20,  191 1. 

John  Nissen,  who  has  made  a  very  flattering  success  as  a  farmer,  and 
who  now  owns  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Oakfield  township, 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  Greeley  township,  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Hamlin 
township,  Audubon  county,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Shelby 
county,  Iowa,  and  after  leaving  school  farmed  with  his  father  until  he 
reached  his  majority,  when  he  rented  land  and  began  farming  for  himself. 
After  three  years  he  purchased  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Hamlin 
township,  Audubon  county,  and  here  farmed  for  three  years,  when  he  sold 
out  and  purchased  two  hundred  acres  in  Shelby  county,  and  farmed  there 
for  five  years.  After  selling  the  Shelby  county  farm,  Mr.  Nissen  purchased 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Jackson  township,  Shelby  county, 
and  there  was  engaged  as  a  farmer  for  seven  years,  when  he  sold  out  once 
more,  and  purchased  four  hundred  and  eighty-seven  acres  in  Cass  and  Adair 
counties.  There  he  was  engaged  in  general  farming  for  four  years,  and 
once  more  he  sold  out  and  purchased  the  farm  in  Audubon  county,  upon 
which  he  is  now  living.  In  this  farm  he  has  invested  about  ten  thousand 
dollars  for  improvements  of  various  kinds,  such  as  ditches,  drains  and  out- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  753 

buildings.  Ordinarily  Mr.  Nissen  raises  fifty  acres  of  corn,  and  feeds  about 
one  hundred  head  of  hogs  and  seventy-head  of  cattle  every  year. 

On  December  2,  1896,  John  Nissen  was  married  to  Esther  Mortensen, 
the  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mary  Mortensen.  Three  children,  Peter,  John 
and  Warren,  have  been  born  to  this  marriage.  All  of  them  are  living  at 
home  with  their  parents. 

Esther  Mortensen,  although  born  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  is  a  daughter 
of  native-born  Danish  parents,  who  came  to  America  during  the  early  sev- 
enties, and  located  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  being  among  the  early  settlers 
of  that  county.  Her  father  purchased  a  farm,  and  here  was  occupied  as  a 
farmer  until  his  death,  March  25,  1903.  His  wife  is  living  at  Harlan, 
Iowa.  Peter  and  Mary  Mortensen  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely:  Mary,  John,  Marten,  Samuel, 
Fred,  Louis,  William  and  Mrs.   Nissen. 

The  success  of  John  Nissen  as  a  farmer  in  this  state  is  not  a  matter 
of  accident,  since  he  is  possessed  of  indomitable  energy  and  splendid  busi- 
ness ability.  He  has  always  been  a  splendid  judge  of  farm  values,  and  out 
of  the  many  trades,  purchases  and  sales  he  has  made  he  has  been  able  to 
make  very  satisfactory  profits.  His  reputation  for  honorable  and  square 
dealing  in  the  various  communities  where  he  has  lived  has  also  been  an 
important  factor  in  his  success. 


HERMAN  HAMMANN. 


One  of  the  older  citizens  of  Audubon  township,  Audubon  county,  and 
one  of  the  longest  residents  of  this  community  is  Herman  Hammann,  a 
well-known  farmer  of  this  township.  Mr.  Hammann  was  born  on  February 
16,  1847,  in  Luxemburg,  Germany,  and  is  the  son  of  a  Joachim  and  Mar- 
guerite (Henney)  Hammann,  natives  of  Lauenberg  and  Hanover,  respec- 
tively. The  mother's  parents  moved  to  Lauenberg,  however,  when  she 
was  a  small  child  and  the  father,  who  was  a  watchman  and  shepherd,  in 
his  native  land  and  the  son  of  Flenry  Hammann,  a  native  of  Mecklenburg, 
became  a  farmer  after  immigrating  to  the  United  States.  Joachim  and 
Marguerite  Hammann  were  the  parents  of  five  children:  Henry,  John, 
Mary,  Kate  and  Herman. 

On  arrival  at  the  United  States  in  1868,  the  Hammann  family  came 
direct  from  New  York  city  to  Iowa  county,  Iowa,  and  fifteen  years  later, 
(48) 


724  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

in    1883,   moved  to   Audubon   county,   where   the   parents   Hved   until  their 

death. 

After  Hving  at  home  until  twenty-three  years  old,  and  having  in  the 
meantime  obtained  a  good  common  school  education,  Herman  Mammann 
worked  in  a  brick  yard  for  a  time  and  then  took  up  farm  work.  He  worked 
nine  years  for  his  father  after  coming  to  Audubon  county,  and,  at  the  end 
of  this  period,  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  12,  of  Audubon 
township,  where  he  now  lives.  This  farm  has  been  entirely  transformed 
under  his  ownership  and  management.  It  was  originally  railroad  land, 
for  which  George  Fago  paid  eight  dollars  an  acre,  but  ^Ir.  Hammann  paid 
him  twenty-two  dollars  and  one-half  per  acre  for  it.  when  there  was  only 
a  small  twelve-by-sixteen-foot  house  and  a  small  stable.  The  present  house 
is  an  eight-room  structure  and  the  present  barn,  which  displaced  one  twenty- 
four  by  sixteen  feet,  is  forty-four  by  fifty-four  feet.  In  addition  to  these 
buildings,  Mr.  Hammann  has  also  erected  substantial  hog  houses,  chicken 
houses  and  other  out-buildings. 

When  nearly  forty  years  of  age,  Mr.  Hammann  was  married  on  June 
I,  1886.  to  Mary  Echternacht,  who  was  born  on  March  17,  1868,  in  Cedar 
county,  Iowa,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elvina  (Shoemacher) 
Echternacht,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  The  Shoemacher  family  is 
a  very  old  one  in  the  United  States  and  are  located  in  Cedar  county.  Iowa, 
since  1865.  Coming  to  Audubon  county  about  1867,  the  family  settled  in 
Audubon  township  and  were  very  early  settlers  here.  The  father  died  in 
Audubon  county;  the  mother  is  still  living  in  Pennsylvania,  in  Schuylkill 
county,  where  she  was  reared. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hammann  have  been  the  parents  of  five  children,  of 
whom  three  are  living:  Emma,  who  was  born  on  March  31,  1888,  married 
Louis  Bauer  and  has  three  children.  Bertha,  George  and  Walter;  Bertha, 
January  7,  1892,  married  Edward  Wahlert,  and  William,  May  19,  1894, 
lives  at  home. 

While  Mr.  Hammann  is  at  present  identified  with  the  Republican  party, 
he  voted  the  Democratic  ticket  for  many  years.  He  has  never  held  office. 
The  Hammann  family  are  members  of  the  St.  John's  Lutheran  church  and 
Mr.  Hammann' s  father,  Joachim  Hammann,  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
this  church  and  an  active  supporter  of  it  all  of  his  life. 

Herman  Hammann  is  a  worthy  citizen  of  this  great  county  and  a  man, 
who  by  diligent  industry  and  good  management,  has  been  unusually  suc- 
cessful in  agriculture.  He  is  devoted  to  his  chosen  vocation  and  is  a  popu- 
lar resident  of  Audubon  township. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  755 

HERMAN  C.  WEDEMEYER. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Herman  C.  Wedemeyer  is  still  in  the 
prime  of  life,  he  has  succeeded  in  accumulating  valuable  farm  real  estate 
in  Audubon  county,  where  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  ol 
land,  all  of  which  is  located  in  section  14,  Audubon  township.  Having  begun 
with  a  tract  of  eighty  acres,  a  farm  which  was  poorly  improved,  at  the  time 
of  his  marriage,  Mr.  Wedemeyer  has  added  to  his  holding  from  time  to  time, 
and  now  owns  one  of  the  best-improved  farms  iri  the  township. 

Herman  C.  Wedemeyer,  who  was  born  on  January  8,  1871,  in  Guthrie 
county,  Iowa,  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Catherine  (Earnest)  Wedemeyer, 
natives  of  Hanover,  Germany,  who  were  married  in  their  native  land,  and 
who  owned  a  farm  in  that  country.  Herman  C.  is  the  only  one  of  the  ten 
children  who  was  born  in  this  country.  Of  the  ten  children  born  to 
Jacob  and  Catherine  (Earnest)  Wedemeyer,  only  five,  Henry,  Chris,  Anna, 
Mary  and  Herman  C,  are  still  living.  Mary  is  the  only  one  of  the  children, 
except  Herman  C,  who  is  living  in  Audubon  county.  Coming  to  the  United 
States  about  1868  or  1869.  the  Wedemeyer  family  settled  in  Guthrie  county, 
Iowa,  where  the  father  purchased  a  relinquishment.  The  country  was  wild 
and  the  land  was  wild,  and  there  were  few  except  Indians  for  neighbors; 
the  Indians,  however,  were  friendly  and  they  caused  no  trouble  other  than 
their  begging.  After  living  in  Guthrie  county  until  1876,  the  Wedemeyer 
family  came  to  Audubon  county,  where  they  purchased  a  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Audubon  township.  Jacob  Wedemeyer  added  to  this  orig- 
inal tract  of  land  at  various  times  until  he  owned  five  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  Audubon  township,  and  a  hundred  and  seventy-seven  acres  in 
Guthrie  county.     The  parents  hved  in  Audubon  township  until  their  death. 

After  having  been  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  neighbor- 
hood and  after  living  at  home  until  he  was  grown,  Herman  C.  Wedemeyer 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  1893  at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  and  it 
is  upon  this  tract  that  he  now  lives.  In  the  meantime  he  has  added  to  the 
farm  until  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and  thirty-nine  acres,  all  in  section 
14.  Originally  the  land  was  in  poor  condition,  and  the  eighty-acre  tract 
had  only  a  fourteen-by-eighteen-foot  house  with  a  shed  roof.  Mr.  Wede- 
meyer lived  in  this  house  for  four  years,  and  then  built  his  present  large, 
nine-room  home ;  barns,  cribs,  granaries  and  a  garage  have  also  been  added. 

On  February  i,  1893,  Herman  C.  Wedemeyer  was  married  in  Audubon 
county  to  Emma  Bireline,  who  was  born  on  September  19,   1872,  in  John- 


756  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

son  county,  Iowa,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  Fred  and  JuHa  (^lichels) 
Bireline,  natives  of  Germany,  who  came  to  the  United  States  at  different 
times,  and  who  were  married  in  this  country,  either  in  Johnson  county, 
Iowa,  or  in  Chicago,  Ilhnois.  They  had  seven  children,  six  of  whom, 
Minnie,  Mrs.  Wedemeyer,  Kittie,  Fred,  George  and  Anna,  are  Hving;  Mary 

is  deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herman  C.  Wedemeyer  have  had  two  children,  Clara, 
born  on  November  23,  1893,  and  Oscar,  May  11,  1898;  both  of  these  chil- 
dren live  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wedemeyer  and  family  are  members  of  the  St.  John's 
German  Lutheran  church,  and  Mr.  Wedemeyer's  father  was  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  the  congregation  and  took  a  very  active  interest  in 
church  affairs.  Herman  C.  Wedemeyer  is  especially  interested  in  educa- 
tion. A  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  served  as  school  director  for  several 
terms,  and  during  his  life  in  Audubon  township  has  done  everything  possi- 
ble to  raise  the  educational  standard  of  the  public  schools.  He  has  done 
much  in  behalf  of  the  public  weal,  and  is  popular  in  the  neighborhood  where 
he  lives. 


FRED  GEBERS. 


Fred  Gebers,  who  resides  in  Audubon  township,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  is  regarded  as  a  successful  farmer,  has  been  able  since  com- 
ing to  this  country,  more  than  a  half  century  ago,  to  accumulate  land  until 
he  now  owns  two  hundred  acres  in  Audubon  county,  and  eighty  acres  in 
Adair  county,  Iowa. 

Fred  Gebers  was  born.  October  5,  1853,  in  Hanover,  Germany,  and  is 
the  son  of  Peter  and  Marie  (Peters)  Gebers,  also  natives  of  Hanover,  and 
farmers  by  occupation,  and  who  were  the  parents  of  seven  children.  Of 
these  children,  Chris  came  to  the  United  States  and  after  living  in  Nebraska 
for  five  years,  returned  to  his  native  land,  and  now  lives  there;  Henry 
lives  in  Adair,  Iowa,  though  he  formerly  lived  in  Audubon  township.  Au- 
dubon county;  Fred,  the  third  child,  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  William, 
who  lives  near  Adair,  was  an  early  settler  in  Audubon  township;  Marie 
never  came  to  this  country;  Mrs.  Anna  Meisker,  now  deceased,  lived  in  this 
country  and  died  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri;  Mrs.  Katie  Wedemeyer.  wife 
of  Fred  W.  Wedemeyer,  lives  in  Audubon  township. 

Fred  Gebers,  who  was  almost  nineteen  years  old  when  he  came  to  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  757 

United  States,  and  landed  at  New  York  city,  had  worked  out  at  various 
occupations  from  the  time  he  was  eight  years  old.  After  arriving  in  Amer- 
ica, he  came  west  to  Scott  county,  Iowa,  and  here  worked  on  a  farm  for 
seven  years.  After  making  a  trip  back  to  his  native  land,  where  he  re- 
mained six  months,  he  then  returned  to  the  United  States  and  located 
permanently  in  Audubon  county.  In  1883,  Mr.  Gebers  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  of  the  Rock  Island  railroad,  paying  ten  dollars  an  acre  for 
it,  and  here,  four  years  later,  added  forty  acres  more,  east  of  the  original 
tract,  for  which  he  paid  fifteen  dollars  an  acre.  All  of  this  land  which 
lies  in  section  22  of  Audubon  township  was  raw  prairie  when  it  was  pur- 
chased, and  was  absolutely  devoid  of  any  improvements.  Mr.  Gebers,  after 
building  a  fifteen  by  twenty-four  foot  house,  of  a  story  and  a  half  with 
two  rooms  downstairs,  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  the  house  by  fire  and 
subsequently  built  a  splendid  eight-room  dwelling.  In  1907  he  built  an 
excellent  barn,  and  has  made  other  substantial  improvements  upon  the  place. 
In  1908  he  also  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  forty  acres  of  which  lie  in 
section  15.  This  farm  had  a  group  of  buildings,  and  was  fairly  well 
improved.     In  191 4  Mr.  Gebers  purchased  eighty  acres  in  Adair  county. 

On  March  31,  1885,  Fred  Gebers  was  married  in  Audubon  county  to 
Mary  Wedemeyer,  who  was  born  August  12,  1867,  in  Hanover,  Germany. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Kattie  (Earnest)  Wedemeyer.  They 
came  to  the  United  States  when  Mrs.  Gebers  was  about  one  and  one-half 
years  old,  and  after  settling  in  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  later  purchased  land 
in  Audubon  township,  Audubon  county,  and  lived  here  on  their  farm  until 
their  death. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gebers  have  been  the  parents  of  six  children,  five  of 
whom  are  living,  as  follow:  Henry,  born  on  June  i,  1887;  Emma,  April 
6,  1890,  and  who  married  Chris  Krause,  now  deceased,  left  a  family  of 
three  children,  Viola,  Evona  and  Lawrence;  Susie,  November  3,  1892; 
Anna,  April  23,  1896;  George,  February  9,  1898,  and  Clara,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  two  years. 

The  Gebers  family  are  all  members  of  St.  John's  German  Lutheran 
church,  Mr.  Gebers  having  been  a  charter  member  of  the  congregation,  and 
one  of  those  men  who  helped  the  parish  buildings.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  has  served  at  school  director  for  several  years. 

There  are  many  men  no  older  than  Fred  Gebers,  who  were  born  in 
this  country,  and  who  from  the  time  of  their  birth  were  familiar  with  our 
customs  and  manners,  and  who  have  not  been  able  to  accumulate  a  com- 
petence for  their  declining  years.     It  is  a  tribute  to  the  enterprise,  economy 


yrg  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

and  prudence  of  thousands  of  German  citizens,  that  they  accumulate  prop- 
erty and  acquire  wealth  whatever  may  be  their  handicap.  Moreover,  they 
become  good  citizens  of  this  great  democracy,  and  Fred  Gebers  is  a  typical 
American  citizen. 


CHRIS  HECKMANN,  SR. 

One  of  the  fine  farmers  and  well-known  citizens  of  Audubon  town- 
ship is  Chris  Heckmann.  Sr.,  who  was  born  on  August  24,  1846,  in  Baden, 
Germany,  and  who  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Christina  (Betz)  Heckman, 
also  natives  of  Baden,  where  they  were  farmers.  They  had  thirteen  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  lived  to  maturity. 

Chris  Heckmann,  Sr.,  attended  school  from  the  time  he  was  six  years 
old  until  he  was  fourteen.  He  then  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he 
was  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  was  compelled  to  serve  in  the  army  for 
three  years.  On  the  expiration  of  his  enlistment  he  returned  home  and 
lived  for  nine  months,  when  he  was  called  back  to  the  army.  He  served  nine 
months  more  during  the  war  with  France  in  1870  and  1871.  After  the  end 
of  this  war,  he  returned  home  and  lived  another  year,  when  he  was  married. 
He  farmed  for  himself  in  his  native  land  until  1883,  when  he  came  to  the 
United  States. 

Landing  in  New  York  city  in  jMarch,  1883,  Mr.  Heckmann  came  direct 
to  Audubon  county  and  here  purchased  eighty  acres  of  prairie  land  upon 
which  he  built  a  small  house,  sixteen  by  twenty- four  feet,  with  four  rooms. 
In  the  beginning  he  had  one  team  of  horses.  He  has  improved  the  farm 
and  now  has  a  good  house,  barn,  cribs  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
fertile  and  highly  productive  soil. 

In  March,  1872,  Mr.  Heckmann  was  married  to  Christiana  Reichert, 
the  daughter  of  Philip  and  Christiana  (Mazer)  Reichert.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  twelve  children,  five  of  whom  died  in  one  week  during  Jan- 
uary, 1891,  of  diphtheria.  A  terrible  misfortune,  the  loss  of  these  chil- 
dren was  a  painful  and  distressing  event  in  the  lives  of  Mr.  and  J\Irs.  Heck- 
mann. The  living  children  are  Louisa,  born  May  31,  1873,  who  married 
John  Wahe  and  his  six  daughters,  Frieda,  Lena,  Emma,  Eva,  Florence 
and  Ida;  Chris,  Jr.,  January  27,  1875,  who  married  Anna  Schwarting  and 
has  seven  children,  John,  Emma,  Katherine,  Walter,  Martha,  Fred  and 
Clarence;  Lena,  May  2,  1876,  is  the  wife  of  Benhard  Vose  and  has  six 
children,  Anna,  Carl,  Helen,  Nettie,  Irma  and  Louise;  Frieda,  August   12, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  759 

1878,  who  became  the  wife  of  JuHus  Jergens  and  has  five  children,  MilUe, 
Fred,  Martha,  John  and  Arthur;  Susie,  January  20,  1891;  Samuel,  August 
24,  1892,  and  Carl,  January  16,  1894.  The  three  latter  children  live  at 
home.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  October  3,  1897,  ^^^  ^^  April 
8,  1 90 1,  Mr.  Heckmann  was  married  to  Mrs.  Catherine  (Leppert)  Heck- 
mann,  the  widow  of  Mr.  Heckmann's  eldest  brother,  Matthias. 

Chris  Heckmann,  Sr.,  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  although  he  always 
votes  for  whom  he  considers  to  be  the  best  man,  regardless  of  political  or 
party  affiliations.  Mr.  Heckmann  has  held  no  offices  nor  has  he  had  any 
desire  to  hold  office.  The  Heckmann  family  are  members  of  St.  John's 
Lutheran  church,  of  which  Mr.  Heckmann  was  one  of  the  charter  mem- 
bers. On  his  farm  in  Audubon  township,  he  is  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising  and  has  been  very  successful. 

Fired  with  ambition  upon  coming  to  America  in  1883,  Chris  Heckmann 
has  prospered  year  by  year  during  his  thirty-two  years  residence  in  his 
adopted  country.  Today  he  is  an  American  at  heart,  devoted  to  the  Demo- 
cratic institutions  of  this  country.  Having  worked  industriously  during 
his  productive  years,  he  has  a  substantial  competence  ahead  for  his  declin- 
ing years.  There  is  no  man  living  in  Audubon  township  who  does  not  re- 
spect and  admire  Chris  Heckmann  for  his  many  good  qualities. 


ANDREW  J.  BAYLOR. 


Andrew  J.  Baylor,  who  was  born  near  Richmond,  V^irginia,  August  2, 
1849,  came  to  the  Hawkeye  state  from  the  old  home  in  Virginia  with  his 
parents  when  five  years  old.  He  has  seen  the  country  grow  from  year  to 
year  and  develop  from  raw  prairie  land  and  a  few  ridge  roads  here  and 
there,  to  the  richest  farming  land  to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  whole  coun- 
try. Mr.  Baylor's  career  has  been  closely  identified  with  the  history  of 
Audubon  county's  agricultural  progress  and  prosperity.  Descended  from 
an  old  Virginia  family,  Andrew  J.  Baylor's  ancestors  very  probably  fought 
in  the  American  Revolution.  He  himself  was  named  after  Andrew  Jack- 
son, who  was  a  friend  of  his  father's  family. 

Mr.  Baylor's  parents  were  Christian  and  Marguerite  (Argerbright) 
Baylor,  also  natives  of  Virginia.  In  July,  1854,  when  Andrew  J.  was  only 
five  years  old,  the  family  left  Virginia  and  came  to  Johnson  county,  Iowa, 
driving  through  in  wagons.     When  the  family  reached  the  jMississippi  river, 


^50  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

the  boatman  refused  to  let  a  dog  cross  on  the  ferry  boat  and  as  the  dog  did 
not  try  to  swim  the  river,  the  family  supposed  that  he  was  lost.  Subse- 
quently, however,  they  heard  that  the  dog  had  returned  all  the  way  to  the 

old  Virginia  home. 

Mr.  Baylor's  parents  lived  in  Johnson  county  until  their  deaths.  Mr. 
Baylor  received  such  education  as  the  schools  of  the  pioneer  times  afforded 
and  lived  at  home  until  about  nineteen  years  old,  when,  in  1871,  he  came 
west  to  Audubon  county.  He  worked  in  a  brick-yard  at  Lewisville  for  three 
years  and  was  then  married  and  rented  a  farm  for  a  few  years.  He  had 
purchased  five  acres  when  he  was  married  and  built  a  house  on  it  and  here 
he  lived  for  several  years  before  selling  the  place.  Mr.  Baylor  rented  land 
for  about  nine  years  and  then  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  9, 
of  Audubon  township.  He  has  added  to  this  farm  until  he  now  has  two 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  section  9  and  forty  acres  in  section  10  of  Audubon 
township.  He  is  today  one  of  the  most  successful  and  extensive  farmers  of 
Audubon  township. 

On  February  19,  1874,  Andrew  J.  Baylor  was  married  in  Exira  town- 
ship,  Audubon  county,  to   Susan  Connrardy,  who  was  born  on  April   17, 

1857,  in  Luxemburg,  Germany,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  Nicholas  and 
Susan    (Noel)    Connrardy.     They  came  to   the  United   States  in  January, 

1858,  after  spending  forty-four  days  on  the  voyage.  They  lived  first  at 
Dubuque,  Iowa,  but  later  moved  to  Cascade,  where  the  mother  died  after 
about  one  year  and  one-half,  leaving  six  children.  The  father  kept  the 
family  together  as  best  he  could  until  1869,  when  Mr.  Baylor's  wife  came 
west  to  Audubon  county  with  William  Bintner,  who  had  married  her  elder 
sister.  One  year  later  the  father  came  to  Audubon  county  and  Mrs.  Baylor 
then  made  her  home  with  him  until  she  was  married. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baylor  have  been  the  parents  of  fourteen  children,  twelve 
of  whom  are  now  living,  six  daughters  and  six  sons;  two  sons  are  deceased. 
They  are  as  follow :  Ina  B.,  born  on  May  22,  1875,  ^^'^^  married  Ed  Gus- 
ton  and  has  six  children,  Marion,  Andrew,  Vivian,  Nellie,  George  and 
Helen;  Lottie  A.,  November  6,  1877,  who  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Parm  and 
has  six  children,  Nora,  Elsie,  John,  Gretchen,  Ina  and  Charles ;  Nellie  Myr- 
tle, November  i,  1878,  who  became  the  wife  of  Walter  Schlotfieldt  and  has 
two  children,  Harold  and  Carl;  Jennie  May,  July  13,  1880,  who  married 
Otis  Boehme  and  has  one  son,  Lowell;  Anna  E.,  January  6,  1882,  who  mar- 
ried Edward  Wahlert;  Edward  E.,  December  4,  1883,  who  is  unmarried 
and  lives  in  Canada;  John,  September  14,  1885,  and  died  on  May  22,  1889; 
Clyde,  born  September  2,   1887,  and  died  May   18,    1889,  both  he  and  his 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  761 

brother  dying  during  an  epidemic  of  diphtheria;  Bernie,  November  20, 
1889,  who  hves  at  home;  Walter  H.,  February  13,  1892,  who  married  Clara 
Klemmish  and  lives  in  Canada;  Charles  R.,  April  20,  1894;  Andrew  J., 
March  3,  1896;  Everett,  January  4,  1898;  and  Gretchen  C,  August  5,  1900. 
The  four  latter  children  are  still  at  home. 

Mr.  Baylor  is  prominent  in  the  Masonic  lodge  of  this  state.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Exira  blue  lodge;  a  Knight  Templar  at  Audubon,  and  a 
member  of  the  Shrine  at  Des  Moines.  He  was  formerly  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Exira,  but  this  lodge  finally  lost'  its 
charter. 

Andrew  J.  Baylor  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 
Aside  from  his  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Audubon  county, 
he  also  owns  a  half  section  of  land  in  Alberta,  Canada,  and  a  half  section 
in  Saskatchewan,  Canada.  He  is  one  of  the  well-to-do  farmers  and  citi- 
zens of  this  township  and  county  and  one  who  is  widely  known  and  highly 
respected.  He  is  a  leader  in  all  civic  and  political  affairs  and,  although  he 
has  not  held  office,  his  advice  and  counsel  are  freely  and  widely  sought. 


MARIUS  KNUDSEN. 


One  of  the  best  known  and  most  enterprising  of  the  younger  farmers 
of  Hamlin  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is  Marius  Knudsen,  now  in 
the  very  prime  of  life  and  usefulness.  His  influence  as  an  honorable  upright 
citizen  is  very  marked  in  the  community  where  he  lives,  and  his  life  has  been 
very  wholesome  as  an  influence  upon  all  with  whom  he  has  come  into  con- 
tact. His  past  successes  give  assurances  of  many  things  yet  to  come,  and 
Mr.  Knudsen  is  evidently  destined  to  continue  as  a  potent  factor  for  sub- 
stantial good  for  many  years  to  come.  He  owns  an  excellent  farm  in  Ham- 
lin township,  which  he  operates  in  a  manner  that  stamps  him  as  a  man  who 
is  fully  abreast  of  the  times. 

Marius  Knudsen  was  born  on  January  15,  1875,  in  Fyn,  Denmark.  He 
is  the  son  of  Knudt  W.  and  Elenore  (Hart)  Knudsen.  who  w^re  also  born 
in  Fyn.  The  father  was  a  merchant  in  the  old  country,  but  on  coming  to 
the  United  States  in  August,  1884,  with  his  family,  took  up  farming.  They 
lived  in  Atlantic,  Cass  county,  for  about  a  month  and  then  moved  to  Marne, 
where  they  lived  for  two  months.  In  November,  1884,  th^y  moved  to  a 
farm   four  miles   northwest   of   Exira,   where   the   father   purchased   eighty 


762  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

acres  of  land  of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Winchell.  The  land  had  a  good 
house,  barn  and  some  fences  and  cost  twenty-five  dollars  an  acre.  There 
was  a  great  deal  of  sod  and  prairie  land  upon  this  farm  to  break  and  most 
of  it  was  done  with  oxen,  five  yoke  having  been  used  with  each  plow.  Oxen 
not  only  were  better  for  this  kind  of  work,  but  they  were  much  cheaper 
than  horses.  At  this  time  one  could  purchase  an  ox  for  about  twenty-five 
or  thirty  dollars  and  horses  cost  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  to  a  hundred  and 
seventy-five  dollars  each. 

Knudt  W.  Knudsen  lived  upon  this  farm  until  1891  when  he  retired 
and  moved  to  Marne  again,  where  he  lived  for  a  few  years  and  then  moved 
to  Rohrbek,  Iowa,  where  he  hved  until  his  death.  He  was  the  father  of  ten 
children,  eight  of  whom  lived  to  maturity,  as  follow :  Albert  C,  Eliza- 
beth Christensen,  Rasmus,  Abraham,  Marius,  Lena  Jensen,  Rikke  Christen- 
sen  and  Bessie. 

Marius  Knudsen  attended  school  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  then 
worked  for  his  father  for  a  year  or  so  and  after  that  commenced  working 
out  by  the  month,  finally  renting  a  farm  for  two  years  in  Cass  county,  Iowa. 
In  1904  he  purchased  his  present  farm  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in 
section  25  of  Hamlin  township.  The  farm  was  fairly  well  improved  at  that 
time,  but  Mr.  Knudsen  has  added  to  it  in  the  way  of  improvements.  He 
had  the  first  hydraulic  ram  installed  in  Audubon  county.  This  device  pumps 
the  water  for  his  stock  and  home. 

On  February  14,  1900,  Mr.  Knudsen  was  married  to  Mae  Wolf,  who 
was  born  on  August  12,  1877,  in  Schleswig,  Germany,  and  who  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  P'eter  and  Anna  M.  (Petersen)  Wolf.  They  were  also  born  in  Schles- 
wig when  it  was  a  part  of  Denmark.  They  were  farmers  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1883,  locating  in  Audubon  county.  When  the  Wolfs  first 
came  to  Audubon  county,  there  were  but  few  school  buildings  and  Mrs. 
Knudsen,  their  daughter,  attended,  as  the  rest  of  them  did,  at  a  subscription 
school  which  was  held  in  a  private  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marius  Knudsen  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living.  They  are  as  follow :  Marguerite,  born  on  November  20, 
1902;  Alvin,  May  13,  1904;  Viola,  April  29,  1906;  Glenn,  July  17,  1908; 
Ruby,  July  23,  1909;  Joy,  January  10,  191 1,  and  Robert,  June  14,  1914. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Knudsen  is  a  member  of  the  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  served  as  school  director  for 
seven  years.  During  his  entire  life  Mr.  Knudsen  has  been  especially  inter- 
ested in  educational  affairs.  All  the  members  of  the  family  are  identified 
with  the  Danish  Lutheran  church.     Mr.   Knudsen  is  a  stockholder  in  the 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  763 

Exira  Creamery  Company  and  also  in  the  Audubon  County  Mutual  Tele- 
phone Company.  Marius  Knudsen  is  a  progressive,  enterprising  and  well- 
known  citizen  of  Audubon  county,  where  he  is  held  in  universal  esteem  by 
all  his  neighbors. 


HENRY  W.  TIBBEN. 


>  Henry  W.  Tibben,  who  owns  four  hundred  acres  of  excellent  farming 
land  in  section  4,  Audubon  township,  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Audubon  Township  Creamery  Company,  and  has  been  a  director  of  the 
company  for  many  years. 

Henry  W.  Tibben  was  born  on  March  10,  1863,  in  Rock  Island,  Illi- 
nois, and  is  the  son  of  John  W.  and  Katherine  (Schwenneker)  Tibben,  na- 
tives of  Friesland  and  Hanover,  Germany,  respectively.  They  came  to  the 
United  States  when  young  people,  and  were  married  in  Rock  Island,  Illi- 
nois. The  father,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  came  to  Audubon  county  from 
Rock  Island,  Illinois,  in  1881,  and  after  purchasing  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  in  Audubon  township,  lived  on  his  farm  until  his  death. 
He  and  his  wife,  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased,  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living,  as  follow :  Henry  W.,  Amos 
F.,  Anna,  deceased,  John  C,  William,  Mrs.  Minnie  Carson  and  Mrs.  Emma 
Porter.  All  the  children  except  Emma,  who  lives  in  eastern  Iowa,  live  in 
Audubon  county. 

After  living  at  home  until  his  marriage,  Mr.  Tibben  then  rented  land 
for  five  years,  and  eventually  purchased  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
in  section  4,  of  Audubon  township.  He  has  added  to  this  and  now  has  a 
total  of  four  hundred  acres,  all  in  Audubon  township.  It  is  an  interesting 
fact  that  Mr.  Tibben's  hen-house  was  the  original  dwelling  on  the  farm. 
He  has  made  many  improvements  upon  the  land,  and  erected  many  sub- 
stantial buildings,  and  he  now  has  a  well-improved  and  highly  profitable 
farm. 

On  December  16,  1884,  Henry  W.  Tibben  was  married  in  Audubon 
county  to  Mary  Hocamp,  who  was  born  on  October  25,  1866,  in  Hancock 
county,  Illinois,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  William  and  Hannah  (Elle- 
man)  Hocamp,  natives  of  Prussia,  who  came  to  the  United  States  when 
young  people  and  who  were  married  in  Ouincy,  Illinois.  Although  William 
Hocamp  had  been  a  miner  in  his  native  land,  he  became  a  farmer  after 
coming  to  the  United   States.      Finally  he  moved   to   Audubon   county  in 


764  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

1875,  and  after  locating  in  Audubon  township,  purchased  some  land  in  this 
towTiship.  The  mother  died  in  the  eighties,  but  the  father  is  still  living  re- 
tired on  his  land. 

Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Henry  W.  Tibben  have  had  eight  children,  as  follow: 
Clara  X.,  born  on  January  31,  1886,  is  a  clerk  in  Petersen's  store  in  Exira, 
where  she  has  been  employed  for  ten  years;  Nettie  M.,  August  31,  1887, 
married  ^^'alter  Meyers,  and  they  live  in  Audubon  township;  Edward  H., 
February  18,  1889,  married  Edna  Luke,  and  they  live  in  Audubon  town- 
ship; Ralph  H.,  May  3,  1891 ;  Ethel  L.,  November  2,  1898;  Helen  H.,  No- 
vember 17,  1899;  Florence  L.,  October  20,  1902,  and  Lowell  W.,  Septem- 
ber 16.   1904. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  ]\lr.  Tibben  served  as  township  trustee  for 
a  period  of  ten  years,  and  also  served  on  the  school  board  for  several 
terms.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Tibben  are  members  of  St.  John's  Lutheran  church; 
Mrs.  Tibben"s  mother  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  this  church.  The 
Tibben  children,  however,  are  members  of  the  Audubon  township  Chris- 
tian church. 

A  popular  citizen  of  his  community,  Henry  W.  Tibben  is  a  worthy  de- 
scendant of  the  sturdy  German  parentage  which  established  the  family  in 
America.  Prudent  in  all  the  affairs  of  life,  genial  in  manner,  Mr.  Tibben 
has  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  has  attained  a  worthy  measure  of 
success.  He  has  always  taken  a  commendable  interest  in  public  movements 
and  his  influence  has  been  of  potent  power  for  good  in  Audubon  township. 


PETER  F.  PETERSON. 


Peter  F.  Peterson,  a  retired  farmer  of  Kimballton,  Iowa,  who  started 
in  life  in  a  small  way  and  who  now  owns  considerable  farm  property  in 
Audubon  and  Shelby  counties,  Iowa,  was  born  on  October  31,  1847,  ^^  ^^^' 
Denmark,  the  son  of  Peter  Ernest  and  Anna  Peterson,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Aro,  Denmark,  and  where  his  father  was  a  laborer.  He  and  his 
wife,  who  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  lived  and  died  in  their 
native  land.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children :  Mary,  Sasel,  Metta, 
Andrea,  Katrina,  Carrie,  deceased,  and  Peter  F.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Peter  F.  Peterson  is  the  only  member  of  his  father's  family  who  has 
ever  come  to  America.  After  receiving  a  hmited  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  land  when  a  lad,  he  first  herded  sheep  and  later  engaged  in 
farming,   in  order  to  make  a  living  for  himself.      Coming  to  America   in 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  765 

1869  alone,  he  first  located  at  Atlantic,  Iowa,  when  there  were  only  three 
houses  in  the  place.  He  worked  for  the  Rock  Island  railroad,  where  he 
remained  for  two  years  and  then  moved  to  Rock  Springs,  Wyoming,  where 
he  worked  in  the  coal  mines  for  two  years.  Subsequently,  he  worked  in 
the  Colorado  silver  mines  and  then  at  Salt  Lake  City  for  a  short  time. 
Afterwards  he  was  engaged  at  Austin,  Nevada,  in  the  silver  mines  for  two 
years  and  then  returned  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  purchased  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Sharon  township,  consisting  of  wild  land, 
which  had  never  been  plowed.  He  later  added  eighty  acres  in  Jackson  town- 
ship, Shelby  county,  and  from  time  to  time  has  made  many  improvements 
upon  these  properties. 

On  November  i8,  1875,  Mr.  Peterson  was  married  to  Annie  Anderson, 
a  native  of  Jylland,  Denmark,  and  the  daughter  of  Anders  Sorensen  and 
Annie  Davisen,  who  were  both  natives  of  Denmark  and  who,  after  coming 
to  America,  were  early  settlers  in  Story  county,  Iowa,  where  he  farmed 
until  his  death.     His  wife,  who  is  seventy-nine  years  old,  is  still  living. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  F.  Peterson  have  eight  children :  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried James  Rosenbeck,  of  Columbia,  North  Dakota,  and  has  four  children, 
William,  Lena,  Frankhn  and  Francis;  Jens  F.,  who  lives  on  the  old  home 
place,  married  Christina  Rasch  and  has  two  children,  Annie  and  Idna;  Car- 
rie, who  married  Martin  Fredericksen,  a  real  estate  and  insurance  dealer  of 
Kimballton,  Iowa,  and  has  four  children,  William,  Annie,  Edward  and 
Elmer;  Martha,  who  became  the  wife  of  Charles  Wright,  of  Greenfield, 
Iowa,  and  has  three  children,  Nellie,  Annie  and  Minerva;  Ernest,  of  Sharon 
township,  who  married  Christina  Jorgensen  and  has  two  children,  Rosa  and 
Roy;  Hans,  a  farmer,  who  is  single;  Andrace  and  Anna.  During  his  life 
as  an  active  farmer,  Mr.  Peterson  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising. 

The  Peterson  family  are  all  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church. 
A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Peterson  has  held  several  minor  offices,  and 
for  many  years  served  as  a  school  director.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peterson  are 
very  popular  people;  they  have  a  comfortable  home  in  Kimballton,  Iowa, 
where  they  have  lived  retired  for  several  years.  In  addition  to  all  of  Mr, 
Peterson's  other  property,  he  has  small  tracts  of  land  scattered  in  different 
parts  of  Audubon  county.  Starting  in  life  as  he  did  with  no  financial  aid 
and  no  hope  of  assistance,  it  must  be  admitted  that  Peter  F.  Peterson  has 
made  a  splendid  success  of  the  opportunities  which  have  come  in  his  way. 
He  is  a  man  who  richly  deserves  the  comforts  which  he  is  able  to  enjoy 
during  his  declining  years;  comforts  which  arise  from  the  competence  which 
he  himself  has  gained. 


-^55  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

HERMAN  D    REIMERS. 

Herman  D.  Reimers,  a  native  of  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  born  on 
January  i,  1877,  who  owns  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Audubon  township,  may 
rightly  be  said  to  own  one  of  the  best-improved  farms  in  all  Audubon 
county.  Mr.  Reimers'  farm  is  thoroughly  fenced  with  hog-tight  woven  wire 
fence  and,  altogether,  there  has  been  placed  on  the  farm  more  than  eight 
hundred  rods  of  this  fence. 

A  man  who  has  made  a  remarkable  success  of  farming,  Herman  D. 
Reimers  is  a  son  of  Claus  and  Maggie  (Dutlef)  Reimers,  both  natives  of 
Holstein,  Germany,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1871  and  who,  after 
landing  at  New  York  city,  came  direct  to  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  where 
they  lived  until  1882.  At  this  time  they  came  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa, 
where  they  lived  until  1895,  when  the  father  gave  each  of  his  sons  eighty 
acres  of  land  and  removed  to  Adair,  Iowa,  where  he  now  lives.  His  wife, 
the  mother  of  Herman  D.  Reimers,  died  in  November,  191 3.  There  were 
five  boys  in  the  Reimers  family  who  lived  to  maturity  and  three  daughters 
died  in  childhood.  The  sons  are,  August,  of  Audubon  township;  John,  of 
Moline,  Illinois;  William,  of  Sedgwick  county,  Kansas;  Amos,  of  Adair 
county,  and  Herman  D.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

After  having  lived  at  home  with  his  parents  until  they  left  the  farm, 
Herman  D.  Reimers  began  working  out  and,  after  a  few  years,  was  married 
and  settled  on  the  farm  which  his  father  gave  him.     It  was  partially  im- 
proved, having  a  good  house  and  a  few  other  small  buildings.     In  1914  he 
built  a  large  barn,  forty-eight  by  thirty-two  by  twenty  feet,  and  aside  from 
these  dimensions,  the  farm  has  a  large  basement,  and  is  one  of  the  best  in 
Audubon  township.     It  was  built  at  a  cost  of  about  twelve  hundred  dollars. 
On  January  23,   1900,  Mr.  Reimers  was  married  to  Kate  Wahe,  who 
was  born  on  August  25,   1882,  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Marguerite   (Meeder)    Wahe,   also  natives  of  Hol- 
stein, Germany,  the  former  of  whom  came  to  the  United  States  in   1873, 
eight  months  before  the  remainder  of  the   family.     The   father  came  first 
in  order  to  earn  money  to  pay  the  passages  of  his  wife  and  one  child,  one 
other  child  having  died  a  few  days  before  sailing  time.     After  landing  in 
New  York  city,  they  came  direct  to  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  where  they 
lived  until  about  1887,  when  they  moved  to  Adams  county,  Nebraska.    After 
living  here  for  about  seven  years,  they  came  to  Audubon  county  and  located 
near  Exira,  where  they  lived  for  five  years;  subsequently,  they  moved  to 
Adair  county. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  767 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reimers  are  the  parents  of  three  children :  Laura,  born 
February  5,  1902;  Lillian,  August  25,  1905,  and  Elmer,  July  14,  191 1. 

Although  Mr.  Reimers  is  a  Republican  nominally,  he  is  a  vSocialist  in 
principle,  and  leans  very  strongly  toward  the  socialization  of  all  industries. 
He  is  one  of  the  best  informed  men  of  Audubon  township,  especially  in 
matters  of  politics.  The  Reimers  family  are  members  of  St.  John's  Lu- 
theran church. 

Herman  D.  Reimers  has  proved  a  valuable  citizen  in  the  community 
where  he  li\'es.  He  is  endowed  with  a  natural  capacity  for  leadership  and  is 
a  man  whose  counsel  and  advice  are  sought  freely  on  many  questions. 
Naturally,  he  is  a  man  of  upright  and  honorable  character. 


T.  C.  KESTER. 


T.  C.  Kester.  who  owns  a  fertile  and  highly  productive  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Cameron  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  was 
born  on  September  8,  1856,  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Kester  is  the 
son  of  Hiram  and  Mary  Kester,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  was  a  farmer  and  farmed  in  that  state  all  of  his  life.  Both 
Hiram  Kester  and  his  wife  died  in  1862,  after  rearing  a  family  of  four 
children,  two  of  whom  are  now  living:     William  and  T.  C. 

T.  C.  Kester  received  all  of  his  education  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania 
and  after  leaving  school,  attended  the  Orangeville  Academy  for  some  time. 
He  then  taught  school  for  one  term  in  Columbia  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
after  finishing  his  term  of  school,  he  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1883  and 
located  in  section  19  of  Cameron  township,  where  he  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  land  at  twenty-six  dollars  an  acre.  Mr.  Kester  improved  the  place  and 
•farmed  there  for  seventeen  years.  He  then  purchaser  two  hundred  acres  m 
section  22  where  he  is  now  living.  In  1910  he  bought  an  additional  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  section  I'j,  where  his  son,  Harry,  now  lives.  He 
has  not  only  acquired  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  but  upon  this 
property,  he  has  invested  eight  thousand  dollars  in  various  kinds  of  improve- 
ments. He  raises  one  hundred  acres  of  corn  which  yields  an  average  of 
fifty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  the  balance  in  small  grain  and  grass.  He  also 
raises  horses,  cattle  and  hogs. 

On  January  4,  1883,  T.  C.  Kester  was  married  to  Susanna  Heacock, 
the  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Lydia  Heacock.     The  marriage  took  place  during 


^68  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

the  same  year  in  which  Mr.  Kester  moved  from  Pennsylvania  to  Audubon 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kester  are  the  parents  of  nine  children:  Bruce, 
Lulu,  Harry,  Raymond,  Alice,  Walter,  Frank,  Pearl  and  Mildred.  Lulu 
married  John  Lacy  and  they  have  three  children,  Harold,  Floyd  and  Doro- 
thy. Harry  married  Sena  Hansen  and  they  have  three  children,  Cameron, 
Aaron  and  Charles.     The  remainder  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kester's  family  are 

single. 

The  Kesters  have  been  prominent  in  the  United  Brethren  church  of 
Cameron  township.  Mr.  Kester  is  a  trustee  in  the  church  and  was  formerly 
not  only  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school,  but  treasurer  of  the  congre- 
gation.    In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  as  school  director. 

T.  C.  Kester  is  regarded  in  Cameron  township  by  his  neighbors  as  an 
intellisfcnt  and  well-informed  farmer  and  citizen.  One  of  the  oldest  resi- 
dents  of  this  township,  he  has  gained  many  warm  friends  and  is  well  known 
throughout  Audubon  county  as  one  of  its  leading  and  enterprising  citizens. 
T.  C.  Kester  is  a  worthy  citizen  of  Cameron  township  and  one  who  enjoys 
the  confidence  of  all  the  people  of  his  neighborhood. 


FRANK  R.  McLaughlin. 

Frank  R.  McLaughlin,  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Lincoln  township, 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who  owns  a  highly  productive  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  in  this  township,  was  born  on  August  27,  1853,  in 
Newark,  Ohio,  the  son  of  Charles  and  Rachel  (Covall)  McLaughlin,  both 
of  whom  were  natives  of  Ohio. 

After  receiving  an  elementary  education  in  his  native  state,  Charles 
McLaughlin  took  up  farming  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  in 
Licking  county,  Ohio.  Here  he  farmed  until  1861.  when  he  removed  to 
Illinois,  where  he  farmed  and  teamed  for  more  than  twenty-five  years.  He 
then  came  to  Audubon  county,  and  made  his  home  with  his  son,  Frank  R., 
living  with  him  until  his  death,  October  11,  1903.  Mrs.  Rachel  (Covall) 
McLaughhn  died  on  March  11,  1874.  They  had  eight  children,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living.  Frank  R.,  however,  is  the  only  one  living  in  the  state 
of  Iowa. 

Frank  R.  McLaughlin  received  his  education  in  Illinois,  and  after  fin- 
ishing his  education,  he  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  for  several  years,  and 
then  purchased  a  team  and  rented  a  farm  in  Illinois  for  six  years.     In  1885 


FltAXK  R.  McI,Ar(;HLIN 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  769 

Mr.  McLaughlin  came  to  Audubon  county,  and  located  on  the  farm  where 
he  is  now  living.  After  renting  it  for  five  years  he  purchased  the  place,  and 
during  the  time  he  has  owned  it  has  invested  more  than  six  thousand 
dollars  in  various  kinds  of  improvements.  Mr.  McLaughlin  is  an  extensive 
farmer,  and  feeds  more  than  two  hundred  head  of  hogs  every  year,  as  well 
as  two  carloads  of  cattle. 

On  March  19,  1885,  Frank  R.  McLaughlin  was  married  to  Cora  Evans, 
who  was  born  on  October  21,  1862,  a  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Luta  (Good- 
rich) Evans.  To  this  happy  union  eight  children  have  been  born,  as  fol- 
low: Maude,  deceased;  Charles,  of  Manning,  Iowa,  auctioneer  and  real  estate 
dealer;  Ray,  Mae,  Glenn,  Gladys,  Hazen  and  Grace.  Glenn  married  Eliza- 
beth Schrumn,  and  they  have  one  child,  Imogene.  The  remainder  of  the 
children  are  unmarried  and  live  at  home  with  their  parents.  Mrs.  McLaugh- 
lin died  on  June  27,  191 1.  She  was  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
church. 

Mr.  McLaughlin  is  a  steward  in  the  United  Brethren  church,  and  also 
a  trustee.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
a  noble  grand  in  that  lodge,  at  Gray,  having  been  through  the  chairs  three 
different  times.  He  has  been  a  member  of  Utopia  Lodge,  No.  161,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  since  1887.  He  was  formerly  township 
trustee  of  Loncoln  township  for  ten  years,  and  also  served  for  a  time  as 
school  director.  Mr.  McLaughlin  considers  himself  a  progressive  Repub- 
lican, although  he  is  somewhat  independent  in  his  voting. 

Frank  R.  McLaughlin  is  not  only  a  skillful,  enterprising  and  highly 
successful  farmer,  but  he  is  also  a  man  who  takes  a  worthy  interest  in  pub- 
lic questions  and  praiseworthy  public  movements.  He  is  well  informed  and 
keeps  abreast  with  all  modern  political  and  civic  currents  and  movements. 
Mr.  McLaughlin  is  popular  in  the  community  where  he  lives. 


WILLIAM  C.  TIBBEN. 


A  native  of  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  an  enterprising  farmer  of 
Audubon  township,  where  he  owns  an  excellent  farm  of  two  hundred  acres, 
William  C.  Tibben  was  born  on  October  27,  1873,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Schwenneker)  Tibben,  who  were  natives  of  Friesland,  and  Hol- 
stein,  Germany,  respectively. 

Mr.  Tibben's  parents  came  to  the  United  States  when  young  people 
(49) 


n-jQ  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

and  were  married  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  where  they  lived  until 
1 88 1,  at  which  time  they  came  to  Audubon  county,  and  they  made  this 
county  their  home  until  their  death.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren, Henry,  Amos,  Anna,  John,  William  C,  Mrs.  Minnie  Carson,  and  Mrs. 

Emma  Porter. 

William  C.  Tibben  attended  school  until  about  fifteen  years  of  age  in 
Audubon  township,  during  which  time  he  lived  at  home  with  his  parents, 
assisting  with  the  farm  work  until  his  marriage,  at  which  time  he  rented  a 
farm  for  five  years.  Subsequently,  he  purchased  two  hundred  acres  of  land 
where  he  now  lives,  but  at  that  time  it  was  poorly  improved,  and  the  house, 
which  was  a  small  building,  fourteen  by  twenty-four  feet,  had  only  two 
rooms ;  the  barn,  however,  was  a  fairly  good  building.  Mr.  Tibben  has  since 
erected  a  large,  eight-room  house,  equipped  with  gas  lights,  furnace,  hot  and 
cold  water  and  other  conveniences  which  make  it  entirely  and  thoroughly 
modern.  At  the  time  this  house  was  erected  in  1902,  it  was  by  far  the  best 
house  in  the  community.  In  1909  Mr.  Tibben  built  a  large  barn  and  a  corn 
crib  with  a  capacity  of  five  thousand  bushels  of  ear  corn  and  shelled  grain. 
He  has  also  erected  a  substantial  machine  shed,  in  which  he  keeps  his  stock 
of  modern  machinery  with  which  his  farm  is  well  equipped. 

In  December,  1894,  Mr.  Tibben  was  married  in  Audubon  county  to 
Catherine  Bireline,  who  was  born  on  March  21,  1874,  in  Johnson  county, 
Iowa,  the  daughter  of  Fred  and  Julia  (Michels)  BireUne,  natives  of  Ger- 
many, who  came  to  the  United  States  before  their  marriage. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tibben  are  the  parents  of  six  children:  Clarence,  born 
on  September  27,  1895;  Charles,  October  2,  1897;  Walter,  March  21,  1902; 
Arthur,  November  10,  1906;  Harry,  August  4,  1909;  Johnnie,  June  23, 
1 91 3.     All  of  these  children  are  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  William  C.  Tibben  has  served  as  township 
trustee  of  Auduloon  township  for  two  years,  and  is  the  present  secretary 
of  the  local  school  board.  The  Tibben  family  are  members  of  St.  John's 
Lutheran  church. 

A  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser  who  feeds  several  hundred  head  of 
hogs  and  from  one  to  two  carloads  of  cattle  each  year  for  the  markets, 
William  Tibben  is  well  known  in  Audubon  township,  where  he  has  been 
successful  in  a  large  measure  in  his  chosen  vocation.  Mr.  Tibben  is  still  a 
comparatively  young  man,  but  so  diligently  and  wisely  has  he  applied  him- 
self to  the  business  of  farming  that  he  has  already  accumulated  a  substan- 
tial competence,  and  at  the  same  time  he  has  not  neglected  his  larger  duties, 
and  is  today  recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  the  community 
in  which  he  lives. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  77 1 

MATURON  D.  THOMAS. 

Maturon  D.  Thomas  is  a  well-known  farmer  of  Exira  township,  who 
owns  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-nine  acres  and  who  enjoys  the  dis- 
tinction of  having  been  born  on  the  same  place  where  he  now  lives.  Mr. 
Thomas  is  well  known,,  especially  for  the  reason  that  he  was  a  thresherman 
for  approximately  twenty  years  in  this  commnuity.  For  several  years  he  was 
also  the  street  commissioner  and  marshal  of  Exira  and  was  well  known  in 
connection  with  these  two  offices. 

Maturon  D.  Thomas  was  born  on  April  26,  1863.  He  is  the  son  of 
Isaac  and  Mary  (Hamlin)  Thomas.  Isaac  Thomas  was  a  native  of  Ohio 
and  his  wife  a  native  of  Mahaska  county.  Isaac  Thomas  grew  to  manhood 
and  during  the  early  part  of  his  life  worked  on  a  farm.  In  i860  he  came  to 
Audubon  county  and  began  working  for  Nathaniel  Hamlin  as  a  farm  hand. 
He  worked  in  this  capacity  for  about  ten  years  and  then  purchased  a  farm 
and  began  farming  for  himself.  He  owned  at  one  time  three  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  in  Audubon  county.  Later,  however,  he  moved  to  Colorado 
and  lived  there  until  his  death  in  1907.  He  was  married  on  March  24,  1861. 
His  wife  died  in  October,  1910.  They  had  eleven  children:  Lou  Ann, 
deceased;  Belle,  who  married  Samuel  Bloom;  Jacob,  who  hves  in  Montana; 
Nathaniel,  who  lives  in  Colorado;  Nannie,  deceased;  Rose,  who  is  the  wife 
of  Harvey  Huff;  Bessie,  who  married  Clarence  Greenfield;  Isaac,  deceased; 
Orel,  deceased;  John,  deceased,  and  Maturon,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Maturon  D.  Thomas  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
township  and  after  leaving  school,  he  farmed  with  his  father  until  he  was 
about  twenty-three  years  old.  At  this  time  he  was  married  and  began  farm- 
ing for  himself  by  renting  land  for  a  short  time.  After  this  he  purchased 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  was  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing until  about  1895,  when  he  moved  to  Exira  and  there  served  as  street 
commissioner  and  marshal  for  some  time.  In  the  meantime,  however,  he 
operated  a  threshing  machine  for  nine  years.  After  serving  for  some  time 
as  street  commissioner  and  marshal  of  Exira,  he  returned  to  the  farm  and 
has  been  living  on  the  farm  since  that  time.  Altogether  he  threshed  grain 
for  twenty  years.  He  raises  about  eighty  acres  of  corn  and  sixty  acres  of 
small  grain.  Mr.  Thomas  feeds  about  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  each  year 
and  has  been  very  successful  with  mixed  farming  and  stock  raising. 

Maturon  D.  Thomas  was  married  on  February  25,  1886,  to  Lucy  Davis, 
the  daughter  of  W.  E.   Davis.     Two  children  were  born  to  this  marriage, 


772  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Guy  and  Florence.  Guy  married  Lottie  Florence  Hinchman  and  has  one 
daughter,  Violet.  Florence  married  George  Schlater  and  has  one  child. 
Mrs.  Thomas  died  on  April  25,  1893,  and  after  her  death,  Mr.  Thomas  was 
married  on  June  24,  1912,  to  Lavina  Tyler,  the  daughter  of  O.  P.  Tyler. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  are  members  of  the  Christian  church  in  which  Mr. 
Thomas  formerly  served  as  a  deacon.  He  is  now  a  trustee  of  this  church. 
Mr.  Thomas  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  American  Modern  Reserve.     He  is  a  Republican. 


ROBERT  F.  AIKMAN. 


To  the  honest,  hard-working,  law-abiding  citizen,  there  is  bound  to 
come  the  inevitable  success  which  goes  hand  in  hand  with  such  a  character, 
and  no  man  has  been  more  plentifully  provided  with  these  qualities  than 
Robert  F.  Aikman,  an  outline  of  whose  history  is  here  briefly  given.  Being 
especially  interested  in  agriculture  and  all  that  pertains  to  it,  the  task,  if  it 
might  be  called  such,  of  writing  a  biographical  sketch  of  a  man  who  has 
been  wise  enough  to  live  so  near  to  nature,  gives  an  unusual  amount  of 
pleasure,  especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  desired  results  are  not  ac- 
complished without  a  full  share  of  discouraging  obstacles. 

Robert  F.  Aikman,  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  of  Lincoln  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Iowa,  March  29,  1866,  the  son  of  R.  D. 
and  Sarah  Aikman.  He  attended  the  public  schools  in  the  county,  quitting 
school  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  to  go  to  work  for  his  father  on  the 
farm,  and  remained  with  him  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old.  He  then 
rented  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  from  his  father  for  three  or  four  years,  when 
he  gave  this  up  and  moved  to  Audubon  county.  When  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  his  father  gave  him  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  and  Mr.  Aikman 
has  invested  about  five  thousand  dollars  in  improvements  on  his  farm.  His 
principal  crop  is  grain,  all  of  which  he  feeds  to  the  stock  on  his  place.  He 
devotes  his  attention  principally  to  thoroughbred  Duroc  hogs,  of  which  he 
sells  about  two  carloads  annually,  netting  him  about  one  thousand  five  hun- 
dred dollars.  In  1914.  he  built  a  fine  barn  thirty-four  by  forty-si^;,  which 
holds  sixty  tons  of  hay. 

R.  D.  Aikman,  father  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
his  wife  is  a  native  of  Canada.  They  were  united  in  marriage  in  Clinton 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  owned  and  cultivated  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  773 

sixty  acres.  After  a  time,  he  moved  from  this  place  to  IlHnois,  about  the 
year  1866,  remaining  there  some  twenty  or  twenty-one  years.  He  bought 
four  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Whiteside  county,  TlHnois,  which  he  later 
sold  and  moved  back  to  Iowa,  where  he  bought  two  hundred  acres  in  Audu- 
bon, where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  They  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  as  follow :  James,  Almeda,  A.  F.,  Nettie,  Josephine,  Irena, 
and  Robert  F. 

Robert  F.  Aikman  was  married  in  1897  to  Jennie  Andre,  daughter  of 
Harvey  and  Mary  E.  Andre,  of  Crawford  county.  They  are  the  parents  of 
the  following  children :  Vera,  Floyd,  Olive,  Donald  and  Myron,  all  of 
whom  are  still  at  home. 

In  religion,  Mr.  Aikman's  views  are  of  the  Methodist  belief,  and  he  is 
a  regular  attendant  of  that  church  at  Gray.  Politically,  he  votes  the  Repub- 
lican ticket. 


WORTH  J.  HARTZELL. 

An  an  example  of  industry  and  perseverance  in  the  face  of  apparently 
adverse  circumstances  and  of  the  ability  to  rise  superior  to  whatever  adver- 
sity may  lie  in  wait,  the  following  interesting  biography  of  one  of  the  lead- 
ing farmers  of  Greeley  township,  this  county,  will  prove  of  value  to  the 
thoughtful  reader. 

Worth  J.  Hartzell  was  born  in  Hermitage,  Missouri,  July  23,  1871, 
the  son  of  Seth  and  Julia  (Blair)  Hartzell,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
Missouri.  The  Blairs  were  ardent  adherents  of  the  Union  cause  during  the 
Civil  War,  their  course  being  so  obnoxious  to  their  neighbors,  the  greater 
part  of  whom  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy,  that  they  found  it 
necessary  to  leave  their  home  in  Missouri  and  come  north.  Seth  Hartzell 
and  his  wife  came  to  Audubon  county  in  the  year  1876  and  remained  here 
one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  they  went  back  to  Atlantic,  in  Cass  county, 
Iowa,  where  they  had  settled  after  their  flight  from  the  south,  but  a  year 
later  returned  to  Audubon  county,  remaining  here  until  about  19 12,  when 
they  went  to  California,  where  they  now  are  living.  They  were  the  parents 
of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  are  now  Hving,  Worth  J.  being  the  eldest. 

Worth  J.  Hartzell  remained  on  the  paternal  farm  until  his  marriage  at 
the  age  of  twenty-four.  Though  he  started  with  nothing  but  a  stout  heart 
and  a  team  of  oxen  when  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  Mr.  Hartzell's  father 
had  acquired  about  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Greeley  township  by  the 


774  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

time  his  eldest  son  was  married  and  Worth  J.  began  by  renting  from  his 
father  a  portion  of  this  farm.  Apparent  "bad  luck"  followed  his  tenant- 
farming  venture,  however,  and  after  the  first  year  Worth  J.  found  it  neces- 
sary to  give  up  farming  for  the  time.  He  built  a  small  house  on  a  wagon 
and  for  a  year  he  and  his  wife  lived  in  this  movable  home,  going  from  place 
to  place  as  opportunity  seemed  most  propitious.  He  finally  felt  himself 
financially  able  to  take  up  farming  again  and  once  more  entered  upon  the 
business  of  tenant  farming,  during  this  time  making  several  moves,  a  part 
of  the  time  being  spent  in  South  Dakota.  In  1900  Mr.  Hartzell  returned 
to  his  father's  home  and  lived  there,  assisting  in  the  work  of  the  farm  until 
1908,  in  which  }ear  he  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in 
sections  15  and  22  of  Greeley  township.  In  1909  he  added  to  this  farm 
another  forty  in  section  15  and  in  191 1  bought  an  additional  tract  of  eighty 
acres  in  the  same  section,  this  giving  him  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  one  of  the  most  thoroughly-equipped  places  in  the  township.  When 
Mr.  Hartzell  bought  his  farm  there  were  some  improvements  on  the  same 
in  the  way  of  buildings,  but  these  he  has  completely  supplanted  by  new  and 
modern  buildings,  his  house  being  one  of  the  most  complete  and  modern  in 
that  part  of  the  county,  being  equipped  with  gas  lights,  furnace,  bath,  water- 
works and  all  the  conveniences  that  are  required  to  add  to  the  comfort  of 
a  modern  home.  His  farm  buildings  are  constructed  on  a  similar  scale, 
being  designed  for  the  utmost  convenience  and  efficiency,  his  stock  barns 
and  pens  being  unusually  complete.  He  annually  feeds  about  one  hundred 
head  of  cattle  and  two  hundred  head  of  hogs  and  has  found  this  a  very 
profitable  phase  of  farming.  He  has  about  five  miles  of  hog-tight  fence  on 
his  place. 

On  March  10,  1895,  Worth  J.  Hartzell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
E.  Jaynes,  of  this  county,  who  was  born  on  April  29,  1877,  the  daughter  of 
Edward  P.  and  Veluma  (Patterson)  Jaynes,  natives,  respectively,  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  Iowa.  Edward  Jaynes  came  to  Iowa  when  a  boy  of  sixteen 
and  at  nineteen  years  of  age  enhsted  in  a  company  of  infantry  which  was 
being  recruited  in  Washington  county  for  service  in  the  Union's  cause  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War.  He  was  wounded  in  service  and  was  discharged  and 
sent  home,  but  immediately  following  his  recovery  enlisted  again  and  was 
in  the  service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  a  period  of  three  years  of  active 
service  in  all. 

To  Worth  J.  and  Mary  E.  (Jaynes)  Hartzell  five  children  have  been 
born,  Wayne  V.,  Wylie  W.,  Donald  J.,  Charles  L.  and  Clarice  E.  Mrs. 
Hartzell  is  an  earnest  member  of  the  Greeley  Center  Methodist  church  and 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  775 

is  rearing  her  children  to  the  faith  of  that  church.  Mr.  Hartzell's  parents 
were  among  the  founders  of  this  church.  Mr.  Hartzell  is  an  ardent  RepubH- 
can,  as  was  his  father,  and  is  keenly  interested  in  local  political  affairs.  He 
served  his  township  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  term  of  two  years  and  is 
now  the  treasurer  of  the  school  board.  He  is  public  spirited  and  enterpris- 
ing and  is  a  strong  force  for  good  in  his  community,  where  he  and  his  wife 
are  held  in  the  highest  regard,  being  looked  upon  as  among  the  leaders  in 
all   good   works   thereabout. 


N.  P.  CLEMSEN. 


An  industrious  and  enterprising  farmer  of  Oakfield  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  who  has  made  commendable  progress  as  a  farmer  since  com- 
ing to  America  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  is  N.  P.  Clemsen,  who  was  born  on 
July  28,  1871,  in  Jylland,  Denmark,  and  who  is  a  son  of  Nels  A.  and  Anna 
C.  Clemsen.  His  parents  were  farmers  in  their  native  land,  although  the 
father  was  a  sailor  for  several  years,  and  also  served  as  a  soldier  in  the 
Danish-Prussian  War  of  1864.  The  only  members  of  the  Clemsen  family 
who  have  ever  come  to  America,  are  N.  P.  and  Andrew,  of  Sharon  town- 
ship in  this  county. 

N.  P.  Clemsen,  after  having  received  a  fair  education  in  his  native  land, 
worked  at  farm  work  after  leaving  school  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
eighteen  years,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States,  and,  after  landing  at 
New  York  city,  came  on  directly  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa.  Here  he 
obtained  employment  on  farms,  and  after  continuing  in  this  line  for  four 
years,  rented  land  in  Sharon  township  for  two  years.  After  his  marriage 
Mr.  Clemsen  removed  to  Texas,  where  his  father-in-law  had  given  him  a 
tract  of  land.  After  living  four  years  in  Texas,  he  returned  to  Audubon 
county  and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  17,  Hamlin  township, 
but  he  owned  this  farm  only  one  year,  when  he  traded  it  off  and  acquired 
eighty  acres,  where  he  now  lives  in  section  10,  of  Oakfield  township.  Mr. 
Clemsen  has  built  a  house,  barn  and  other  outbuildings  since  he  acquired  this 
farm,  and  has  planted  many  trees.  Most  of  his  fences  are  made  of  woven 
wire,  and  altogether  his  farm  has  been  improved  and  developed,  until  it  is 
one  of  the  best  in  the  township.  In  the  meantime,  he  has  purchased  eighty 
acres  more  land  and  rents  forty  acres  in  addition  to  that  which  he  owns, 
farming  in  all  two  hundred  acres. 

On  October  3,   1893,  Mr.  Clemsen  was  married  in  Audubon  county  to 


776  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Nena  Esbeck,  who  was  born  on  January  29,  1874,  in  Guthrie  county,  Iowa, 
and  who  is  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Christina  (Christensen)  Esbeck, 
natives  of  Jylland,  Denmark,  who  came  to  the  United  States  soon  after  their 
marriage  and  who  were  among  the  very  early  settlers  of  Oakfield  township. 
Their  farm  which  was  about  seven  miles  west  of  Exira,  was  a  lonely  spot 
on  the  prairie  at  the  time  they  moved  there,  as  there  were  no  other  houses 
between  their  farm  and  Exira.  Mr.  Esbeck  paid  five  dollars  an  acre  for  his 
first  land.  He  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Elkhorn  Danish  Luth- 
eran church,  and  Mrs.  Clemsen  attended  school  in  one  of  the  private  homes 
of  the  neighborhood  for  a  year  or  two  before  a  school  house  was  built  near 
her  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  P.  Clemsen  are  the  parents  of  seven  children :  Arthur 
H.,  born  on  June  15,  1895;  Mabel  A.,  March  20,  1898;  Anna  C,  May  2, 
1900;  Henry,  December  i,  1902;  Bula  A.,  August  30,  1906;  Ethel  M., 
September  13,  1909;  Christena  C,  November  8,  1912.  All  of  these  chil- 
dren are  unmarried  and  are  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clemsen  and  family  are  all  faithful  and  earnest  members 
of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  at  Elkhorn.  A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr. 
Clemsen  has  held  only  minor  offices  in  Oakfield  township.  Having  com- 
bined general  farming  and  stock  raising  and  by  the  profits  from  the  dairy 
products  of  from  six  to  fifteen  cows  annually,  Mr.  Clemsen  has  been  enabled 
to  realize  most  satisfactory  results  from  his  farm.  He  is  progressive,  broad- 
minded  and  industrious;  a  man  who  is  well  known  in  this  community,  and 
who  has  a  host  of  friends  in  the  township.  The  sterling  reputation  which 
he  enjoys  in  Oakfield  township  is  not  a  matter  of  accident,  but  is  founded 
upon  very  proper  relations  with  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens. 


JOHN  J.  OUINBY. 


The  kindly  nature  and  affaljle  manner  of  John  J.  Quinby  have  endeared 
him  to  a  large  circle  of  friends  in  Clinton  county;  and  he  is  especially  well 
known  and  esteemed  in  the  vicinity  of  Ross,  where  he  was  postmaster  for 
fourteen  years. 

John  J.  Quinby  was  born  on  February  10,  1849,  in  Chappaqua,  West- 
chester county.  New  York.  His  quiet  habits  may  be  traced  to  his  ancestry, 
for  on  both  sides  of  the  family  his  parents  came  from  Quaker  stock.  He 
was  the  son  of  Underbill  and  Ann  Loretta   (Van  Vorin)   Quinby,  both  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  "J^J 

New  York  state,  where  they  grew  up  and  married.  When  John  was  a  baby 
of  eight  days,  his  mother  passed  away,  and  in  i860,  when  the  boy  had 
reached  the  age  of  ten,  his  father  too  was  taken,  and  he  went  to  the  home 
of  a  widow,  a  Mrs.  Sorrels.  The  father,  who  had  been  a  farmer,  was  mar- 
ried three  times,  his  second  wife  was  Sarah  Barmor,  also  of  New  York 
state.  By  the  first  marriage,  there  were  four  children:  Etta,  who  after- 
wards became  Mrs.  Abram  Buddell,  of  New  York;  Jennie  Adams,  also  of 
New  York  state;  John  J.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  another  child, 
the  eldest,  who  died  while  young. 

Early  left  an  orphan,  whatever  of  achievement  and  success  has  come  to 
Mr.  Ouinby,  came  largely  through  his  own  efforts.  Limited  in  his  oppor- 
tunities to  obtain  an  education,  he  nevertheless  made  use  of  the  material  he 
had,  and  developed  a  character  which  has  made  him  the  respected  citizen 
of  a  large  community. 

John  J.  Ouinby  obtained  what  education  he  could  in  the  local  country 
schools,  meantime  working  on  a  farm.  When  he  was  eighteen  years  old 
he  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  the  next  two  years. 
Returning  to  his  native  state  he  became  a  brakeman  on  the  New  York  & 
Harlem  railroad,  a  position  he  held  for  two  and  one-half  years.  Later, 
going  to  New  York  City,  he  drove  a  milk  wagon  for  the  same  period  of 
time.  Becoming  tired  of  the  city,  his  fondness  for  the  country  returned, 
and  for  the  next  five  years,  he  worked  on  a  farm  in  Putnam  county,  Illinois, 
and  later  at  Stuart,  Iowa. 

John  J.  Ouinby  was  united  in  marriage  to  Etta  Smith,  of  Illinois. 
After  their  marriage  they  returned  to  Mr.  Quinby's  home  in  New  York 
state,  where  they  lived  for  a  year  and  one-half.  Returning  to  Stewart, 
Iowa,  he  again  engaged  in  farm  work,  remaining  there  for  two  and  one- 
half  years.  Later  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quinby  removed  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa, 
first  locating  on  Gray's  ranch,  and  later  one  mile  west  of  Ross,  where  they 
resided  for  four  years.  For  over  twenty  years,  Mr.  Quinby  was  a  grain 
dealer,  and  for  ten  years  was  proprietor  and  manager  of  a  store,  and  for 
fourteen  years  he  was  postmaster  of  Ross. 

Mr.  Quinby  has  always  been  a  stanch  Republican.  For  the  past  twenty- 
two  years  he  has  been  a  Mason,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  blue  lodge  at 
Audubon.     He  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quinby  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Nellie,  Albert 
and  Jeston  J.  Nellie,  born  on  September  16,  1874,  married  John  Ruther- 
ford of  Dolliver,  Iowa,  and  to  them  were  born  six  children :  Merrill,  born 
in  1898;  Edna,  1900;  Luvile,  1901 ;  Mary,  1902;  Jack,   1908,  and  Emmett, 


yy^  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

1909.  Albert,  born  on  September  16,  1876,  married  Laura  Larsen,  and 
their  home  is  seven  miles  east  of  Audubon.  They  also  have  six  children: 
Mildred,  born  in  1902;  Edith,  1905;  Irene,  1907;  Doratha,  1909;  John, 
1907;  and  George,  191 1.  Jeston  J.  married  Gusta  Claughby  and  lives  in 
Des  Moines,  Iowa. 

A  man  who  can  hold  public  office  for  fourteen  years  must  obviously 
be  a  man  worthy  of  a  public  trust,  and  of  the  confidence  of  the  people.  This 
may  truthfully  be  said  of  John  Ouinby.  Air.  Quinby  had  much  to  do  with 
building  up  the  commercial  interests  of  the  town  in  which  he  lived,  and  his 
genial  nature  and  fondness  for  people  has,  with  the  co-operation  of  his  wife, 
made  their  home  a  pleasant  part  of  the  social  life  of  their  home  town.  In 
April,  191 5,  Mr.  Quinby  moved  to  Audubon,  where  he  is  now  living  retired. 


OSCAR  MILLER. 


Among  the  enterprising  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Greeley  township, 
this  county,  few  are  better  known  than  the  gentleman  whose  name  the  reader 
notes  above,  and  a  brief  biography  covering  the  salient  points  in  his  life  will 
be  interesting  to  his  many  friends  in  this  county. 

Oscar  Miller  was  born  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  March  2,  1874,  the  son 
of  John  and  Susan  (Lippy)  Miller,  both  natives  of  York  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, of  German  descent,  who  came  to  Iowa  after  their  marriage  in  the 
east  and  settled  in  Johnson  county,  where  they  lived  until  1882.  in  which 
year  they  moved  to  Audubon  county,  living  here  for  some  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  they  moved  to  Adair  county,  w^here  they  died  some  years 
later.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  five  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters :  Calvin,  who  lives  at  Friend,  Nebraska ;  Oliver,  who  lives  in  Adair 
county,  Iowa;  Emory,  who  lives  in  Roger  Mills  county,  Oklahoma;  Lloyd, 
who  lives  at  Lane,  South  Dakota;  Oscar,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs. 
Mary  Coglin,  of  Exira;  Mrs.  Anna  Picking,  of  Hamlin;  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Purdy,  who  died  in  Adair  county;  and  Estella,  who  also  died  in  Adair 
county. 

Oscar  Miller  received  l^ut  a  limited  education  in  his  youth  and  remained 
at  home  until  his  marriage  in  1899,  i"  which  year  he  bought  his  present 
farm  in  Greeley  township,  this  county,  where  he  since  has  made  his  home. 
This  farm  consists  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  on  this  Mr.  Miller 
carries  on  a  general  system  of  farming  and  engages  quite  profitably  in  stock 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  779 

raising.  He  has  brought  his  farm  to  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation  and 
is  regarded  as  being  quite  well  circumstanced. 

On  February  15,  1899,  i*^  Greeley  township,  Oscar  Aliller  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Low  M.  Hays,  who  was  born  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illi- 
nois, December  30,  1876,  the  daughter  of  Frew  and  Louisa  M.  (Reed) 
Hays.  A  genealogy  of  the  Hays  family  is  presented  in  the  biographical 
sketch  of  Frew  Hays,  of  this  county,  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

To  Oscar  and  Low  M.  (Hays)  Miller  have  been  born  three  children, 
all  daughters:  Olive,  born  on  ]\Iarch  4,  1901  ;  Winnie,  June  21,  1902;  and 
Iva,  April  4,  1906,  charming  little  girls,  a  continual  source  of  sunshine  in 
the  happy  home  of  their  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  ]\Iiller  are  supporters  of  the  Baptist  church,  of  which 
Mrs.  Miller  is  a  member,  and  they  are  actively  interested  in  all  the  good 
works  of  their  community.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Democrat  and  though  taking 
an  active  interest  in  local  political  affairs  never  has  sought  office,  being  con- 
tent to  give  the  best  of  his  time  and  his  energies  to  his  home  and  his  farm. 
He  and  Mrs.  Miller  are  popular  in  the  social  circle  in  which  they  move  and 
have  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  their  neighbors. 


EDWARD  FRICK. 


While  success  cannot  be  achieved  without  unflagging  industry,  the 
futility  of  effort  is  often  noticeable  in  the  business  world  and  results  from 
the  fact  that  it  is  not  combined  with  sound  judgment.  ]\Iany  a  man  who 
gives  his  entire  life  to  toil,  earnest  and  unremitting,  never  acquires  a  compe- 
tence, but  when  his  labor  is  well  directed,  prosperity  usually  follows.  Ed- 
ward Frick  is  one  whose  work  has  been  supplemented  by  careful  manage- 
ment and  today  he  is  numbered  among  the  successful  business  men  of  x\udu- 
bon  county. 

Edward  Frick  was  born  on  August  15,  1852,  at  Freeport,  Illinois,  the 
son  of  Louis  and  Eliza  (Duensing)  Frick.  Louis  Frick  was  a  native  of 
Germany,  and  his  wife  was  also  a  native  of  the  Fatherland.  They  were 
married  in  Germany  and  came  to  America  from  their  native  land,  subse- 
quently settling  in  Illinois.  Louis  Frick  was  killed  in  an  accident  with  a 
team  of  horses  when  his  son,  Edward,  was  only  seven  years  of  age.  Mr. 
Frick  was  with  his  father  at  the  time  of  the  accident,  but  escaped  unharmed. 
Louis  Frick  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  Caroline,  Edward, 
Mary,  Josephine  and  Henry,  the  last  two  named  being  now  deceased. 


780  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

Edward  Frick  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  lUinois.  For  a 
time  he  worked  in  a  molasses  factory  for  twenty-five  cents  a  day,  and  was 
compelled  to  take  his  pay  in  molasses.  At  this  time  he  was  about  eight  or 
nine  years  of  age.  Subsequently  he  began  work  on  the  Rock  Island  railroad 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  years,  first  as  a  brakeman,  being  afterwards  promoted 
to  the  position  of  freight  conductor  before  he  was  nineteen  years  old,  then 
later  advanced  to  passenger  conductor,  and  was  engaged  in  this  work  con- 
tinuously for  thirty  years.  In  the  meantime,  during  1879,  he  purchased  land 
in  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  at  five  and  six  dollars  an  acre.  At  one  time  he 
owned  four  hundred  and  eighty-seven  acres  of  land,  all  of  which  was  situ- 
ated in  Audubon  county.  At  the  time  of  his  first  dealings  in  land  he  had 
only  about  thirty  dollars  cash  to  pay  down  on  the  property.  As  a  passenger 
conductor  he  ran  out  of  Chicago  to  West  Liberty,  Iowa,  for  a  number  of 
years.  Mr.  Frick  was  requested  to  go  West  by  the  railroad  officials,  and 
ran  a  passenger  train  out  of  Denver,  Colorado.  He  spent  the  last  fifteen 
years  of  his  railroading  life  traveling  out  of  Denver  and  Colorado  Springs. 

Edward  Frick  was  married  on  July  30,  1876,  to  Henrietta  Marquardt, 
who  was  born  on  October  13,  1854,  in  Michigan  City,  Indiana,  and  who  was 
a  daughter  of  Julius  and  Ernestine  Carolina  (Wiese)  Marquardt,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Germany.  Julius  Marquardt  was  a  baker  in  his  native 
land,  and  after  coming  to  America  he  and  his  family  located  in  Indiana. 
Mrs.  Frick's  father  died  when  she  was  only  two  years  old,  and  her  mother 
died  when  she  was  nine  years  old.  They  were  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran  church. 

Edward  Frick  and  wife  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  Edward  Louis, 
Daisy  Adelaide,  Branch  Railey  and  Myrtle  Marquardt.  Edward  is  located 
in  Honolulu,  where  he  operates  a  "kodograph"  shop,  and  sells  curios  gath- 
ered from  the  islands.  He  also  carries  a  line  of  kodaks.  Branch  Railey  is 
a  druggist  at  Vale,  Oregon.  Myrtle  is  the  wife  of  Dr.  R.  F.  Childs,  of 
Audubon.  Daisy  A.  Frick  was  educated  in  the  Minnesota  Institute  of  Phar- 
macy, at  Minneapolis,  and  also  graduated  from  the  East  Denver  high  school. 
She  is  the  proprietor  and  manager  of  the  Frick  Drug  Company,  of  Audu- 
bon, Iowa,  operating  the  "Rexall"  store,  which  is  the  leading  drug  store  in 
the  city  of  Audubon.  Miss  Frick  is  well  qualified  as  a  business  woman,  and 
in  her  capacity  as  manager  of  this  store  has  built  up  a  large  and  lucrative 
business.  She  is  also  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land 
in  Dickinson  county,  Iowa,  and  has  a  handsome  cottage  at  Des  Moines 
Beach,  Lake  Okoboji,  Iowa. 

Edward  Frick  is  a  Republican,  but  although  keenly  interested  in  poli- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  78 1 

tics  and  all  public  measures  he  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  public  office 
and  has  never  held  office.  He  is  a  man  who  is  well  known  in  this  section  of 
Audubon  county,  and  is  now  making  his  home  in  Audubon.  Although  his 
land  interests,  four  hundred  and  seventy-one  acres,  are  in  Dickinson  county, 
Iowa.  He  is  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  of  upright  moral  principles,  and 
worthy  the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  fellow  men. 


ANDREW  F.  ANDERSON. 

There  are  individuals  in  nearly  every  community,  who,  by  reason  of 
pronounced  ability  and  force  of  character,  rise  above  the  heads  of  the 
masses  and  command  the  esteem  of  their  fellow  citizens.  Characterized 
by  perseverance  and  a  directing  spirit  to  virtues  that  never  fail,  such  men 
always  make  their  presence  felt  and  the  vigor  of  their  strong  personalities 
serves  as  an  incentive  to  the  young  and  rising  generation.  To  this  energetic 
and  enterprising  class,  Andrew  F.  Anderson,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Exira 
township,  very  properly  belongs.  Mr.  Anderson  has  devoted  his  life  to  the 
industries  at  home  and  has  succeeded  remarkably  well. 

Andrew  F.  Anderson,  the  proprietor  of  eight  hundred  and  forty  acres 
in  Exira  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  in  Benton  township,  Cass 
county,  was  born  in  October  ii,  1859,  in  Denmark.  He  is  the  son  of 
Anders  G.  and  Mary  (Storenson)  Anderson,  both  natives  of  Denmark.  The 
former  was  a  farmer  and  farmed  there  until  he  came  to  iVmerica  in  186S 
and  located  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  north  of  Walnut.  Here  he  bought 
forty  acres  of  land  and  farmed  in  that  county  all  of  his  life.  He  did  gen- 
eral farming  and  before  his  death  had  increased  his  holdings  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres.  He  was  born  in  1834,  and  died  in  1912.  He  served  in 
the  Danish-Prussian  War  of  1864. 

Anders  G.  and  Mary  Anderson  were  the  parents  of  fourteen  children, 
nine  of  whom  are  now  living,  Andrew,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Anna, 
Nels.  Marten,  Peter,  Mary,  John,  Ida  and  Henry. 

Andrew  F.  Anderson  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Shelby 
county,  Iowa,  and  after  leaving  school,  took  up  farming  and  worked  as  a 
farm  hand  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age.  He  then  located  at  Atlan- 
tic, Iowa,  where  he  worked  as  a  drayman.  He  was  also  engaged  in  the  oil 
business  until  1900,  when  he  moved  to  the  place  upon  which  he  is  now  living. 

When  Mr.  Anderson  was  twenty  years  old,  he  purchased  eighty  acres 


782  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

of  land  in  Shelby  county  and  increased  his  holdings  to  eight  hundred  and 
forty  acres.  Upon  this  farm  he  put  five  thousand  dollars  worth  of  improve- 
ments. He  raises  a  great  many  hogs  and  cattle  but  rents  out  most  of  his 
land. 

Andrew  F.  Anderson  was  married  on  March  27,  1883,  to  Osilla  Krin- 
gel,  the  daughter  of  Soren  and  Mary  Ann  Kringel.  Five  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  Arthur,  Vera,  Edith,  Max  and  Raymond.  Arthur  mar- 
ried Mildred  Bartlett  and  has  three  children,  Isetta,  Donald  and  Ronald. 
Vera  married  A.  G.  Colbin  and  has  one  daughter,  Vera  Aileen.  Edith,  Max 
and  Raymond  are  at  home.  Mrs.  Anderson  was  born  in  Denmark  and  her 
parents  were  also  natives  of  that  country.  Her  father  was  a  farmer  in  Den- 
mark and  farmed  there  until  he  came  to  this  country.  They  located  in 
Shelby  county,  Iowa,  where  her  father  bought  a  farm  and  farmed  until 
1892,  when  he  moved  to  Atlantic,  Iowa.  He  lived  there  until  his  death, 
February  i,  1909.  He  was  born  on  May  19,  1820,  and  his  wife  was  born 
in  1828.  They  had  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  living,  Lars,  Charles, 
Andrew,  Osilla,  Mary,  Christian,  Fred  and  Marten. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  and  family  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 
Mr.  Anderson  is  a  trustee  of  this  church  and  has  been  for  many  years.  Dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Atlantic,  he  served  as  councilman  of  that  city.  Mr. 
Anderson  is  what  might  be  called  a  Republican  with  prohibition  views.  He 
is  a  decided  temperance  man  and  uses  his  influence  and  his  vote  to  fight  the 
liquor  traffic  wherever  he  can.  He  deserves  to  rank  as  a  representative 
citizen  of  Audubon  county.  Andrew  F.  Anderson  possesses  the  entire  con- 
fidence of  the  people  with  whom  he  has  come  into  contact. 


WILLIAM  SHERMAN  ROBERTS. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  from  the  beginning  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  a  community,  to  note  the  lines  along  which  progress  has  been 
made  and  to  take  cognizance  of  those  whose  industry  and  leadership  in  the 
work  of  advancement  have  rendered  possible  the  prosperity  of  the  locality 
under  consideration.  William  Sherman  Roberts  is  one  of  the  sturdy  indi- 
viduals who  has  contributed  to  the  material  welfare  of  Audubon,  where  he 
resides.  He  is  an  up-to-date  business  man,  public  spirited  as  a  citizen  and 
progressive  in  all  that  the  term  implies. 

William  Sherman  Roberts,  the  operator  of  a  popular  dray  line  in  Audu- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  783 

bon,  and  a  city  councilman  of  Audubon,  was  born  on  September  19,  1865, 
on  a  farm  in  Illinois.  He  is  the  son  of  Oliver  Hazard  Perry  Roberts,  who 
was  born  in  1829,  and  who  died  in  August,  1904.  Oliver  Hazard  Perry 
Roberts  married  Martha  Woodburn  ]\Iiller,  who  was  born  in  1838,  and 
who  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  She  is  now  living  in  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia. Her  husband,  Oliver  Hazard  Perry  Roberts,  was  a  native  of 
Indiana. 

In  1866  Oliver  Hazard  Perry  Roberts  and  his  wife,  Martha  Wood- 
burn  (Miller)  Roberts,  came  to  Audubon  county.  They  lived  in  Exira  for 
one  year  and  then  moved  to  a  farm  in  Leroy  township.  The  farm  was  com- 
posed of  wild  land  and  was  wholly  unimproved.  Mr.  Roberts  erected  a 
frame  building.  He  cut  timber  out  of  a  grove,  hauled  it  to  Exira  and  had 
it  sawed  into  boards  and  hauled  the  lumber  back  again  to  the  farm.  They 
lived  on  this  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  until  his  death.  The  orig- 
inal farm  of  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres  is  still  owned  by  the  family. 
Oliver  Hazard  Perry  Roberts  was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  Leroy  town- 
ship and  also  in  county  affairs.  He  was  road  supervisor  of  the  north  half 
of  Audubon  county  and  laid  out  the  roads  in  conjunction  with  the  survey- 
ors. Martha  Woodburn  Miller  was  the  daughter  of  Robert  Miller,  who 
was  an  early  settler  in  Audubon  county. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O.  H.  P.  Roberts  seven  children  were  born,  namely: 
William  S.,  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Hubert  Merill  lives  in  Los  i\nge- 
Ics ;  Robert  E.  lives  in  California;  Ida  is  the  deceased  wife  of  John  Ruhs ; 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Bates  lives  at  Venice,  California;  Louis  Woodburn  lives  in 
Los  Angeles ;  and  Oscar  Perry  also  lives  in  Los  Angeles. 

William  Sherman  Roberts  received  a  good  common-school  education. 
He  attended  school  only  three  months  each  year  and  during  this  period 
worked  on  his  father's  farm.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  began 
farming  for  himself.  Later  he  purchased  eighty  acres,  adjoining  the  John 
Greeley  farm,  on  which  he  lived  for  three  years.  In  December,  1894,  he 
moved  to  Audubon.  He  bought  out  a  drayage  business  and  operated  it 
until  1908,  when  he  went  to  Omaha  and  worked  as  a  street-car  conductor 
for  sixteen  months.  He  then  returned  and  bought  back  his  dray  business 
again.     He  operates  three  teams  which  are  driven  by  his  three  sons. 

William  Sherman  Roberts  was  married  on  November  14,  1886,  to 
Isabel  Shoup,  v;ho  was  born  in  Illinois,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Nancy  Shoup,  former  residents  of  Audubon  county.  Samuel  Shoup 
lives  in  Colorado.  His  wife  is  deceased.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Sher- 
man Roberts  the  following  children  have  been  born :     Samuel  Perry ;  Mrs. 


784  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Iva  May  Martin,  who  lives  at  Mason  City;  Mrs.  Cora  E.  Davis,  who  Hves 
in  Los  Angeles;  Mrs.  Frances  Katsontonefiir,  of  Lincoln,  Nebraska;  and 
Alvin.  Jesse,  Glen,  Lillian,  Bonnie,  Vernon,  Louis,  Edward  and  Martha, 
all  of  whom  live  at  home. 

In  politics  Mr.  Roberts  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party.  Through- 
out his  life  he  has  been  prominent  locally  in  the  affairs  of  the  Democratic 
party.  He  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of  the  Audubon  city  council.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Roberts  and  family  are  members  of  the  Christian  church.  Mr. 
Roberts  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  of  which  he  is 
manager.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  of  Avhich  last  order  he  is  the  clerk. 


HON.  OLE  H.  JACOBSON. 

Hon.  Ole  H.  Jacobson,  farmer  and  stockman  in  Sharon  township, 
and  manufacturer  of  brick,  tile  and  hollow-ware  at  Kimballton,  Iowa,  is  one 
of  the  best-known  citizens  of  Audubon  county.  Although  entitled  to  rank 
as  a  self-made  man,  he  received  a  splendid  education  which  he  has  been 
able  to  turn  to  good  account  as  a  member  of  the  Iowa  General  Assembly, 
where  for  two  sessions  he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  prominent 
leaders.  Perhaps  the  greatest  single  tribute  to  his  service  in  this  legislative 
assembly  was  the  act,  of  which  he  was  the  author,  to  abolish  contract  labor 
in  this  state.  It  is  a  tribute  to  his  energy  and  to  his  leadership  that  his  fight 
in  behalf  of  the  measure  was  crowned  with  success,  and  that  today  in  the 
state  of  Iowa  contract  labor  is  illegal.  For  nearly  a  generation  this  sub- 
ject has  been  uppermost  in  the  legislative  sessions  of  most  of  the  states, 
and  though  it  has  been  abolished  in  some  states,  the  fact  that  it  obtains  in 
others  is  a  striking  evidence  of  the  power  necessary  to  overcome  the  system 
by  which  prison-made  goods  are  thrown  into  a  free  market  in  competition 
with  the  products  of  free  lal^or.  Air.  Jacobson  had  a  hard  fight  to  bring 
this  measure  to  a  successful  issue  and  is  entitled  to  the  credit  for  its 
passage. 

Ole  H.  Jacobson,  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Sharon  township,  and  a  well-known  farmer  and  manufacturer  of 
this  county,  was  born  on  December  4,  1866,  in  Denmark.  His  parents,  Ole 
H.,  Sr.,  and  Sophia  (Petersen)  Jacobson,  owned  a  small  tract  of  land  in 
Denmark,  where  they  were  farmers,  which  was  sold  when  the  familv  came 


OLE  H.  JACOB  SON 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  785 

to  America,  in  1869.  They  located  seven  miles  northwest  of  the  place 
where  Ole  H.,  Sr.,  is  now  living,  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa.  Here  he  pur- 
chased land  at  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  an  acre,  and  after  living  there  for 
six  years,  in  1875,  removed  to  Audubon  county,  to  the  farm  where  Ole  H., 
Jr.,  is  now  living.  This  farm,  comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and 
purchased  for  nine  dollars  an  acre,  was  wholly  unimproved.  Mr.  Jacobson 
improved  the  farm  in  various  ways,  and  increased  his  holdings  to  three  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres.  Here  he  farmed  until  1894,  when  he  retired  from 
active  life  and  removed  to  Kimballton,  where  he  is  now  living.  He  is  a  vet- 
eran of  the  War  of  1864,  and  was  born  on  the  island  of  iVro,  November 
22,  1834.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born 
on  January  21,  1835,  and  died  on  June  i,  1914.  Of  their  nine  children 
only  five  are  now  living.  Ole  H.  is  the  only  one  living  in  Audubon  county. 
The  other  living  children  are  Chris  H.,  Christena,  Justesen,  Sophia  and 
Clarence. 

Ole  H.  Jacobson  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Audul^on 
county,  and  after  leaving  school  attended  the  graded  school  of  Atlantic 
and  finally  Des  Aloines  College,  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  Upon  leaving  col- 
lege he  located  in  Lincoln  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  remained  for  five 
years,  during  which  time  he  was  engaged  in  selling  windmills  and  imple- 
ments. In  1893  he  returned  to  Audubon  county  and  located  on  the  farm 
where  he  is  now  living,  and  wdiich  he  bought  and  improved  by  the  erection 
of  a  comfortable  house.  He  is  an  extensive  breeder  and  feeder  of  pure- 
bred Shorthorn  cattle.  He  feeds  about  one  hundred  hogs  every  year  besides 
cattle,  raises  seventy  acres  of  corn,  which  yields  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre, 
and  some  forty  or  fifty  acres  of  small  grain.  All  of  the  grain  is  fed  to  the 
live  stock  on  the  farm.  Mr.  Jacobson  has  invested  approximately  seven 
thousand  dollars  in  improvements  to  the  farm. 

In  1908  Air.  Jacobson  built  the  Crystal  Spring  brick  and  tile  factory, 
at  Kimballton.  This  company  manufacturers  all  kinds  of  brick  and  hollow- 
ware,  and  is  the  only  tile  factory  in  this  part  of  the  county. 

During  the  sessions  of  1910  and  19 12,  Mr.  Jacobson  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Iowa  General  Assembly,  having  been  elected  as  a  Republican. 
Mr.  Jacobson  also  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  township  trustees, 
having  been  elected  for  three  years.  During  1890-91  he  was  township 
assessor. 

On  December  17,  1891,  Ole  H.  Jacobson  was  married  to  Stella  Huglin, 
the  daughter  of  J.  M.  and  Sarah  (Hattie)  Huglin.  Of  the  six  children, 
(50) 


786  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Esther,  Harold,  Zela,  Russell.  Forest  and  Ruth,  born  to  this  marriage,  all 
are  unmarried  and  live  at  home.  Mrs.  Jacobson  was  born  in  Madison 
county,  Iowa.  Her  parents,  the  father  a  native  of  Germany,  and  the  mother 
of  Pennsylvania,  were  married  in  IMadison  county.  Iowa,  and  farmed  there 
until  1886.  when  they  removed  to  Wayne  county.  Nebraska,  where  the 
father  engaged  in  the  drug  business,  and  where  he  is  now  living  retired, 
in  Hoskins,  Nebraska.  The  mother  died  on  April  23.  1896.  They  had 
eight  children,  only  five  of  whom.  Mrs.  Libbie  Kern,  Charles.  Mrs.  Jacob- 
son,  Mrs.  Nettie  Wetherholdt  and  Bert,  are  now  living. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ole  H.  Jacobson  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  and 
Mr.  Jacobson  has  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  for  the 
past  fifteen  years.  He  is  a  deacon  and  secretary  and  clerk  of  the  con- 
gregation. 

Any  community  is  either  better  or  worse  for  the  life  and  career  of 
every  individual  citizen  who  is  a  member  of  it.  There  can  be  no  question 
that  Audubon  county  has  greatly  profited  from  the  career  of  Hon.  Ole 
H.  Jacobson,  and  that  he  has  added  distinction  and  honor  to  the  fair  name 
of  this  county.  Honorable  and  upright  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  he  is 
popular  among  all  classes  and  admired  by  all  people. 


JAMES  G.  WHITE. 

Holding  distinctive  prestige  among  the  enterprising  citizens  of  Audu- 
bon county,  Iowa,  is  James  G.  White,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Greeley  town- 
ship. The  career  of  James  G.  White  is  that  of  a  self-made  man,  who  by 
the  exercise  of  the  talents  with  which  nature  endowed  him  has  risen  to  the 
position  he  now  occupies  as  one  of  the  influential  and  well-to-do  men  of  Gree- 
ley township.  He  is  a  creditable  representative  of  one  of  the  old  and  highly 
esteemed  pioneer  families  of  Iowa,  and  possesses  many  of  the  admirable 
qualities  and  characteristics  of  his  sturdy  ancestors,  who  came  to  Iowa  in  a 
very  early  day  and  who  have  figured  prominently  in  the  history  of  this 
section. 

James  G.  White  was  born  on  July  17,  1867.  in  Wapello  county,  Iowa. 
He  is  the  son  of  Lieut. -Col.  E.  G.  White,  who  was  born  on  February  22, 
1823.  and  who  died  on  March  28,  1889.  Lieut.-Col.  E.  G.  White  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  soldier  in  three  wars.  When  still  a  young  man 
he  enlisted  in  the  Seminole  Indian  \\'ar.     At  this  time  Ephraim  G.  White 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  787 

was  only  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  served  throughout  the  Mexican  War  and 
fought  in  many  battles  during  the  period  from  1846  to  1848.  During  the 
Civil  War  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Twenty-second  Regiment,  Iowa  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  served  until  his  discharge  at  Savannah,  Georgia,  as 
lieutenant-colonel.  July  25,  1865.  He  was  elected  first  lieutenant  on  Sep- 
temper  9,  1862,  and  was  promoted  to  captain  on  January  30,  1863.  He  was 
promoted  to  major  on  June  9,  1863,  and  to  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Twenty- 
second  regiment,  Alay  6,  1864. 

Lieut. -Col.  Ephraim  G.  White  removed  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa, 
November,  1883.  He  lived  on  a  farm  in  section  6,  Greeley  township,  where 
he  owned  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  married  Nancy  J.  R.  Robinson,  who  was 
born  on  June  7,  1841,  in  Maryland  and  who  died  on  September  17,  1893. 
Before  this,  however,  he  had  been  married  to  Naomi  Kemp,  who  bore  him 
six  children  as  follow:  Eugene,  who  lives  at  Oskaloosa,  Iowa;  Frank,  of 
Wichita,  Kansas;  Mrs.  Florence  Robinson,  of  Ft.  Morgan,  Colorado;  Mil- 
ton and  Byron,  of  Ottumwa,  and  Seattle,  Washington ;  Homer,  of  Oska- 
loosa. By  the  marriage  to  Nancy  J.  Robinson,  who  died  on  September  7, 
1893,  iiii^e  children  were  born,  as  follow:  James,  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Herbert,  who  lives  at  Ft.  Collins,  Colorado;  Mrs.  Mattie  Clark,  of  Greeley 
township;  Charles  H..  an  attorney  of  Audubon;  Samuel,  a  farmer  of  Gree- 
ley township ;  John,  who  lives  at  Spirit  Lake,  Iowa,  where  he  is  a  farmer ; 
Alpha,  who  lives  at  Ft.  Collins,  Colorado;  Mrs.  Esther  Rabel,  of  Mont- 
gomery, Iowa,  and  Thomas,  of  Danbury.  Iowa. 

James  G.  White  began  life  for  himself  just  after  having  passed  his 
majority.  He  began  farming  and  has  always  lived  in  Greeley  township  on 
a  farm.     He  has  resided  on  the  Garnett  farm  for  twenty-two  years. 

James  G.  White  was  married  on  February  2,  1892,  to  Carrie  Garnett, 
the  daughter  of  R.  H.  and  Nettie  Garnett,  natives  of  Illinois  who  came  to 
Audubon  county  in  1881.  and  who  are  now  living  retired  at  Hamlin.  Mrs. 
White  was  born  on  October  2,  1872.  By  this  marriage  six  children  have 
been  born,  as  follow :  Harry  Robert,  born  on  October  24,  1892 ;  Walter, 
January  7,  1894;  Ruth,  December  7,  1899;  Ralph,  February  20,  1904; 
Helen,  August  16,  1908;  and  Wayne.  July  24.  1914.  All  of  these  children 
are  living  at  home. 

In  politics  Mr.  White  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and  has  served  as  trustee 
of  Greeley  township.  His  capable  administration  was  one  which  was  satis- 
factory to  the  people  of  his  township.  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  and  family  are 
all  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Old  Hamlin.     Mr.  W^hite 


^88  ■  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees.  }le  is  also  a  member  of  the  board  of 
stewards,  and  has  served  for  many  years.  Mr.  White  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 


AMBROSE  F.  AIKMAN. 

Among  the  successful  self-made  men  of  the  present  generation  of  farm- 
ers in  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  whose  efforts  and  influence  have  contributed 
to  the  material  upbuilding  of  the  community,  Ambrose  F.  Aikman  occupies 
a  conspicuous  place.  Being  ambitious  from  the  first,  but  surrounded  with 
none  too  favorable  environment,  his  early  youth  was  not  especially  prom- 
ising. Resolutely  facing  the  future,  however,  he  has  gradually  surmounted 
the  difficulties  in  his  way  and  in  due  course  of  time  has  risen  to  a  prominent 
position  in  the  commercial,  agricultural  and  financial  circles  of  his  com- 
munity. Besides  all  this  he  has  won  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  those 
with  whom  he  has  come  into  contact,  either  in  a  business  or  social  way, 
and  for  years  he  has  stood  as  one  of  the  representative  farmers  of  this 
section  of  Audubon  county.  Mr.  Aikman  realized  early  in  life  that  there 
is  a  purpose  in  life  and  that  there  is  no  honor  not  founded  on  worth  and  no 
respect  not  founded  on  accomplishment.  His  life  and  labors  have  been 
worthy  because  they  have  contributed  to  a  proper  understanding  of  life 
and  its  problems.  The  strongest  characters  in  our  national  history  have 
come  from  the  ranks  of  self-made  men  to  whom  adversity  acts  as  an  impetus 
for  unfaltering  effort,  and  from  this  class  has  come  Ambrose  F.  Aikman,  a 
retired  farmer  of  Gray,  Iowa. 

Ambrose  F.  Aikman  was  born  on  September  3.  1850.  in  W'hiteside 
county.  Illinois,  on  a  farm.  The  Morrison  court  house  now  occupies  the 
site  upon  which  he  was  born.  He  is  the  son  of  Robert  D.  and  Sarah  Ann 
(Finch)  Aikman,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  1810,  and  who  died  in 
1894,  and  the  latter,  Ijorn  in  1820,  and  who  died  in  1904.  Robert  D.  Aik- 
man was  a  native  of  Columbia  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  his  wife  a  native 
of  Toronto,  Canada.  Robert  D.  Aikman  was  the  son  of  James  Alexander 
Aikman,  who  came  from  Scotland  and  who  settled  in  Columbia  county, 
Pennsylvania,  before  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  first  settled  on  Cabin 
run,  but  was  driven  away  by  the  Indians.  He  took  part  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War.  Robert  D.  was  a  pioneer  in  Whiteside.  Illinois.  He  came  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Lyons,  Iowa,  at  a  very  early  day,  crossing  the  Mississippi 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  789 

river  on  a  horse  ferry.  He  located  in  Iowa  and  lived  awhile  here.  He 
owned  a  great  deal  of  land  and  very  much  town  property  and  became 
extremely  wealthy.  The  town  of  Morrison  is  built  on  the  site  of  his  farm. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  land  in  both  Iowa  and  Illinois.  Robert 
D.  and  Sarah  Ann  (Finch)  Aikman  had  eight  children,  namely:  James 
and  Almeda  are  deceased;  Ambrose  F.,  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Mrs. 
Mary  Antoinette  Forsbeck  lives  in  Audubon  county:  Josephine,  Irene  and 
Helen  are  deceased;  Frank  lives  south  of  Gray,  in  Lincoln  township. 

Ambrose  F.  Aikman  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1873,  and  invested 
in  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  section  26,  Lincoln  township.  He 
then  went  back  to  Illinois,  but  in  1879  returned  to  Audubon  county  and  set- 
tled here  permanently.  For  some  time  he  had  rented  the  land  and  had  it 
partly  improved.  Mr.  Aikman  was  married  in  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  and 
brought  his  wife  to  Audubon  county  in  1882.  They  prospered  and  added 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  to  their  holdings,  making  two  hundred  and 
eighty  acres.  The  land  is  well  improved  and  has  excellent  buildings.  Mr. 
Aikman  moved  to  Gray  in  the  spring  of  1913.  He  bought  a  fine  home  and 
a  city  block  containing  two  sets  of  buildings.  Mr.  Aikman's  one-hundred- 
and-twenty-acre  farm  is  now  occupied  by  his  son. 

Ambrose  F.  Aikman  was  married  on  February  22,  1882,  to  Mary 
Amelia  Hunt,  born  on  February  22,  1861,  in  England.  She  was  a  native 
of  Yorkshire,  and  the  daughter  of  George  and  Anna  (Marston)  Hunt.  In 
1865  she  came  to  Whiteside  county,  Illinois.  Her  father  was  a  brick  manu- 
facturer and  owned  the  brick  works  at  Morrison,  Illinois.  He  was  born  in 
1829,  and  died  in  1905.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Anna  (Marston)  Hunt,  was  born 
in  1829,  and  died  in  1904.  George  and  Anna  (Marston)  Hunt  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  as  follow:  John  lives  at  Morrison,  Illinois;  Mrs. 
Sarah  Winsby  lives  at  De  Kalb,  Illinois ;  William  died  at  Morrison,  Illinois ; 
Elizabeth  is  deceased;  Helen  lives  at  De  Kalb,  Illinois;  Mrs.  Ambrose  F. 
Aikman  is  the  wife  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Thomas  is  deceased; 
Arthur  lives  at  ^Morrison,  Illinois ;  and  Mrs.  Etta  Fox  lives  at  De  Kalb, 
Illinois. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ambrose  F.  Aikman  two  children  have  been  born: 
George  married  Mary  May  Campbell  and  lives  in  Lincoln  township;  Helen 
Irene  is  a  teacher  in  Lincoln  township,  and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Gray  high 
school. 

Mr.  Aikman  operated  a  merchandise  store  in  Gray,  in  1890  to  1891. 
His  father  built  the  third  house  in  Lyons,  Iowa. 

Ambrose  F.  Aikman  is  a  Republican.     He  has  held  various  township 


^QO  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

offices,  not  because  he  wanted  to  hold  office,  but  because  he  considered  it  his 
duty  to  serve  when  called  upon.  He  and  his  wife  and  family  are  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Aikman  is  identified  with  the  Yeomen 
of  America. 


JAMES  GOODWILL. 


The  biographies  of  successful  men  are  instructive  as  guides  and  incen- 
tives to  those  whose  careers  are  in  the  process  of  being  formed.  The  ex- 
amples they  furnish  of  patient  purpose  and  consecutive  endeavor  strongly 
illustrate  what  is  in  the  power  of  each  to  accomplish.  The  gentleman  whose 
life  story  here  is  briefly  set  forth,  is  a  conspicuous  example  of  one  who 
has  lived  to  good  purpose  and  who  has  achieved  a  marked  degree  of  suc- 
cess in  the  special  sphere  to  which  his  talents  and  energies  have  been  devoted 
James  Goodwill  is  a  well-known  farmer  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa. 

James   Goodwill  was  born  on  September   19.    1862,   in  Jasper  county, 
Iowa,  and  is  the  son  of  E.  E.  and  Sylvia   (Brown)    Goodwill,  natives  of 
Ohio  and  Indiana,  respectively.     E.   E.    Goodwill  was  a  pioneer  settler  in 
Jasper  county,  having  come  to  that  county  about  1847.     He  reared  his  fam- 
ily in  Jasper  and  Cass  counties  and  in   1869  they  moved  to  Cass  county. 
E.  E.  Goodwill  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  and  was  held  in  reserve.     He 
came  to  Audubon  county   in    1878  and  settled  in  Douglas  township.      He 
bought  a  prairie  farm  of  eighty  acres.     He  moved  to  a  farm  in  Viola  town- 
ship, in  1897,  and  there  died  in  1900.     E.  E.  Goodwill  and  wife  had  eleven 
children,  as  follow  :     Jasper,  who  lives  in  Council  Bluffs ;  Wilbur,  of  Bis- 
mark.  North  Dakota;  Mary,  the  widow  of  James  Kelley,  of  Oakville,  and 
who  is  now  living  in  Bismark,  North  Dakota;  Amanda,  the  wife  of  Macklin 
Smith,  of  Kansas;  Benjamin,  of  near  Guthrie,  Oklahoma;  Geneva  was  the 
wife  of  a  Mr.  Twilliger,  now  deceased,  he  having  died  as  a  result  of  burns 
received  in  a  prairie  fire  in  North  Dakota;  James  lives  in  Audubon  county; 
George,  who  lives  near  Spencer,  in  Clay  county;  Charles,  of  Omaha;  one 
child  died  in  infancy ;  and  Elizabeth,  deceased,  who  married  a  Mr.  Ayers,  and 
lived  in  North  Dakota. 

James  Goodwill  was  educated  in  the  Cass  county  common  schools  and 
when  sixteen  years  old  he  began  working  out  and  continued  until  he  was 
twenty-eight  years.  He  was  married  in  1880,  and  began  farming  for  himself 
on  section  i,  in  Melville  township.  He  was  here  one  year  and  then  moved 
to  the  George  Campbell  farm  in  Greeley  township,  where  he  remained  four 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  791 

years.  Subsequently,  he  lived  on  the  William  Robinson  farm  in  Greeley 
township  for  one  year  and  then  moved  to  section  35,  in  Melville  township, 
where  he  remained  fifteen  years.  In  March,  191 1,  Mr.  GoodwiU  bought 
ten  acres  in  Audubon.  Mrs.  Goodwill  owns  eighty  acres  in  section  29,  in 
Melville  township. 

James  Goodwill  was  married  on  February  19,  1891,  to  Margaret  Ann 
(Campbell)  Messersmith,  daughter  of  George  and  Ann  (Campbell)  Messer- 
smith,  early  settlers  in  Audubon  county,  Iowa.  No  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union. 

George  Campbell  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  on  March  5,  1837.  He 
died  on  December  12,  1910.  He  came  to  Lincoln,  Illinois,  October  9,  1855, 
and  to  Iowa,  March  3,  1886,  settling  in  Melville  township,  Audubon  county. 
He  was  married  on  May  19,  1859,  to  Anne  Savage,  a  native  of  Ireland, 
born  on  May  12,  1840.  She  died  on  September  24,  1908.  They  had  a  large 
family  of  children,  as  follow :  George  Alexander,  born  on  March  5,  i860, 
lives  in  Melville  township ;  Margaret  Ann  Goodwill,  October  26,  1861 ;  Mrs. 
Mary  Eliza  Shallow,  November  15,  1863,  and  lives  in  Audubon;  William 
James,  November  5,  1865,  lives  in  Melville  township;  Catherine,  Septem- 
ber 15,  1876,  died  August  8,  1877;  John,  October  20,  1869,  lives  in  Melville 
township;  Robert,  October  5,  1871,  died  on  September  12,  1889,  at  the  age 
of  eighteen;  Mrs.  Ella  Egan,  January  19,  1873,  died  on  August  28,  1896, 
and  left  two  children,  Mrs.  Anna  Colville,  of  Morristown,  South  Dakota, 
and  Bartholomew    Egan,   of   Home,   North   Dakota;   Thomas,   February  4, 

1875,  lives  in  Melville  township;  Henry  and  Sarah,  twins,   December   17, 

1876,  the  latter  dying  August   17,    1877;  Henry  is  a  merchant  at  Stuart, 
Iowa. 

Mr.  Campbell  was  one  of  the  large  landowners  of  Audubon  county  and 
owned  nearly  eight  hundred  acres.  He  gave  each  of  his  children  eighty 
acres.  For  many  years  he  was  road  supervisor  and  school  director.  He 
moved  to  Audubon  seven  years  before  his  death.  He  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  and  Catholic  church,  respectively. 
After  having  lived  in  Illinois  for  a  short  time  he  invested  his  savings  in 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Melville  township.  Mary  Ann  Mes- 
sersmith and  two  brothers  came  to  Iowa  in  1884.  She  kept  house  for  her 
two  brothers.  George  Campbell  purchased  land  as  he  was  able  and  prospered. 
Mrs.  Campbell  died  very  suddenly,  and  Mr.  Campbell  was  ill  only  three 
days  before  his  death. 

James  Goodwill  has  always  been  identified  with  the  Democratic  party, 


7Q2  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

but  has  never  been  especially  active.  He  has,  however,  served  as  a  member 
of  the  school  board  of  Melville  township.  He  is  not  a  member  of  any 
church  nor  of  any  lodge. 


JAMES  BLAKE. 


The  office  of  biography  is  not  to  give  voice  to  a  man's  modest  estimate 
of  himself  and  his  accomplishments  but  rather  to  leave  upon  the  records  the 
verdict  regarding  his  character  established  by  the  opinion  of  his  neighbors 
and  fellow  citizens.  In  touching  upon  the  life  history  of  James  Blake,  a 
retired  farmer  of  Audubon,  Iowa,  wholesome  enconiums  and  extravagant 
praise  are  avoided.  Mr.  Blake  has  led  a  true,  useful  and  honorable  life,  a 
life  characterized  by  perseverance,  energ}^  broad  charity  and  well-defined 
purpose.  He  is  a  well-known  citizen  of  Audubon  and  has  been  prominent 
in  the  agricultural  affairs  of  this  county  for  nearly  thirty-five  years  and, 
although  he  has  acquired  a  competence  for  his  declining  years,  he  is  a  man 
of  modest  and  unassuming  manners. 

James  Blake  was  born  on  May  24,  1850,  in  England.  He  was  born  on 
a  farm  and  is  the  son  of  James,  Sr..  and  Jane  (Bridge)  Blake,  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  in  1805,  and  who  died  in  1889,  and  the  latter  died  in 
1896.  James  Blake,  Sr.,  was  a  farmer  in  England  and  never  came  to 
America.  His  sons,  James,  Jr.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Richard,  were 
the  only  members  of  the  family  who  came  to  this  country.  Richard  immi- 
grated to  America  in  1869,  and  he  now  lives  in  Guthrie  Center.  James 
Blake,  Jr.,  came  to  America  in  1870  and  for  some  time  traveled  over  the 
United  States,  working  at  various  occupations.  He  lived  for  a  time  in 
Ohio,  for  a  time  in  Georgia,  and  came  to  Iowa  in  1875,  where  he  worked 
in  a  brick  plant  in  Stuart.  He  also  farmed  while  living  in  Stuart,  and 
during  the  winter  time  engaged  in  mining  coal.  Mr.  Blake  came  to  Audu- 
bon county,  in  the  spring  of  1877,  and  located  in  Melville  township.  He 
worked  by  the  month,  receiving  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  dollars  each 
month  for  his  services.  This  period  of  his  life  lasted  two  years,  and  sub- 
sequently he  became  foreman  on  a  large  ranch. 

In  1880  James  Blake  was  married  and  he  then  rented  part  of  the  large 
Musson  or  Brown  ranch  and  here  he  was  situated  for  two  years.  In  1882 
he  moved  to  the  Stuart  farm  and  lived  there  until  1884,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  bought  one  hundred  and   sixty  acres   in  Greeley   township.      This 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  793 

land  was  wholly  unimproved  at  the  time  and  Mr.  Blake  purchased  it  for 
twelve  and  one-half  dollars  an  acre.  In  1885  he  moved  to  the  farm  and 
for  the  next  two  years  was  engaged  in  putting  the  land  into  a  good  state  of 
cultivation,  fencing  and  draining  it  and  erecting  the  necessary  buildings  for 
successful  farming.  In  1887  Mr.  Blake  moved  to  Dakota  and  lived  there 
for  two  years.  He  rented  land  for  one  year  after  his  sojourn  in  Dakota, 
in  Guthrie  county,  Iowa.  The  first  year  after  Mr.  Blake's  marriage  he 
assisted  in  the  construction  of  the  railroad  to  Guthrie  Center  and  during 
the  winter  he  worked  on  the  railroad  from  Carroll  to  Manning.  It  was 
during  the  winter  of  1881  and  1882  that  he  was  situated  on  the  Musson 
ranch.  Returning  from  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  Mr.  Blake  moved  to  his 
own  farm,  and  in  the  spring  of  1909  moved  to  Audubon.  Mr.  Blake  owns 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Greeley  township,  and  has  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  South  Dakota. 

James  Blake  was  married  on  January  i,  1880,  to  Rebecca  Lois  Kin- 
kennon,  a  native  of  Madison  county,  Iowa.  Four  of  the  seven  children 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blake  are  still  living,  namely :  Minnie  married 
James  Nelson,  now  living  in  Alberta,  Canada;  Phoebe  Jane,  who  is  the 
wife  of  Philip  Burkhart,  of  Guthrie  county;  Thomas  H.,  who  lives  in  Dick- 
inson county ;  and  James,  who  is  at  home.  Myrta  and  two  infants  are 
deceased. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Blake  is  an  ardent  Republican,  but  he  has  never  held 
office  nor  has  he  ever  cared  to  hold  office,  ^^llile  he  is  not  a  member  of 
any  church,  the  family  are  liberal  supporters  and  interested  in  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  all  religious  denominations. 


FRED  H.  HORNING. 


A  student  interested  in  the  history  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  does 
not  have  to  carry  his  investigations  far  into  its  annals  before  learning  that 
Fred  H.  Horning,  a  retired  farmer  of  Audubon,  Iowa,  has  long  been  one 
of  its  most  active  and  leading  citizens,  especially  in  agricultural  and  stock 
raising  affairs.  His  labors  have  been  a  potent  force  in  making  this  a  rich 
agricultural  region,  and  during  several  decades  Mr.  Horning  has  carried 
on  general  farming,  gradually  improving  his  valuable  place  until  a  few 
years  ago  when  he  moved  to  Audubon,  since  which  time  he  has  lived 
retired.     While  he  has  prospered  in  a  material  wav,  he  has  also  found  time 


794  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

and  opportunity  to  assist  in  the  civic  development  of  the  county  of  his 
residence. 

Fred  H.  Horning,  a  well-known  retired  farmer  of  Audubon,  Iowa, 
was  born  on  January  5,  1852,  in  Germany.  His  birthplace  was  Mecklen- 
burg--Scliwer  in,  and  be  is-  a  sen  of  John  and  Lena  (Wendt)  Horning,  the 
former  of  whom  died  in  1865,  in  his  native  land.  Fred  Horning  was  the 
youngest  of  six  children,  the  others  being  as  follow :  John,  who  died  in 
New  York  state;  William,  living  in  New  York;  Joseph,  also  a  resident  of 
the  state  of  New  York;  Mrs.  Sophia  Stade,  the  widow  of  Anton  Stade,  is 
living  in  New  York ;  Mrs.  Dora  Krueger,  living  in  Nebraska,  is  the  over- 
seer in  the  tailor  shop  of  the  Carnegie  Industrial  School. 

Fred  Horning  came  to  America  when  nineteen  years  of  age.  He 
arrived  in  this  country  in  the  fall  of  1871,  and  located  on  a  farm  in  New 
York  state,  where  he  was  a  laborer  for  six  years.  He  then  removed  to 
Polk  county,  Iowa,  where  he  rented  land  for  five  years.  In  the  spring  of 
1882  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Cameron  township,  Audubon 
county,  for  which  he  paid  twenty  dollars  an  acre,  and  resided  on  this  farm 
for  twenty  years.  At  the  end  of  this  period  he  moved  to  a  farm  one  and 
one-half  miles  southwest  of  the  first  farm  on  which  he  lived  after  cominsr 
to  the  county.  This  farm  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Horning  lived  on  this  place  for  seven  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  they  moved  to  Audubon,  where  Mr.  Horning  owns  two  lots  and  a 
good  home.  He  is  the  owner  also  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  good 
farming  land  in  Cameron  township,  which  is  divided  into  two  farms. 

Fred  Horning  was  married  on  February  23,  1874,  to  Sophia  Kahler, 
who  was  born  in  1854,  in  Germany,  and  who  came  with  her  brother  to  this 
country  in  1862,  first  locating  in  New  York  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Horning 
are  the  parents  of  ten  children:  Frank,  living  in  this  county;  William  of 
Cameron  township;  Paul,  a  farmer  of  Cameron  township;  Charles,  also  a 
farmer  of  Cameron  township;  Albert,  a  farmer;  Arthur,  a  student  in  the 
high  school  at  Audubon;  Augusta,  the  wife  of  Plenry  Schroeder,  a  farmer 
of  Cameron  township;  Hetty,  the  wife  of  John  Crow,  a  former  of  this 
township,  and  they  live  on  Mr.  Homing's  farm;  Emma,  the  wife  of  Lou 
Hillyer,  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa;  and  Gretchen,  of  Sioux  City. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Horning  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  served  in  the  capacity 
of  school  director  and  road  supervisor,  and  has  filled  both  these  offices  with 
credit  to  himself  and  the  people  who  appointed  him.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Horn- 
ing and  family  are  all  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  contribute  lib- 
erally of  their  means  to  the  support  of  this  denomination. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  795 

GEORGE  WAHLERT,  JR. 

The  value  to  a  community  of  having  the  right  man  in  the  office  of 
township  trustee  never  was  better  demonstrated  in  Greeley  township,  this 
county,  than  during  the  present  incumbency,  George  Wahlert,  Jr.,  the  pres- 
ent efficient  and  enterprising  trustee  having  demonstrated  his  peculiar  fit- 
ness for  the  important  position  which  he  holds,  and  it  is  but  proper  that 
a  work  designed  to  set  out  for  the  consideration  of  future  generations  some- 
thing of  the  lives  of  those  who  constitute  the  leading  citizenry  of  Audubon 
county  in  this  generation  should  carry  a  fitting  review  of  the  interesting 
career  of  Trustee  Wahlert. 

George  Wahlert,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Henry  county,  Illinois,  October  23, 
1878,  the  son  of  Jergen  and  Lena  (Dommeier)  Wahlert,  further  details  of 
whose  lives  will  be  found  set  out  at  length  in  the  interesting  biographical 
sketch  relating  to  Jergen  Wahlert,  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
George  Wahlert  came  to  this  county  at  the  tender  age  of  three  years,  his 
parents  having  moved  here  from  Illinois  in  the  year  1881,  and  he  was 
reared  on  the  parental  farm  and  attended  the  district  schools  of  Greeley 
township  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  living  at  home  until  he  was 
nineteen,  at  which  time  he  commenced  "working  out"  on  neighboring 
farms,  continuing  this  form  of  activity  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  bought  a  half  interest  in  a  farm  with  William  Hensley,  this  part- 
nership continuing  for  three  years.  Mr.  Wahlert  then  bought  eighty  acres 
of  unimproved  land  from  Mr.  Hensley  in  section  16,  of  Greeley  township, 
and  has  ever  since  made  his  residence  there.  In  addition  to  improving  this 
original  eighty  acres,  Mr.  Wahlert  has  added  thereto  by  the  purchase  of  an 
additional  eighty  on  the  east  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  section 
20,  of  the  same  township,  all  of  which  he  has  improved  and  brought  to  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  He  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  breed- 
ing of  pure-bred  stock  and  has  a  full-blooded  registered  Percheron  stallion, 
one  of  the  best  animals  of  that  breed  in  Audubon  county.  He  also  feeds 
quite  a  few  cattle  and  is  noted  for  the  excellent  quality  of  his  stock,  all  of 
which  is  kept  up  to  the  best  standard. 

On  February  11,  1903,  George  Wahlert  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mamie  Hensley,  daughter  of  William  Hensley,  who  died  on  June  7,  1906. 
On  January  20,  1909,  Mr.  Wahlert  married,  secondly,  Minnie  Gripp,  of 
Moline,  Illinois,  who  was  born  on  May  8,  1887,  in  Moline,  the  daughter  of 
James  H.  and  Anna   (Dohrn)   Gripp,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Hoi- 


796  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Stein,   Germany,   who   came  to  this  country   with  their  parents  when   chil- 
dren.    The  Gripps  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1892,  but  returned  to  Mohne 
in  1904  and  are  still  living  there.     To  Mr.  and  ]\'Irs.  Wahlert  four  children- 
have  been  born,  but  two  of  whom  are  living,  James  H.,  born  on  January  28, 
1912,  and  Marion  Arnold,  July  4,  1914. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wahlert  are  not  members  of  any  church,  though  they 
are  attendants  on  and  supporters  of  the  Methodist  church.  Mr.  Wahlert 
is  a  Democrat  and  is  keenly  interested  in  the  county's  politics.  He  is  a 
leader  in  his  township,  which  he  is  now  serving  very  acceptably  as  town- 
ship trustee.  He  and  his  wife  are  hospitable  and  genial  folk  and  are  deserv- 
edly popular  among  their  hosts  of  friends. 


JESSE  A.  HUMISTON. 


The  following  is  a  biography  of  a  plain,  honest  man  of  affairs,  who, 
by  correct  methods  and  a  strict  regard  for  the  interests  of  the  patrons  of 
the  railroad  which  he  serves,  has  made  his  influence  felt  in  Audubon  and 
won  for  himself  a  position  of  conlidence  in  the  business  circles  of  this 
city.  Jesse  A.  Humiston,  the  agent  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
way, at  Audubon,  Iowa,  commands  the  entire  confidence  and  respect  of 
his  fellow  townsmen  and  is  much  admired  by  the  people  of  this  county. 

Jesse  A.  Humiston  was  born  on  August  12,  1868,  at  Oconomowoc, 
Wisconsin,  the  son  of  Alonzo  B.  and  Orcelia  (Brown)  Humiston,  the  for- 
mer of  whom  was  l^orn  in  1838,  and  who  died  in  1908,  and  the  latter,  born 
in  1841,  and  who  died  in  1893.  Mrs.  Orcelia  (Brown)  Humiston  was  of 
German  and  Scotch  ancestry.  Alonzo  B.  Humiston  was  l)orn  in  America, 
and  was  a  son  of  German  parents  who  settled  in  Wisconsin.  In  1841 
Alonzo  Humiston  settled  in  Tama  county.  Iowa,  and  conducted  a  general 
merchandise  store  in  Tama.  After  his  wife's  death  he  disposed  of  his 
business  and  for  a  number  of  years  lived  in  Colorado  with  a  daughter. 
Alonzo  Humiston  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  three  children:  Airs.  Julia 
Spencer,  of  Clinton,  Iowa;  Mrs.  Nellie  C.  Hobden,  of  Colorado  Springs, 
Colorado;  and  Jesse  A.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  review 

Jesse  A.  Humiston  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Tama,  Iowa,  and 
early  in  life  began  learning  telegraphy,  completing  his  instruction  in  this 
line  at  Bellevue,  Iowa,  when  -about  fifteen  years  of  age.  He  was  first  em- 
ployed for  one  year  at  Bellevue  by  the  Chicago  &  Milwaukee  Railway  Com- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  797 

pany.  Subsequently  he  worked  two  years  in  ]\Iilwaukee,  and  was  then 
employed  by  the  Burlington,  Cedar  Rapids  &  Northern  Railway  Company 
for  two  years.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  employed  by  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern.  Mr.  Humiston  has  been  heavily  interested  for  several  years 
in  farming  lands  in  Iowa.  In  1899  Mr.  Humiston  purchased  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  land,  which  he  sold  in  19 13,  realizing  handsomely 
on  his  real  estate  transaction. 

Jesse  A.  Humiston  was  married  in  September,  1888,  to  Emma  Scott, 
of  Cedar  Rapids,  the  daughter  of  William  H.  Scott. 

Mr.  Humiston  is  an  adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  but  his  business 
interests  have  prevented  his  taking  a  very  active  part  in  political  matters. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  and  his  wife  are  devoted 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  active  in  the  work  of  this  de- 
nomination. 


CHARLES  R.  WILSON. 


Audubon  county  owes  much  to  the  gentleman  whose  name  appears  above 
for  the  great  interest  he  has  -shown  in  improving  the  strain  of  horse-flesh 
in  this  section  and  the  reader  will  be  interested  in  knowing  something  in 
detail  of  the  life  of  this  prominent  and  enterprising  Greeley  township  farmer. 

Charles  R.  Wilson  was  born  in  Vinton  county,  Ohio,  February  17,  1850, 
the  son  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Robbins)  Wilson,  both  of  whom  also  were 
natives  of  Ohio,  the  former  a  son  of  John  Wilson,  a  Virginian,  and  the 
latter  a  daughter  of  Charles  Robbins,  a  New  Yorker,  both  members  of 
Colonial  families,  who  moved  to  Missouri  in  1857.  Thomas  Wilson  was 
one  of  that  glorious  band  who  freely  laid  down  their  lives  for  the  preser- 
vation of  the  Union  in  the  sixties,  he  having  been  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Chillicothe,  Missouri,  February  8,  1862.  His  brother,  Creighton,  was  killed 
in  the  battle  of  Champion  Hill,  in  August,  1864,  and  his  brother,  George, 
received  a  severe  wound  at  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  all  having  been  gallant 
soldiers  of  the  Union. 

Charles  R.  Wilson  was  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children  and  remained 
at  home  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  His  mother  having  remarried, 
Charles  R.  started  out  "on  his  own"  and  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  har- 
ness and  saddlers'  trade,  but  did  not  complete  this  apprenticeship  and  worked 
at  odd  jobs  for  seven  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  married  and  rented 
a  farm  in  Missouri,  working  there  one  year.    In  1874  he  came  to  this  county, 


798  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

renting  a  farm  near  Exira,  on  which  he  lived  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  23,  of  Greeley  township. 
At  the  time  he  began  to  break  this  virgin  land  he  had  twenty-three  dollars 
and  thirty-five  cents  in  cash,  a  team  of  horses  and  a  wagon,  but  he  and  his 
wife  had  stout  hearts  and  willing  hands  and  they  presently  had  a  comfortable 
home.  As  they  prospered  they  added  to  their  holdings  and  now  own  two 
hundred  acres  of  as  good  land  as  lies  in  Greeley  township,  all  of  which 
is  well  improved  and  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Wilson  has  given 
much  attention  to  the  breeding  of  full-blooded  stock  and  is  one  of  the 
county's  heaviest  breeders  of  Percheron  horses,  possessing  two  stallions  of 
this  l)reed  which  are  as  fine  horses  as  any  in  the  county,  his  "Francis  Javan" 
having  won  a  first  and  a  second  premium  at  the  county  fair.  He  also  makes 
a  specialty  of  pure-bred,  registered  Shorthorn  cattle  and  has  done  much 
toward  improving  the  breed  of  stock  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

On  September  4,  1873.  Charles  R.  Wilson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Florinda  Campbell,  of  Sullivan  county,  Missouri,  daughter  of  James  M. 
and  Marguerite  (  Sorter )  Campbell,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York, 
respectively,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  at  Meadville  and  the  latter  at 
Friendship.  James  M.  Campbell  was  a  miller  and  came  to  Iowa  in  1845, 
moving,  in  185 1,  to  Missouri,  where  he  operated  a  mill,  and  during  the 
Civil  War  was  captain  of  the  local  company  of  "home  guards,"  a  man  of 
fine  deportment  and  of  large  influence  in  the  community  in  which  he  lived. 

To  Charles  R.  and  Florinda  (Campbell)  Wilson  have  been  born  eight 
children:  Ora  I.,  bom  on  August  18,  1875.  who  married  Nellie  Albert  (now 
deceased),  of  Lemon,  South  Dakota;  Almira,  May  9,  1878,  married  W.  E. 
Trent,  and  has  two  children,  Florinda  and  Forrest;  Norval  J.,  December  28, 
1879,  attended  Highland  Park  College,  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  was  township 
assessor  of  Greeley  township  for  two  years  and  is  now  a  homesteader  in 
Colorado;  George  L.,  February  10,  1882,  married  Mae  Picking  and  has  one 
child,  a  daughter,  Helen  F. ;  Phoebe  J.,  January  14,  1884,  married  Fred  A. 
Eckert  and  has  four  children,  Leonard.  Robert,  Carl  and  Fern;  Carlos, 
September  27.  1887,  married  Nellie  Duvall  and  has  four  children,  Vernon, 
Ruby,  Wilma  and  Beuna ;  Claus  C,  February  22,  1893,  lives  at  home;  and 
Doleta,  September  30,  1895,  was  graduated  from  Dennison  College  and  is 
teaching  school  in  Greeley  township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  also  reared  a 
granddaughter,  Golda,  born  on  September  25.  1894,  who  was  graduated 
from  Dennison  College  and  also  is  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Greeley  town- 
shij). 

The  Wilsons  are  supporters  of  the  Christian  (Campbellite  )  church  and 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  799 

are  active  in  all  good  works  of  their  neighborhood.  Mr.  Wilson  is  a 
Republican  and  is  warmly  interested  in  the  political  affairs  of  the  county, 
but  never  has  been  included  in  the  office-seeking  class,  being  content  to  give 
the  best  of  his  time  and  attention  to  his  own  large  private  interest.  He  and 
Mrs.  Wilson  are  leaders  in  the  social  life  of  their  neighborhood  and  are 
held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  a  very  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 


CHRISTEN  HANSEN. 


The  proud  owner  of  a  splendid  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
in  Sharon  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  Christen  Hansen,  was  born 
in  Denmark,  December  i6,  1864,  and  is  a  son  of  Hans  Christen  and  Anna 
Hansen,  both  native  citizens  of  Denmark,  where  the  former  was  a  wagon- 
maker  by  trade,  which  he  followed  until  his  death.  His  wife,  the  mother 
of  Christen  Hansen,  is  still  living  in  their  native  country.  Christen  is  the 
only  child  born  to  his  parents. 

After  being  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  land,  Mr. 
Hansen  engaged  in  farming  and  worked  on  various  farms  until  he  arrived 
at  the  age  of  nineteen,  when  he  came  to  America,  and  located  in  Sharon 
township,  Audubon  county.  Here  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  four 
years,  and  then  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  upon  which  he  is  now  living, 
for  which  he  paid  eighteen  dollars  and  a  half  an  acre.  From  time  to  time 
he  has  added  to  his  original  land  holdings  until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  two 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  is  devoted  to  general  farming  and  where 
he  raises  on  an  average  of  seventy-five  acres  of  corn  each  year,  and  has  a 
yield  of  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre.  He  also  raises  some  seventy  acres  of  small 
grain  each  year;  feeds  seventy  head  of  hogs  and  several  head  of  cattle  for 
the  markets  annually.  Mr.  Hansen  has  invested,  approximately,  seventy-five 
hundred  dollars  in  improvements  upon  his  farm. 

In  1888,  Christen  Hansen  was  married  to  Sine  Ericksen,  the  daughter 
of  Alexander  Ericksen,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  four  children, 
Henry,  Albert,  Martin  and  Lawrence,  all  of  whom  are  unmarried  and  living 
at  home,  with  the  exception  of  Henry,  who  married  Sophia  Larson,  and 
they  have  one  child.  Wilma. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansen  and  family  are  members  of  the  Seventh  Day 
Adventist  church,  in  which  Mr.  Hansen  has  served  as  trustee.  A  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  he  has  also  served  as  trustee  of  Sharon  township,  and  as 
a  school  director  in  this  township. 


800  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Christen  Hansen  enjoys  the  respect  of  his  neighbors  and  the  confidence 
of  all  the  people  of  Sharon  township,  where  he  is  well  known  and  where 
he  is  popular.  Here  he  is  known  as  an  enterprising  and  successful  farmer, 
a  worthy  citizen  of  this  great  county  and  of  his  adopted  country. 


J.  HENRY  BAKER. 


J.  Henry  Baker,  one  of  the  old  residents  of  Audubon  township,  and, 
one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Audubon  county,  where  he  has  long  been  engaged 
in  farming,  was  born  on  August  25,  1850,  in  Missouri,  the  son  of  Henry 
and  Mary  A.  Baker,  natives  of  Westfall,  Germany.  His  parents  were 
married  in  Germany  and  after  coming  to  the  United  States  about  1848,  set- 
tled in  the  state  of  Missouri.  About  1851,  when  J.  Henry  Baker  was  a 
years  old,  bought  forty  acres  of  land  in  section  4,  Audubon  township.  They 
Illinois,  and  still  later  to  Hancock  county,  Illinois.  In  1869  they  came  to 
Audubon  county,  arriving  here  November  8,  of  that  year.  The  father  and 
the  son,  J.  Henry,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  at  that  time  was  nineteen 
years  old,  bought  forty  acres  of  land  in  section  4,  Audubon  township.  They 
built  a  house,  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet,  of  rough  lumber  and  consisting  of 
two  rooms.  This  house  was  situated  across  the  creek,  northwest  of  Mr. 
Baker's  present  home.  Here  the  family  lived  until  the  parents  died  and 
after  their  death,  Mr.  Baker  built  his  present  home.  When  he  purchased 
the  land,  it  was  raw  prairie  and  the  nearest  neighbor  was  three  miles  away. 
During  all  these  years  Mr.  Baker  has  made  many  improvements  on  this 
farm.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising  and  keeps  only 
the  very  best  quality  of  live  stock.  He  milks  about  six  head  of  cows.  He 
has  added  to  his  land  and  now  has  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  Mr. 
Baker's  father  lived  to  be  ninety-five  years  old  and  is  well  remembered  by 
the  citizens  of  this  township  for  his  many  sterling  qualities. 

J.  Henry  Baker  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  March  i,  1877, 
in  Quincy,  Adams  county,  Illinois,  to  Mary  K.  Vanholt,  who  was  born 
in  Adams  county,  Illinois,  March  i,  i860,  and  who.  after  rearing  a  family 
of  three  sons,  passed  away  on  January  4,  191 5.  During  her  life  she  was 
a  devoted  wife  and  a  loving  mother  and  did  much  in  behalf  of  her  hus- 
band's success.  Mrs.  Baker's  parents  were  Henry  and  Louise  (Clark)  Van- 
holt,  who  were  born  in  Germany,  and  who  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1859.     The  three  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Henry  Baker  are:  John 


td 

a 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  8oi 

W.,  born  on  January  20,  1879;  Charles  A.,  July  4,  1883,  and  Louis  A., 
December  13,  1893.  John  W.  and  Louis  A.  live  with  Mr.  Baker  on  the 
home  place.     Charles  A.  is  farming  for  himself. 

Mr.  Baker  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  but  has  never  held  office,  except 
that  of  road  supervisor,  an  office  which  he  filled  for  four  years.  The  Baker 
family  are  members  of  the  Christian  church.  Mr.  Baker  and  his  wife 
were  charter  members  of  the  Audubon  township  church.  ]\Irs.  Baker  was 
an  earnest  Christian  and,  during  her  entire  life,  took  an  active  part  in  the 
work  of  the  church. 

An  honorable  citizen  of  Audubon  township,  J.  Henry  Baker  has  many 
friends  in  this  section  of  Audubon  county.  He  is  a  man  of  genial  manners 
and  affable  by  nature.  Mr.  Baker  has  a  comfortable  income  from  the  farm 
and  enjoys  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his  career  as  a  farmer  has  been 
successful.  He  is  a  man  of  most  sterling  character,  upright  and  honorable 
in  all  the  relations  of  life. 


REV.  ALFRED  H.  DELETZKE. 

Rev.  Alfred  H.  Deletzke,  pastor  of  St.  John's  Evangehcal  Lutheran 
church,  of  Grant  township,  Guthrie  county,  for  the  past  five  years,  has  had 
a  most  interesting  career.  It  is  a  career  which  has  been  filled  with  service 
of  a  most  lasting  and  important  kind.  Highly  educated  for  the  ministerial 
profession,  Reverend  Deletzke  having  consecrated  his  life  to  the  spread 
of  the  gospel,  has  worked  unceasingly  in  the  Master's  vineyard  and  of  his 
work  it  may  be  truly  said  that  it  has  not  been  in  vain.  He  has  ministered 
to  many  people  and,  without  exception,  has  brought  into  their  lives  the 
example  of  a  noble-minded,  self-denying  and  self-sacrificing  Christian 
gentleman. 

Alfred  H.  Deletzke  was  born  on  February  24,  1869,  in  Dodge  county, 
Wisconsin,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Emily  (Hensel)  Deletzke,  natives  of  the 
province  of  Posen,  Germany.  They  were  farmers  in  their  native  land  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1867  or  1868,  and  were  married  in  Dodge 
county,  Wisconsin.  At  that  time  the  father  worked  in  the  iron  smelting 
factories  of  Iron  Ridge.  In  the  spring  of  1871  he  purchased  a  timber 
farm  in  Shawano  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  and  his  wife  lived  until 
their  deaths.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children:  Alfred  H.,  Hulda, 
Clara,  Theodore  and  Amanda. 

(51) 


8o2  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

After  living  at  home  until  he  was  fourteen  years  old,  and  attending 
the  common  schools  until  that  age,  Alfred  H.  Deletzke  went  to  Wittenberg, 
Wisconsin,  where  he  studied  the  classical  languages.  Subsequently,  he  set- 
tled in  Milwaukee  for  three  years,  and  in  1887  he  went  to  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana,  where  he  attended  Concordia  College,  being  graduated  with  the 
class  of  1889.  After  leaving  Fort  Wayne,  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
where  he  studied  for  three  years  in  Concordia  Seminary,  being  graduated 
there  with  the  class  of  1892. 

After  completing  his  classical  and  religious  education  and  training. 
Rev.  Alfred  H.  Deletzke  accepted  a  call  as  a  missionary  in  McCook  and  sur- 
rounding counties  of  western  Nebraska.  After  being  stationed  there  almost 
three  years,  he  was  called  to  Spencer,  Iowa,  where  he  served  as  a  mission- 
ary and  also  had  a  small  congregation.  From  Spencer,  Iowa,  where  he 
remained  for  seven  and  one-half  years,  he  was  called  to  the  vicinity  of  Ft. 
Dodge,  Iowa,  where  he  was  pastor  of  a  congregation  for  another  seven  and 
one-half  years.  Rev.  Deletzke  then  became  superintendent  of  the  orphans' 
asylum  at  Ft.  Dodge  and  in  that  capacity,  traveled  over  the  entire  state  of 
Iowa  in  search  of  homes  for  children.  After  filling  that  office  for  two 
years,  he  was  called  to  his  present  field,  the  St.  John's  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church,  of  Grant  township,  Guthrie  county,  Iowa.  This  church  is  located 
on  the  Audubon-Guthrie  county  line.  Reverend  Deletzke  accepted  the  call 
in  May,  19 10,  and  has  filled  the  pulpit  of  this  church  since  that  time.  He  is 
an  eloquent  preacher  and  a  pastor  who  is  popular  with  his  congregation. 

On  May  15,  1894,  Alfred  H.  Deletzke  was  married,  in  Nebraska,  to 
Emma  Grovert,  who  was  born  on  January  29,  1876,  in  Benton  county, 
Iowa,  and  who  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Ernestine  (Ferch)  Grovert. 
They  were  natives  of  Germany,  the  former  of  Holstein  and  the  latter  of 
Posen,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1868,  and  located  in  Davenport, 
Iowa.  Later  they  moved  to  Benton  county,  Iowa,  and  in  1888  moved  to 
Nebraska,  where  they  purchased  land  in  Hitchcock  county,  near  Trenton. 
Here  they  still  live. 

Rev.  Alfred  H.  Deletzke  and  wife  have  had  seven  children,  namely: 
Alfred,  born  on  July  19,  1895;  Ada,  August  24,  1897;  Elsie,  August  11, 
1899;  Florence,  June  20,  1902;  Thelma,  October  5,  1904;  Norman,  August 
5,  1908;  and  Irma,  October  i,  1912.  The  first  three  children  were  born  at 
Spencer,  Iowa,  the  next  three  at  Ft.  Dodge  and  the  youngest  in  Audubon 
county. 

Although  Rev.  Deletzke  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  he  has  never  held 
office  nor  has  he  ever  aspired  to  office.     Nevertheless,  he  takes  an  active 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  803 

interest  in  public  affairs  and  is  considered  a  wise  and  efficient  counsellor  on 
public  questions.  He  is  well  informed  on  political  and  social  questions  and 
has  been  especially  helpful  in  developing  a  better  community  spirit  in  this 
section  of  the  state. 


JAMES  F.  EGAN. 


In  Greeley  township,  this  county,  there  live  two  brothers,  the  Egans, 
James  F.  and  George,  a  biographical  sketch  of  the  latter  of  whom  the  reader 
will  find  presented  elsewhere  in  these  pages.  Few  men  in  that  part  of  the 
county  are  better  known  or  more  deservedly  popular  than  these  brothers 
and  it  is  a  pleasure  for  the  biographer  to  set  out  here  the  biography  of  the 
first  named,  a  progressive  and  industrious  farmer  of  Greeley  township. 

James  F.  Egan  was  born  on  a  farm  just  west  of  Iowa  City,  in  Johnson 
county,  Iowa,  January  28,  1868,  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Catherine  (McTyge) 
Egan,  natives  of  Ireland,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  County  Cork  and 
the  latter  in  County  Mayo.  Thomas  Egan  was  a  mere  lad  when  he  came  to 
America  and  he  grew  up  to  the  life  of  a  farmer  in  the  state  of  New  Jersey, 
where  he  married  Catherine  McTyge,  and  in  the  year  i860  came  to  Iowa, 
locating  in  Johnson  county,  where  he  bought  land  and  where  he  remained 
until  1880,  in  which  year  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Shelby  county,  and  in 
1883,  to  Audubon  county,  where  for  a  year  he  rented  land,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  moved  to  Holt  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  entered  a  claim 
on  which  he  lived  for  six  years.  Selling  out  there  in  1889,  he  came  back 
to  Audubon  county  and  bought  eighty  acres  in  section  10,  of  Greeley  town- 
ship, spending  his  last  days  there,  his  death  occurring  on  April  7,  1906. 
Thomas  and  Catherine  (McTyge)  Egan  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
whose  names  are  set  out  in  the  sketch  of  George  Egan,  presented  elsewhere 
in  this  volume. 

James  F.  Egan  received  a  district-school  education  and  remained  on  the 
parental  farm  until  he  reached  his  majority,  after  which,  for  two  years, 
he  "worked  out"  on  neighboring  farms,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  rented 
a  farm  in  Guthrie  county,  on  the  Audubon-Guthrie  county  line,  on  which 
he  remained  for  twelve  years.  In  the  spring  of  1902  he  bought  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  section  11,  of  Greeley  township,  this  county,  on  which 
he  since  has  made  his  home.  He  remodeled  the  dwelling  house  on  this 
farm  and  has  built  two  large  barns  and  other  outbuildings  to  correspond, 
his  place  being  very  well  kept. 


8o4  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

On  September  12,  1892,  James  F.  Egan  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ce- 
vilia  Snyder,  of  Exira,  who  was  born  in  Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,, 
January  12,  1870,  the  daughter  of  WilHam  and  Sarah  (Adams)  Snyder,  also 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Lehigh  county  and 
the  latter  in  Berks  county,  who  located  in  Polk  county.  Iowa,  in  1877,  and 
moved  from  there  to  Audubon  county  in  1885. 

To  James  F.  and  Ceviha  (Snyder)  Egan  have  been  born  three  children, 
namely:  Eva,  born  on  June  10,  1893,  who  married  Charles  Kopeska  and 
has  three  children,  Violet,  Olive  and  Albert;  Julia,  November  8,  1898;  and 
James  F.,  Jr.,  March  18,  1904.  Mr.  Egan  is  a  member  of  the  CathoHc 
church  and  Mrs.  Egan  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  church.  He  is  a 
Democrat,  was  constable  for  two  terms  and  has  been  school  director  for 
seven  terms.  The  Egans  are  well  known  and  popular  in  their  home  com- 
munity and  are  held  in  high  esteem  by  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances. 


FREW  HAYS. 


One  of  the  best-improved  and  most  productive  farms  in  Greeley  town- 
ship, this  county,  is  that  of  the  gentleman  whose  name  the  reader  notes  above, 
a  farm  which  he  has  converted  from  the  virgin  prairie  to  a  highly-cultivated 
tract  on  which  is  situated  a  fine  home  and  commodious  farm  buildings,  one 
of  the  model  farms  of  the  neighborhood  in  which  it  is  located. 

Frew  Hays  was  born  in  Rock  Island  county,  Illinois,  December  i,  1854, 
the  son  of  Frew  and  Mary  (Robbins)  Hays,  natives  of  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  farming  people  and  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom 
Frew,  Jr.,  was  the  youngest.  The  senior  Hays  died  in  the  year  in  which 
his  youngest  son  was  born,  and  the  latter  lived  with  his  mother  until  he  was 
married.  In  1876  the  widowed  mother  came  to  Audubon  county,  where 
her  son,  Samuel,  previously  had  located,  and  later  moved  to  Guthrie  county, 
her  home  being  on  the  Audubon-Guthrie  line. 

Following  his  marriage  in  1875,  Frew  Hays  rented  a  farm  in  Rock 
Island  county,  Illinois,  on  which  he  made  his  home  until  1879,  in  which  year 
he  moved  to  Audubon  county,  arriving  here  the  latter  part  of  January,  he 
some  years  previously  having  bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  of  railroad  land 
on  section  13,  of  Greeley  township,  paying  for  the  same  eight  dollars  an  acre. 
On  this  farm  he  established  his  home,  his  first  dwelling  house  being  a  build- 
ing eighteen  by  twenty-two  feet,  divided  into  three  rooms,  his  barn  being 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  805 

but  a  straw  shed.  On  this  farm  Mr.  Hays  prospered  from  the  very  beginning 
and  he  presently  added  to  his  holdings  by  the  purchase  of  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining.  In  1899  he  built  a  large  house  and  in 
1904  built  a  commodious  barn,  the  outbuildings  of  the  place  corresponding, 
and  now  he  has  one  of  the  best-improved  farms  in  Greeley  township  and 
is  accounted  well-to-do.  He  is  active  and  energetic  and  deserves  all  the 
success  which  has  come  to  him. 

On  December  8,  1875,  at  Muscatine,  Iowa,  Frew  Hays  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Louesa  M.  Reed,  who  was  born  in  Mercer  county,  Illinois, 
the  daughter  of  Leonidas  V.  and  Elizabeth  (Thur)  Reed,  natives,  respec- 
tively, of  North  Carolina  and  of  Germany.  To  this  union  nine  children  were 
born,  eight  of  whom  are  still  living:  Loro  M.,  who  married  Oscar  Miller, 
of  Greeley  township,  this  county,  and  has  three  children,  Olive,  Winnie  and 
Iva;  Jennie  L.,  who  married  John  Shoesmith  and  has  two  children,  Ronald 
and  Velma  May;  Nina  B.,  who  married  William  Alt  and  has  two  children, 
Ruth  and  Raymond;  Mary  lives  at  home;  Lennie,  who  married  George  Alt 
and  has  three  children,  Harley,  Gilbert  and  Mainard;  F.  Lee,  who  married 
Nellie  Noe;  and  Alburtis  and  Winnie,  who  live  at  home.  Emma  died  at 
the  tender  age  of  ten  years. 

The  Hays  family  are  all  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  are  actively 
interested  in  the  good  work  of  the  community  and  are  held  in  the  highest 
regard  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances.  Mr.  Hays  is  a  Demo- 
crat, but  apart  from  exercising  his  right  of  franchise  takes  little  interest  in 
politics.  He  is  a  substantial  farmer,  a  good  citizen,  an  excellent  neighbor 
and  naturally  enough  has  the  full  confidence  of  his  community. 


NATHANIEL  TURNER. 


Greeley  township,  this  county,  mainly  is  occupied  by  the  original  set- 
tlers therein,  the  men  who  broke  the  virgin  soil  of  the  fertile  prairie  and 
who  now,  many  of  them  not  far  past  middle  age,  are  enjoying  the  ripe 
fruits  of  their  labors,  having  profited  well  by  the  exercise  of  their  pioneer- 
ing spirits.  Among  the  best  known  of  these  original  settlers  is  Nathaniel 
Turner,  proprietor  of  "Greeley  Center  Farm,"  one  of  the  best-kept  places 
in  the  township. 

Nathaniel  Turner  was  born  in  Fulton  county,  Illinois,  January  24, 
1856,  the  son  of  John  and  Nancy  (Miller)  Turner,  natives,  respectively,  of 


8o6  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Kentucky  and  Indiana,  farmers  and  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  of  whom 
Nathaniel  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth.  John  Turner  served  the  Union 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  Civil  War  as  a  private  in  Company  G,  Eleventh 
Illinois  Cavalry,  and  shortly  after  the  close  of  the  war  moved  his  family 
to  this  county,  arriving  at  Exira  on  October  28,  1868,  having  driven  over- 
land from  McDonough  county,  Illinois.  The  family  lived  in  Exira  until 
1870,  keeping  hotel  there  for  a  time,  and  then  moved  to  Lewisville,  where 
for  a  year  or  two  they  rented  a  farm  and  then  bought  what  is  known  as  the 
old  Ingham  farm,  south  of  Exira.  After  a  few  years'  residence  there  John 
Turner  resumed  the  renting  of  land  and  thus  continued  his  farming  until 
the  encroachments  of  age  retired  him  for  further  strenuous  activities,  after 
which  he  and  his  wife  made  their  home  with  their  son,  Nathaniel,  and  family. 

Nathaniel  Turner  received  but  a  limited  education  in  his  youth  and 
upon  reaching  his  majority  married  and  rented  a  farm,  on  which  he  lived 
for  ten  or  twelve  years,  and  then  bought  eighty  acres  in  section  22,  of  Gree- 
ley township,  this  county,  on  which  he  ever  since  has  made  his  home.  Upon 
taking  this  farm  Mr.  Turner  was  confronted  with  the  task  of  breaking  the 
virgin  sod  and  his  neighbors  were  few  and  far  between.  He  and  his  wife 
started  housekeeping  in  a  house  fourteen  by  sixteen  feet,  of  two  rooms,  to 
which  they  later  added  another  room.  Straw  sheds  were  used  as  shelters 
for  his  horses  and  cattle.  In  190 1  he  built  a  barn  thirty-six  by  sixty  feet, 
and  in  1904  erected  a  fine  eight-room  house,  his  home  now  being  one  of 
the  pleasantest  in  that  part  of  the  county.  He  since  has  erected  another 
barn  and  additional  farm  buildings  and  his  place  presents  a  very  well-kept 
appearance,  indeed.  As  he  prospered,  Mr.  Turner  added  to  his  holdings 
by  the  purchase  of  an  additional  eighty-acre  farm  in  section  21,  which  he 
also  has  brought  to  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation. 

On  January  4,  1877,  in  old  Lewisville,  this  county,  Nathaniel  Turner 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Marguerite  Frances  Richardson,  who  was  born 
in  Jones  county,  Iowa,  December  3,  1 861,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Phoebe 
(Clemmer)  Richardson,  pioneers  of  that  section,  the  former  of  whom  was 
killed  in  battle  about  a  year  after  his  enlistment  as  a  Union  soldier  during 
the  Civil  War,  leaving  a  widow  and  four  children,  Mrs.  Turner  having  been 
the  third  in  order  of  birth.  Mrs.  Richardson  remarried  and  the  family,  in 
1870,  came  to  Audubon  county,  but  shortly  returned  to  Jones  county,  re- 
turning to  this  county,  however,  in  1876.  The  next  year,  however,  the  mother 
returned  to  Jones  county,  where  she  spent  the  rest  of  her  life. 

To  Nathaniel  and  Marguerite  F.  (Richardson)  Turner  two  children 
were  born,  Roscoe,  born  on  May  13,    1879,  who  married  Edith  Pine  and 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  807 

has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Lois;  and  Alice,  born  on  February  7,  1894,  who 
attended  college  at  Sioux  Falls,  South  Dakota,  and  is  now  living  at  home. 
The  Turners  are  earnest  members  and  supporters  of  the  Methodist  church 
and  were  largely  instrumental  in  the  organization  of  the  church  of  that  de- 
nomination at  Greeley  Center,  Mr.  Turner  having  donated  the  land  on  which 
the  church  was  erected  and  ever  since  has  been  an  active  supporter  of  and 
interested  worker  of  the  church. 

Mr.  Turner  is  a  Democrat,  but  makes  no  pretensions  to  being  a  politician. 
Though  he  has  been  elected  to  township  offices  he  has  never  cared  to  qualify 
for  the  same.  His  interest  in  educational  matters,  however,  is  of  the  active 
sort  and  for  fifteen  years  he  served  very  acceptably  as  school  director  in 
his  district,  his  services  in  that  connection  having  proved  very  valuable  to 
the  interests  of  the  youth  of  the  district.  The  Turners  are  held  in  high 
regard  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances  and  are  popular  with  all. 


ANDREW  P.  TOPP. 


Born  in  Schleswig,  Germany,  February  22,  1868,  Andrew  P.  Topp, 
a  well-known  farmer  of  Sharon  township,  and  the  owner  of  a  splendid 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  is  the  son  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Peter- 
sen) Topp,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Germany,  where  they  lived  all 
their  lives,  and  where  the  father  dealt  in  live  stock  and  operated  a  small  farm. 
Their  five  children,  Jacob,  Mrs.  Mary  Hansen,  and  three  others  are  all  living, 
but  only  Jacob  and  Mrs.  Hansen  are  living  in  Audubon  county,  besides 
Andrew. 

Educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  Andrew  P.  Topp  worked 
with  his  father  on  the  farm  after  leaving  school  until  he  came  to  America 
in  1886.  He  located  first  in  Scott  county,  Iowa,  and  there  he  worked  as  a 
farm  hand  for  about  two  years,  after  which  he  came  to  Audubon  county  and 
located  here  permanently.  After  working  in  Audubon  county  for  four  years, 
however,  he  again  removed,  this  time  to  Minnesota,  where  he  was  foreman 
of  a  cattle  ranch  for  about  two  years.  Returning  once  more  to  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  township,  on 
which  he  is  now  living,  and  which  he  subsequently  increased  to  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.  The  farm  was  wholly  unimproved  when  Mr.  Topp  purchased 
it,  and  during  his  ownership  and  management  he  has  invested  approxi- 
mately thirty-five  hundred  dollars  in  various  improvements.    He  is  accustomed 


8o8  AUDUBOX    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

to  raising  about  fifty-five  acres  of  com  which  yields  on  an  average  fifty 
bushels  to  the  acre,  besides  thirty-five  acres  of  small  grain,  most  of  which  he 
feeds  to  live  stock,  selling  annually  about  eighty-five  head  of  hogs. 

Andrew  P.  Topp  was  married  in  1900  to  Helen  Christensen,  the  daughter 
of  Chris  and  Sine  Christensen,  and  to  this  union  six  children  have  been  born, 
Peter,  Sine,  Chris,  Edward,  Mary  and  Leona,  all  of  whom  are  living  at 
home.  Mrs.  Topp  is  a  daughter  of  native-born  Danish  parents,  although 
she  was  born  in  Illinois,  and  came  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  when  a  small 
child.  They  located  in  Sharon  township.  Her  father  is  now  retired  and 
Hves  in  Kimballton.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  all  of  whom  are 
living. 

■Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrew  P.  Topp  are  members  of  the  Danish-Lutheran 
church,  and  Mr.  Topp  has  sensed  as  treasurer  of  the  church.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  civic  afifairs  of  his 
township,  sen-ing  as  school  director  of  Sharon  township,  and  is  at  present 
the  efficient  and  capable  township  trustee.  He  is  also  treasurer  of  the  local 
school  board. 

Andrew  P.  Topp  is  a  well-known  and  successful  farmer,  a  man  who  is 
thoroughly  engrossed  by  his  vocation;  a  born  optimist,  of  pleasant  and 
agreeable  manners  and  popular  in  the  neighborhood  where  he  lives,  and  as  a 
husbandman  he  has  no  superiors  and  few  equals  in  Sharon  township. 


JORGEN  MARCUSEX. 


Very-  few  young  men  bom  in  the  thriving  little  kingdom  of  Denmark, 
who  have  sought  fortunes  in  this  country,  have  failed  to  achieve  a  satis- 
factory measure  of  success;  some,  however,  have  succeeded  to  a  larger 
extent  than  others.  Among  the  most  successful  and  enterprising  citizens  of 
Audubon  county,  who  have  come  here  from  Denmark,  is  Jorgen  Marcusen, 
a  farmer  of  Sharon  township  and  a  well-known  banker  of  this  county. 
He  is  interested  in  many  enterprises  in  this  section  of  Iowa  and,  possessed 
with  genius  for  good  business  management,  has  been  eminently  successful  in 
his  personal  and  private  affairs.  Many  political  honors  have  also  come  to 
Mr.  Marcusen  and.  in  no  case,  has  he  ever  failed  in  the  performance  of  his 
duty,  whether  private  or  public. 

Jorgen  Marcusen,  who,  among  other  things,  owns  a  splendid  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Sharon  township,  is  a  native  of  Denmark. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  809 

born  there  June  i,  1864.  His  parents,  Christian  and  Margaret  Marcusen, 
both  natives  of  Denmark,  came  to  America  in  1882.  The  father  was  a 
laborer  in  his  native  land,  who,  after  locating  in  section  28  of  Sharon  town- 
ship, purchased  forty  acres  of  land  for  which  he  paid  nine  dollars  an  acre; 
he  made  many  improvements  on  this  farm  and  remained  on  it  until  his  death 
in  1895,  his  wife  surviving  him  until  1898.  They  had  five  children,  Jens, 
Chris,  Hans,  Nick  and  Jorgen.  Christian  Marcusen  served  in  the  Danish- 
Prussian  War,  of  1848,  the  period  of  his  enlistment  having  extended  over 
three  years. 

Most  of  Jorgen  Marcusen's  education  was  received  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  land  and,  after  he  had  finished  his  education,  he  worked  as  a 
farm  hand;  in  fact,  ]\Ir.  Marcusen  has  been  practically  self-supporting  since 
he  was  seven  years  old.  Immediately  after  coming  to  America,  when  seven- 
teen years  old,  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  various  neighboring  farmers, 
the  first  year  receiving  ninety  dollars  for  his  services.  In  1884  he  purchased 
forty  acres  of  land  in  section  28  and  paid  twelve  dollars  an  acre  for  it. 
In  the  meantime,  he  had  broken  the  sod  and  four  years  later  he  began  farm- 
ing for  himself,  dividing  his  attention  between  his  father's  farm  and  the 
forty  acres  which  he  himself  owned.  At  the  same  time  he  was  engaged 
in  breaking  the  prairie  sod  for  other  people  and  continued  to  follow  this 
occupation,  saving  something  each  year  from  his  earnings,  until  he  now 
has  the  two  hundred  and  forty  acre  farm  in  Sharon  township.  Altogether, 
Mr.  Marcusen  has  invested  seven  thousand  dollars  in  improvements  on 
the  place;  they  consist  of  many  outbuildings,  good  fences,  good  ditches  and 
good  roads.  Ordinarily,  he  raises  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of 
com  each  year  and  sixty  acres  of  small  grain,  and  feeds  one  hundred  and 
twenty  head  of  hogs  each  year  and  milks  thirty  head  of  cows. 

Jorgen  Marcusen  was  married  in  1897  to  Martha  Larson,  the  daughter 
of  N.  C.  Larson.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  this  union :  Oscar, 
Laura,  Clara  and  Orla.  ]\Irs.  Marcusen  was  born  in  Denmark  and  her 
parents  are  now  living  in  that  country.  Her  father  is  a  government  official, 
located  at  Fradenburg,  Denmark;  he  takes  care  of  the  government  timber 
land  and  has  been  employed  in  this  work  since  he  was  twenty  years  old. 
N.  C.  Larson  and  wife  have  been  the  parents  of  fourteen  children,  eight 
of  whom  are  living  in  this  country :  Mrs.  Marcusen,  Johanna,  Walter, 
William,  Axel,  Anna,  Sena  and  Karen.  The  other  six  children  are  living 
in  their  native  land :    Digny,  Ingebort,  Christian,  Marie.   Petra  and  Egner. 

Aside  from  the  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  town- 
ship,  which  Mr.   Marcus  owns,   he  is  a  director  and  treasurer  of  the   At- 


8lO  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

lantic  and  Northern  Railway  Company  and  is  also  a  director  in  the  Kim- 
ballton  Savings  Bank,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers.  For  a  young 
man,  who  came  to  this  country  without  any  money  whatever  and  who 
even  found  it  necessary  to  borrow  money  to  pay  for  his  passage,  it  must 
be  admitted  that  Jorgen  Marcusen  has  achieved  splendid  success  in  his 
adopted  country.  Moreover,  Mr.  Marcusen's  energy,  his  talent  and  his  in- 
dustry have  been  recognized  by  the  people  of  Audubon  county  since  many 
positions  of  trust  and  responsibility  have  been  bestowed  upon  him.  He 
has  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  as  township  clerk  for  six  years. 
Formerly,  he  was  treasurer  of  the  Kimballton  Creamery  and  is  secretary 
of  the  corporation  at  this  time. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marcusen  and  family  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church.     In  politics,  Mr.  Marcusen  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

There  are  no  more  patriotic  citizens  living  in  the  state  of  Iowa  than 
Jorgen  Marcusen  and  no  Danish  lad  has  ever  come  to  this  country  with 
a  fuller  realization  of  his  opportunities  and  a  sterner  determination  to 
succeed  than  he.  Mr.  Marcusen's  family  is  popular  in  Sharon  township  and 
his  children  are  regarded  as  worthy  sons  and  daughters.  Jorgen  Marcusen 
is  a  man  of  charitable  and  kindly  impulses,  genial  in  his  manners,  frank 
and  open  in  all  of  his  dealings. 


GEORGE  L.  JORGENSEN. 

George  L.  Jorgensen,  the  owner  of  a  farm  containing  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  in  Sharon  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  one  of  the 
well-known  citizens  of  this  township,  was  born  on  July  6,  1861,  in  Denmark. 
He  is  the  son  of  Christian  L.  and  Anna  (Albertson)  Jorgensen,  and  is  a 
brother  of  Albert  H.  Jorgensen,  whose  life  history  is  recorded  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  Mr.  Jorgensen's  parents  were  both  natives  of  Denmark; 
his  father,  a  sailor  by  occupation,  followed  this  occupation  all  of  his  life 
not  only  in  his  native  land,  but  in  America.  In  1872  he  came  to  this  country 
and  after  locating  in  Chicago,  sailed  on  Lake  Michigan  for  three  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Denmark  to  his  family  and  lived 
there  the  remainder  of  his  life,  passing  away  in  1913.  He  was  a  veteran 
of  the  Danish-Prussian  War  of  1848  and  the  father  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: George  L.,  Carrie,  Albert  H.,  Sophia  and  Anna.  Johanna  is  de- 
ceased. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  8l  I 

George  L.  Jorgensen  received  his  education  in  the  Danish  schools  and 
after  leaving  school,  worked  in  the  neighborhood  as  a  farm  hand  until  he 
came  to  America  in  1879;  at  this  time  he  was  only  eighteen  years  old. 
Nevertheless,  he  came  determined  to  succeed  in  the  new  country  and  brought 
with  him  a  strong  heart  and  a  sound  body,  which  have  served  him  well 
in  the  quest  of  fortune. 

After  locating  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  on  coming  to  America,  he 
worked  here  as  a  farm  hand  for  three  years  and  then  moved  to  Cass 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  for  one  year.  In  1883,  when  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  old,  he  located  in  Sharon  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and 
purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he  is  now  living.  Having  in  the  meantime 
been  able  to  save  considerable  money  from  his  earnings  as  a  farm  hand, 
Mr.  Jorgensen  first  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land,  for  which  he  paid  twelve 
dollars  an  acre.  He  found  it  necessary  to  break  the  sod,  as  the  land  con- 
sisted largely  of  raw  prairie,  and  he  built  a  two-roomed  house,  fourteen  by 
twenty-two  feet  and  about  eight  feet  high.  Since  1883  he  has  invested  ap- 
proximately five  thousand  dollars  in  various  kinds  of  improvements.  He 
raises  sixty  acres  of  corn  each  year,  which  averages  not  less  than  fifty 
bushels  to  the  acre.  Mr.  Jorgensen  feeds  sixty  head  of  hogs  every  year  and 
a  carload  of  cattle;  he  keeps  only  a  very  high  grade  of  live  stock  and  this 
has  been  the  feature  of  his  success  of  mixed  farming.  Mr.  Jorgensen  had 
only  nine  dollars  in  money  when  he  arrived  in  America,  and  it  must  be 
admitted  that  he  has  achieved  a  remarkable  success. 

Three  years  after  arriving  in  this  country,  or  in  1882,  Mr.  Jorgensen 
was  married  to  Sarah  A.  Stone,  the  daughter  of  Frank  and  Mary  Stone. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jorgensen  have  had  eight  children,  four  of  whom,  three 
daughters  and  a  son,  are  now  married.  The  children  are,  Anna,  Frank, 
George,  Nettie,  Clara,  Albert,  Sarah  and  Carrie.  Anna  married  Chris 
Jorgensen  and  has  six  children,  Frank,  Elmer,  Ralph,  Mignus,  Thelma  and 
Norma ;  Frank  married  Christena  Hansen,  and  they  have  one  child,  Ramona ; 
Nettie  married  All)ert  Petersen  and  has  three  children,  Ralph,  Esther  and 
Clifford ;  Clara  married  Vigo  Rasmussen  and  has  four  children,  Irma,  Donald, 
Victor  and  Lanor. 

Mr.  Jorgensen  is  prominent  as  a  citizen  of  Sharon  township,  which 
is  evident  from  the  fact  that  he  has  held  nearly  all  of  the  township  ofiices. 
He  has  served  as  trustee,  school  director,  road  supervisor  and  township  clerk. 
Politically,  he  is  a  progressive  Republican  and  one  of  the  ardent  admirers 
of  Senator  Cummins  in  this  section.     The  Jorgensen  family  are  members  of 


8l2  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

the  Danish  Lutheran  church  and  Mr.  Jorgensen  has  held  practically  all  of 
the  offices  in  the  congregation. 

No  citizen  of  Sharon  township  is  better  known  outside  of  the  township 
perhaps  than  George  L.  Jorgensen,  and  no  citizen  of  Sharon  township  is 
better  liked  by  the  people  of  his  neighborhood  who  know  him  best.  While 
he  has  been  keenly  interested  in  his  progress  as  a  farmer,  he  has  not  neglected 
the  larger  interests,  and  his  support  in  behalf  of  worthy  public  movements 
can  always  be  depended  upon. 


CHRIS  H.  CHRISTIANSEN. 

Chris  H.  Christiansen,  who  came  to  this  country  when  a  youth  of  nine- 
teen, has  enjoyed  a  successful  and  honorable  career  in  his  adopted  country. 
There  are  few  citizens  living  in  Sharon  township  more  widely  known  than 
Mr,  Christiansen,  and  few  who  have  a  larger  circle  of  friends. 

An  enterprising  farmer,  the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
Sharon  and  Douglas  townships,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  Chris  H.  Christian- 
sen was  born  on  December  27,  1861,  in  Denmark.  His  parents  were  Chris 
and  Anna  Marie  Christiansen,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  laborer  in  his  native  land  all  of  his  life.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christansen 
had  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living:  Mrs.  Mary  Smith,  Albert 
and  Chris  H.,  Jr. 

Chris  H.  Christiansen,  Jr.,  received  his  education  principally  in  the 
schools  of  Denm^ark,  and  after  completing  his  education,  worked  in  the 
neighborhood  of  his  home  as  a  farm  hand  until  he  was  nineteen  years  old. 
In  1880  he  came  to  America  and  after  an  uneventful  voyage  across  the 
Atlantic,  he  came  direct  to  Audubon  county  and  worked  here  as  a  farm 
hand  for  a  few  years.  Out  of  his  savings,  he  was  subsequently  able  to  buy 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  township,  the  place  upon  which  he  now 
lives  and  for  which  he  paid  thirteen  dollars  an  acre.  Mr.  Christiansen, 
however,  has  invested  seven  thousand  dollars  in  improvements  upon  the  farm. 
Ordinarily  he  raises,  annually,  seventy  acres  of  corn,  which  in  1914  yielded 
sixty-five  bushels  to  the  acre.  When  he  came  to  America,  he  had  only  about 
twenty-five  dollars  in  money,  and  with  this  small  nucleus  as  a  starter,  he 
has  been  able  to  acquire  a  substantial  fortune. 

In  1889  Chris  H.  Christiansen  was  married  to  Mary  Petersen,  the 
daughter  of   Hans  and  Anna   Marie   Petersen.      The   marriage   took   place 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  813 

about  nine  years  after  Mr.  Christiansen  had  come  to  America,  when  he 
was  twenty-eight  years  old.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Chris,  Hans  is  deceased,  and  Anna.  Chris  married  Christena 
Larsen  and  has  one  child,  Maren  Hilda. 

For  a  young  man,  unacquainted  with  our  language  and  our  customs, 
who  began  working  in  this  country  for  seven  dollars  a  month,  breaking 
sod  and  doing  other  hard  and  laborious  work,  the  career  of  Chris  H. 
Christiansen  is  a  conspicuous  success  and  a  splendid  example  of  what  other 
young  men  may  accomplish.  When  he  first  came  to  this  country,  his  house, 
which  was  only  fourteen  by  twenty-two  feet,  consisted  of  only  two  rooms 
and  his  barn  was  fourteen  by  twenty- four  feet.  Mr.  Christiansen  now 
feeds  about  seventy  head  of  hogs  each  year,  and  the  raising  of  hogs  he  has 
found  to  be  very  profitable. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chris  H.  Christiansen  are  member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church,  of  which  Mr.  Christiansen  is  a  trustee.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican 
and  has  served  as  school  director  in  his  locality. 

Chris  H.  Christiansen  is  wholly  worthy  of  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  the  neighborhood  where  he  lives.  Mr.  Christiansen  enjoys  this  esteem 
and  today  he  is  honored  and  respected  in  the  community  where  he  has  lived 
so  long  and  where  the  people  have  had  an  opportunity  to  know  what  manner 
of  man  he  is. 


ALBERT  H.  JORGENSEN. 

One  of  the  best-known  Danish  families  living  in  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  is  that  of  the  Jorgensens.  The  family  is  especially  well-known  in  this 
county,  because  of  the  prominence  which  the  various  members  have  attained, 
and  on  account  of  their  success  in  farming  and  the  interest  which  the  various 
members  have  taken  in  the  public  affairs  of  the  county.  By  skillful  and 
careful  management  of  their  personal  affairs,  they  have  been  able  to  outstrip 
many  of  the  less  active  and  less  able  citizens  who  have  come  to  this  county 
from  Denmark  and  from  other  lands.  Albert  H.  Jorgensen,  a  farmer  of 
Sharon  township,  is  one  of  the  best  known  representatives  of  the  Jorgensen 
family  in  this  county. 

Mr.  Jorgensen,  who  among  other  things  owns  three  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  in  Sharon  township,  was  born  on  August  5,  1866,  in  Denmark. 
His  parents,  Chris  L.  and  Anna  (Albertson)  Jorgensen,  were  both  natives 
of  Denmark.     Chris  L.  Jorgensen  was  a  sailor  by  occupation,  and  followed 


8l4  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

this  practically  all  his  life,  not  only  in  his  native  land,  but  in  this  country. 
In  1872  he  came  to  America  and  after  locating  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  sailed  on 
Lake   Michigan   for  three  years.      Seized  with  a  desire  to  visit  his  home 
people,  he  returned  to  Denmark  to  his  family  and  lived  in  his  native  land 
the  remainder  of  his  life.     Early  in  life  he  had  served  in  the  Danish-German 
War  of  1848.     He  died  in  July,  1913,  ripe  in  years,  honored  and  respected 
by  the  host  of  people  who  had  known  him  in  his  active  life.     He  was  the 
father    of    six    children,    five    of    whom    are    now    living,  Johannah  being 
deceased.     The  others  are,  George  L.,  Carrie,  Albert  H.,  Sophia  and  Anna. 
Albert  H.  Jorgensen  received  a  good  education  in  the  Danish  schools 
before  coming  to  this  country.   He  was  only  sixteen  years  old  when  he  arrived 
in  America  in  1882,  and  immediately  after  coming  here  located  in  Audubon 
county,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  four  years.     In  the  meantime, 
he  had  saved  considerable  money  from  his  earnings,  and  was  able  to  buy 
forty  acres  of  land,  for  which  he  paid  fourteen  dollars  an  acre.     This  small 
tract  of  land  was  located  in  Sharon  township,  and  it  is  the  same  farm  upon 
which  Mr.  Jorgensen  now  lives.     He  has  been  engaged  in  general  farming 
all  his  life,  and  as  he  has  prospered  he  has  been  able  to  add  to  his  farming 
holdings  from  time  to  time.     Usually  he  raises  a  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  corn,  which  yields  an  average  of  not  less  than  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre; 
he  also  raises  about  seventy-five  acres  of  small  grain  and   forty  acres  of 
hay  every  year.     Mr.   Jorgensen  is  an  enthusiastic  believer  in  the  virtues 
of  alfalfa  as  a  forage  crop,  and  has  twenty  acres  sown  to  that  crop.     Prac- 
tically all  of  his  grain  and  his  hay,  especially  the  alfalfa,  he  feeds  to  hogs 
and  cattle.     However,  he  is  not  able  to  raise  enough  grain,  and  generally 
buys  three  to  five  thousand  bushels  of  corn  every  year  in  addition  to  what 
he  raises.    He  feeds  about  two  hundred  head  of  hogs  and  seventy-five  head 
of  cattle,  and  only  raises  thoroughbred  Shorthorn  cattle,  and  Duroc-Jersey 
hogs.     The  Jorgensen  farm,  upon  which  there  has  been  invested  more  than 
fifteen   thousand    dollars   in    improvements,    is   believed    to   be   the   best   in 
Sharon  township;  it  is  equipped  with  two  silos,  which  have  a  tonnage  of 
three  hundred  tons.     Mr.  Jorgensen  was  one  of  the  promoters  and  served 
as  vice-president  for  three  years  of  the  Atlantic  &  Northern  Railway  Com- 
pany. 

On  November  2,  1888,  six  years  after  coming  to  America,  Albert  H. 
Jorgensen  was  married  to  Maren  K.  Clausen,  daughter  of  Claus  C.  and 
Christena  (Madsen)  Clausen,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  where  the  former 
was  a  blacksmith  and  where  he  followed  his  occupation  all  his  life;  he  is 
still  living  in  his  native  land,  but  is  now  retired.     He  served  in  the  Danish- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  815 

Prussian  War  of  1864,  and  has  lived  to  rear  a  family  of  nine  children, 
eight  of  whom  are  still  living,  two  being  in  Audubon  county,  Christian  F. 
Clausen  and  Mrs.  Jorgensen. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Albert  H.  Jorgensen  have  been  the  parents  of  a  large 
family  of  children.  Of  the  ten  children  only  one,  Anna,  the  eighth-born, 
is  married.  She  married  Albert  Jensen,  and  they  have  one  child,  Herluf. 
The  other  children  are,  Chris  L.,  Clarence,  Albert,  Marcius,  Mads,  Jens, 
Nels,  Anna,  Christina  and  Bertha. 

Albert  H.  Jorgensen  is  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church,  of  which  he  was  treasurer  for  a  number  of  years,  and  also  was 
trustee.     Politically,  he  is  an  independent  Republican. 

Among  the  other  enterprises  in  which  Mr.  Jorgensen  is  interested,  has 
been  his  connection  with  the  well-known  stock  breeders  of  Audubon,  and  Mr. 
Jorgensen  himself  makes  a  specialty  of  Belgian  and  Clyde  horses,  and  his 
profit  in  this  industry  has  been  no  inconsiderable  factor  in  his  success. 
Albert  H.  Jorgensen  well  desen^es  the  high  standard  which  he  enjoys  among 
the  people  of  Audubon  county.  He  has  gone  on  from  year  to  year,  looking 
carefully  after  the  details  of  his  business,  yet  he  has  never  neglected  the 
larger  interests  of  the  public,  and  is  regarded  as  a  man  of  charitable  habits  and 
kindly  disposition.  It  must  be  said  in  justice  to  the  history  of  this  section, 
that  no  man  has  had  a  larger  part  in  its  commercial  and  agricultural  de- 
velopment than  Albert  H.  Jorgensen. 


IRA  STETZEL. 


Ira  Stetzel,  who  is  a  well-known  farmer  of  Cameron  township.  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  owns  eighty  acres  of  land  and  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  was  born  on  January  17,  1885,  the  son 
of  George  and  Catherine  (Albright)  Stetzel.  George  Stetzel  was  born  in 
Alsace,  France,  and  his  wife,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Catherine  Al- 
bright, was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  The  father  was  a  miner  in  his  native 
land,  who  came  to  America  in  i860,  and  after  arriving  in  this  country  lo- 
cated in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  farmed  for 
twenty-six  years,  or  until  1886,  when  he  came  to  Audubon  county. 

After  locating  in  Audubon  county.  George  Stetzel  purchased  a  farm 
in  Douglas  township,  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  engaged  in 
general  farming  until  his  death,  January  17,  1903.     He  was  born,  July  25, 


8l6  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

1830,  and  therefore  was  almost  seventy-three  years  old  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  George  and  Catherine  (Albright)  Stetzel  had  sixteen  children 
born  to  them,  and  all  are  still  living.  They  are  as  follow :  Elizabeth,  Lena, 
Anna,  Henry,  Barbara,  Cassie,  Daniel,  Charles,  Emma,  Martha,  G.  Wesley, 
Sarah,  Louis,  Rosa,  Ira,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Ella. 

Ira  Stetzel,  who  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Audubon 
county,  and  who  after  leaving  school  farmed  with  his  mother  until  he  was 
of  age,  began  farming  for  himself  and  since  has  been  so  engaged.  Mr. 
Stetzel  is  accustomed  to  raise  about  sixty-five  acres  of  corn  and  forty  acres 
of  small  grain.  He  feeds  some  fifty  head  of  hogs  every  year,  and  keeps 
only  thoroughbred  Shorthorn  cattle  on  the  farm.  He  has  been  very  success- 
ful in  mixed  farming  and  is  considered  one  of  the  enterprising  young  farmers 
of  Cameron  township.  Mr.  Stetzel  has  invested  approximately  five  thousand 
dollars  in  various  kinds  of  improvements  upon  his  Cameron  township  farm. 

Religiously,  Mr.  Stetzel  belongs  to  the  ^Evangelical  association  and  is 
president  of  the  Sunday  school.  Politically,  he  is  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican party. 

Although  Ira  Stetzel  has  never  married,  and  is  still  a  comparatively 
young  man,  he  has  enjoyed  unusual  success  in  farming,  largely  because  he 
devotes  his  undivided  attention  to  his  life's  vocation.  Mr.  Stetzel  is  keenly 
interested  in  farming  and  his  natural  liking  for  his  life's  vocation  has  been 
no  small  factor  in  his  success.  Mr.  Stetzel  has  many  warm  friends  in  Cameron 
township,  where  he  is  well  known. 


CHARLES  BOEHME. 


Charles  Boehme,  a  prosperous  farmer  of  Audubon  township,  Audu- 
bon county,  Iowa,  and  the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  this 
townhip,  was  born  on  March  7,  1859,  in  Brandon  City,  V^ermont.  He  is 
the  son  of  William  and  Mary  Ann  Boehme.  natives  of  Rems,  Germany, 
and  Lincolnshire,  England,  respectively. 

William  and  Mary  Ann  Boehme  came  to  the  United  States  about 
1858  and  were  married  in  Quebec,  Canada,  soon  after  landing  in  this 
country.  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Boehme's  mother  having  died,  she  came  over 
to  this  country  with  her  father,  who  took  sick,  died  and  was  buried  at  sea. 
leaving  her  an  orphan.  She  was  the  only  child  born  to  her  parents.  After 
their  marriage,  William  and  Mary  Ann  Boehme  went  to  New  York  City, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  S\y 

where  they  remained  a  short  time  and  then  removed  to  Vermont,  where  they 
hved  until  1866,  when  they  moved  to  Washington  county,  Iowa.  There 
Wilham  Boehme  pre-empted  eighty  acres  of  land,  paying  one  dollar  and 
twenty-five  cents  an  acre  for  it,  and  there  they  remained  the  remainder  of 
their  lives. 

Charles  Boehme  lived  at  home  until  twenty- four  years  old,  when  he 
left  home  and  worked  at  various  occupations  in  different  states.  After  his 
marriage,  he  and  his  wife  located  at  Walnut,  Iowa,  where  he  rented  land 
for  three  years.  In  the  spring  of  1889,  they  came  to  Audubon  county  and 
here  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  14,  of  Greeley  township. 
After  living  there  for  five  years,  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Audubon  town- 
ship, where  he  rented  land  again  for  six  more  years.  In  September,  1900, 
he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  section  12,  of  Audu- 
bon township,  and  here  he  now  lives.  He  has  since  added  forty  acres  to 
the  original  farm.  Mr.  Boehme  has  made  many  improvements  upon  the 
farm  and  now  has  a  fertile  and  highly  productive  farm,  well  equipped  with 
all  of  the  modern  conveniences  and  highly  suitable  to  successful  farming. 

On  February  18,  1877,  Charles  Boehme  was  married  in  Montezuma, 
Poweshiek  county,  to  Alice  Kness,  who  was  born  on  September  20,  185 1, 
in  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  the  daughter  of  Martin  and  Hannah 
(Morehead)  Kness,  who  were  natives  of  Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  moved  to  Poweshiek  county  in  1865. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Boehme  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  five 
sons  and  two  daughters,  as  follow :  Otis  W.,  born  on  May  7,  1878,  married 
Jennie  Baylor  and  has  one  child;  Lowell  B.,  was  graduated  from  the  phar- 
maceutical department  of  Drake  University  and  now  owns  a  store  at  Osce- 
ola, Iowa;  Maud  E.,  July  25,  1880,  died  on  May  15,  1910,  taught  nine  terms 
of  school  in  Audubon  township;  Elmer,  November  4,  1883,  married  Ethel 
Wheeler  and  has  two  children,  Maud  Evelyn  and  Carl  Russell;  Clyde, 
August  13,  1885,  married  Carrie  Stephensen  and  has  two  children,  Lois 
Elaine  and  Huriel  Owen;  Fred,  August  21,  1888,  married  Susie  Schwab 
and  has  two  children,  Thelma  and  Glen;  Ray,  June  17,  1891,  married  Dora 
J.  Stephensen;  Mabel  I.,  December  31,  1894,  attended  the  Western  Normal 
College  at  Shenandoah,  Iowa,  and  the  Highland  Park  College  at  Des  Moines 
and  now  teaches  school  in  Audubon  township. 

Mr.   Boehme  is  a  Republican.     He  has  served  as  township  trustee  for 
six  years  and  has  also  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  Audubon  township. 
Mrs.  Boehme  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  her  daughter,  Mabel  I., 
(52) 


8l8  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church.     Mr.  Boehme  is  an  adherent  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

The  Boehmes  are  highly  respected  citizens  in  this  community  and  the 
family  is  popular  socially  in  Audubon  township.  Charles  Boehme  is  known 
as  an  enterprising  and  prosperous  farmer  and  one  who  thoroughly  under- 
stands the  science  of  farming  as  it  is  interpreted  and  practiced  today.  He 
is  a  man  of  honorable  and  upright  character  and  well  liked  in  the  community 
where  he  lives. 


EDMUND  H.  STEERE. 


One  of  the  successful  general  farmers  and  stockmen  of  Lincoln  town- 
ship, Audubon  county,  is  Edmund  H.  Steere,  who  has  done  well  his  part  in 
the  work  of  transforming  the  raw  Iowa  prairie  into  its  present  highly- 
productive  condition.  Mr.  Steere  came  to  this  county  penniless,  and  the 
fine  farm  he  now  owns  is  the  result  of  his  well-directed  efforts  in  this 
community. 

Edmund  H.  Steere  was  born  on  November  15,  1856,  in  Minnesota. 
He  is  a  son  of  Russell  A.  and  Alice  J.  Steere.  He  attended  the  public  school 
for  two  years  in  Minnesota,  five  years  in  a  public  school  in  Michigan,  and 
later,  attended  the  old  Oak  Field  high  school  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa, 
for  two  years.  Quitting  school  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  went  to  work 
on  his  father's  farm,  remaining  with  him  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  rented  a  farm  south  of  Gray  for  three  years,  eighty  acres  of  which 
he  later  bought  for  twelve  dollars  an  acre.  In  1892,  Mr.  Steers  bought 
another  farm  of  eighty  acres  adjoining  his  home  place,  for  which  he  paid 
thirty-three  dollars  an  acre.  In  1906,  he  bought  forty  acres  in  Cameron 
township,  at  a  cost  of  seventy  dollars  an  acre,  and  again,  in  191 1,  he 
purchased  an  additional  forty  acres,  paying  one  hundred  and  thirty  dollars 
an  acre.  Mr.  Steere  has  spent  about  seven  thousand  dollars  in  improve- 
ments on  his  home  place,  including  two  miles  of  tiling.  His  principal 
crops  are  corn  and  small  grain,  all  of  which  is  fed  to  his  stock.  Thp 
corn  yields  about  fifty  or  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  the  small  grain 
about  thirty-five  bushels.  Mr.  Steere  is  a  regular  attendant  of  the  Methodist 
church  at  Gray,  and  always  votes  the  Republican  ticket. 

Russell  A.  Steere  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  his  wife  a  native  of 
Jacksonville,  Illinois.  They  were  married  in  Minnesota,  and  lived  on  a 
farm  in  that  state  for  twelve  years.     They  owned  one  hundred  and  sixty 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  819 

acres,  which  they  sold,  going  from  there  to  Michigan,  where  they  bought 
a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  on  which  they  Hved  five  years,  and  then  went  back 
to  Minnesota.  After  remaining  there  about  a  year,  they  moved  to  the 
southern  part  of  Audubon  county,  near  Brayton,  and  bought  a  quarter  sec- 
tion in  Cameron  township.  They  Hved  on  this  place  fourteen  years,  where 
Russell  A.  Steere  died  in  1890,  and  Alice  J.  Steere  died  in  1910.  To  this 
couple  were  born  six  children,  as  follow :  Edmund  H.,  Ernest  K.,  Lincoln 
R.,  Elanor,  Alice  and  Herbert.  Ernest  died  in  Audubon  county,  in  1892. 
Lincoln  is  married  and  lives  in  Tennessee.  Elanor  is  married  and  lives  in 
Audubon  county.  Alice  is  also  married,  and  lives  in  Audubon  county.  Her- 
bert lives  in  Wyoming. 

Edmund  H.  Steere  was  married,  in  1887,  to  Mary  Mulloy,  daughter  of 
Coote  C.  Mulloy.  Mrs.  Mary  Steere's  father  died  at  Carrollton,  Iowa,  near 
Coon  Rapids,  in  1872,  and  her  mother  died  at  Broadwater,  Nebraska,  in  191 1. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steere  have  been  born  three  children.  Hazel,  Ernest 
and  Alice.  Hazel  spent  two  years  in  the  high  school  at  Gray,  and  after 
two  years  in  the  Audubon  high  school  was  graduated  with  the  class  of 
191 1,  standing  at  the  head  of  the  class  and  gaining  a  scholarship.  She 
is  now  teaching  school.  Ernest  spent  two  years  at  the  Gray  high  school 
and  was  graduated  from  the  Audubon  high  school  after  two  years.  He  is 
now  working  at  home  on  the  farm.     Alice  is  attending  high  school  at  Gray. 


CHRIS  CHRISTENSEN. 


Among  the  many  well-known  farmers  of  Sharon  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  who  have  made  a  conspicuous  success  of  agriculture,  |is 
Chris  Christensen,  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  splendid 
land.  Mr.  Christensen  is  one  of  the  old-time  residents  of  Audubon  county, 
although  he,  himself,  is  scarcely  past  the  prime  of  life. 

Chris  Christensen  was  born  in  Denmark,  November  21,  1865,  and  is 
a  son  of  J.  C.  and  Mary  Christensen,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Den- 
mark, who  came  to  America  in  1879.  J.  C.  Christensen  was  a  mason  by 
trade  and  followed  that  occupation  until  he  came  to  America.  After  ar- 
riving in  this  country  he  located  in  section  30,  of  Sharon  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  about  forty-six  acres  of  land  for  three 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  dollars  and  twenty-eight  cents.  Later,  he  increased 
his  land  holdings  to  one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  improved  his  farm 


820  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

in  many  ways.  He  broke  the  raw  prairie  sod  originally,  which  had  never 
been  previously  plowed,  and  was  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock 
raising  until  his  death,  February  22,  1910.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Christensen 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  living: 
Peter,  Carrie,  Chris,  Mrs.  J.  J.  Andersen,  Sena,  Martin  C,  and  Andrew. 
J.  C.  Christensen  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1864  before  coming  to  this 
country.  After  having  lived  a  useful  life  and  a  life  which  was  devoted  to 
the  welfare  of  her  husband  and  family,  Mrs.  J-  C.  Cliristensen.  the  mother  of 
Chris  Christensen,  died  in  1895. 

Chris  Christensen,  after  having  completed  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  land,  resumed  his  studies  on  coming  to  America,  and  attended 
school  here  for  a  short  time.  He  worked  out  by  the  month  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  and  then  located  on  an  eighty-acre  tract  of 
land  which  he  purchased  in  1884.  He  broke  the  sod  and  improved  his  place 
in  various  ways,  and  has  enjoyed  altogether  a  good  record  as  a  farmer.  Mr. 
Christensen  paid  ten  dollars  an  acre  for  the  first  eighty-acre  tract  which 
he  bought  from  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway  Company,  and 
he  has  invested  ten  thousand  dollars  in  improvements  on  the  place,  making 
it  now  one  of  the  valuable  farms  of  the  township.  He  is  accustomed  to 
raising  an  average  of  sixty  acres  of  corn  and  forty  acres  of  small  grain 
each  year,  and  feeds  all  of  the  grain  raised  on  the  farm  to  live  stock,  and  is 
able  to  produce  every  year  sufficient  grain  to  feed  one  hundred  head  of 
hogs  and  a  carload  of  cattle  for  the  markets.  He  always  keeps  a  very 
high  grade  of  live  stock,  and  has  been  very  successful  in  this  branch  of 
agriculture.  Mr.  Christensen  has  three  barns  on  his  farm,  one,  sixty  by 
fifty-six;  one,  fifty-six  by  sixty,  and  the  third,  fifty-six  by  forty,  and  is 
fully  equipped  for  scientific  and  successful  farming. 

Chris  Christensen  was  married  in  1893  to  Anna  Sorensen,  the  daughter 
of  Peter  C.  and  Johanna  Sorensen,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have 
been  born,  Guy,  Gaylor,  Leroy,  Hazel  and  Johanna,  all  of  whom  are  living 
at  home  with  their  parents. 

Chris  Christensen  is  an  independent  voter  and  has  l^een  for  many  years. 
In  fact,  he  has  never  permanently  identified  himself  with  any  political  party, 
although  taking  an  active  interest  in  all  matters  of  public  welfare.  Al- 
though the  Christensen  family  attend  church,  they  are  not  actively  identi- 
fied with  any  church  organization. 

Having  only  six  dollars  in  cash  when  he  purchased  his  first  eighty 
acres  of  land,  Mr.  Christensen  each  year  has  saved  something  out  of  the 
profits  of  the  farm,  and  today  he  is  one  of  the  substantial  landholders  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  821 

Sharon  township,  and  while  he  has  apphed  himself  industriously  to  his  voca- 
tion, he  has  never  neglected  the  larger  duties  of  life,  and  is  an  honored  citizen 
of  the  township  where  he  lives. 


ERIK  P.  SIMONSEN. 


It  requires  great  strength  of  manhood  and  rare  courage  to  sever  the 
ties  that  bind  one  to  home  and  native  land  and  to  seek  a  fortune  in  a  new 
country.  Erik  P.  Simonsen,  a  well-known  retired  farmer  of  Sharon  town- 
ship, Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  acres  of  land  in  this  township,  came  to  America  when  twenty-eight 
years  old,  leaving  behind  him  all  that  was  near  and  dear  and  breaking  all 
of  the  associations  of  childhood  and  youth.  Mr.  Simonsen  was  born  on 
July  4,  1849,  the  son  of  Hans  and  Anna  (Clausen)  Simonsen,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Denmark,  where  Hans  Simonsen  was  a  farmer,  and 
where  he  lived  all  his  life.  Of  their  ten  children,  four  are  now  living, 
but  only  two  are  living  in  this  country. 

Erik  P.  Simonsen  received  his  education  in  his  native  land,  and  after 
leaving  school  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  he  came  to  America  in  1877. 
Arriving  in  this  country  he  located  first  at  Bowmans  Grove,  Shelby  county, 
Iowa,  and  remaining  there  for  one  year  he  then  went  to  Cass  county,  and 
worked  a  year.  After  this  he  lived  in  Audubon  county,  and  here  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  sixty  acres,  for  which  he  paid  eight  dollars  an  acre.  Engaged 
in  general  farming,  Mr.  Simonsen  prospered  from  year  to  year  and,  as 
new  land  was  added,  broke  the  sod  and  reduced  the  soil  to  an  excellent  state 
of  cultivation.  He  was  accustomed  to  feed  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
head  of  hogs  every  year,  fifty  head  of  cattle,  and  to  raise  ninety  acres  of 
corn.  In  191 3  his  corn  averaged  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  in  that 
year  he  also  raised  fifty  acres  of  small  grain,  all  of  which  was  fed  to 
hogs  and  cattle.  Coming  to  America  with  only  eight  hundred  dollars, 
Mr.  Simonsen  has  been  able  to  increase  his  wealth  until  he  now  owns  two 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres  of  fine  farming  land  in  Sharon  township. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  America,  Mr.  Simonsen  was  married  to 
Carrie  Albertsen,  daughter  of  Knud  Albertsen,  and  to  this  happy  union  nine 
children  were  born,  as  follow :  Anna,  Elena,  Stena,  Eugena,  Hans,  Alfred, 
Emma,  Arthur  and  Amanda.  Anna  married  Anders  Jensen,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  Elena,  Dagmar,  Astra,  Gonda,  Edna,  Herluf, 


822  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Elenora  and  Erna.  Elena  married  V.  S.  Jensen  and  to  them  were  born  five 
children,  Halvor,  Thorwald,  Arthur,  Ydun  and  Thelma.  Stena  married 
T.  G.  Jensen,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  Areling,  Amanda, 
Eva  and  Thelma  Viola.  Eugena  married  Hjalmar  Rasmussen  and  to  them 
were  born  four  children,  Edel.  Veta,  Hilga  and  Eva.  The  remainder  of 
Mr.  Simonsen's  family  are  unmarried  and  live  at  home.  Mrs.  Simonsen, 
who  was  born  in  Denmark,  came  to  America  in  1878,  and  was  married  to 
Mr.  Simonsen  a  very  short  time  after  her  arrival  in  America. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Erik  P.  Simonsen  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church,  and  Mr.  Simonsen  is  a  trustee  in  the  church.  Politically,  he  is 
identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

Erik  P.  Simonsen  is  a  well-known  citizen  of  Sharon  township,  and 
during  the  active  and  productive  period  of  his  career  while  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  he  was  considered  one  of  the  most  skillful  agriculturists  in 
this  section  of  the  county.  His  success  is  evidenced  by  the  large  increase 
in  personal  and  real  property  since  coming  to  America.  Mr.  Simonsen  is 
a  highly-respected  and  honored  citizen  of  Audubon  county. 


REV.  HERMAN  L.  JENSEN. 

The  Rev.  Herman  L.  Jensen,  pastor  of  the  Bethany  Danish  Evangelical 
church  of  Sharon  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  has  been  a  citizen  of 
this  county  some  fifteen  years,  having  come  to  America  after  being  educated 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  and  after  working  at  the  blacksmith  trade 
for  a  period  of  nine  years.  He  also  served  fourteen  months  in  the  Danish 
army  before  leaving  his  native  country. 

Born  in  Denmark,  March  14,  1876,  the  son  of  Jens  and  Anna  (Emmick- 
sen)  Jensen,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  Rev.  Herman  L.  Jensen  has  had 
an  interesting  career.  His  father  was  a  laborer  all  his  life  and  died  in  his 
native  land,  January  24,  1906;  his  mother  is  still  living  in  Denmark.  Of 
the  fourteen  children  born  to  Jens  and  Anna  Jensen,  seven  are  now  living, 
as  follows:  Mrs.  Minnie  Swanson,  William  F.,  Thorwald,  Peter,  Anna, 
Kristine,  and  the  Rev.  Herman  L. 

Herman  L.  Jensen,  after  coming  to  America,  located  in  Lyon  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm  for  one  year,  and  then  as  a  blacksmith 
for  two  years.     About  1903  he  entered  Dana  College  at  Blair,   Nebraska, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  823 

and  after  completing  the  course  of  instruction  there,  and  at  Trinity  Seminary, 
was  ordained  at  Elkhorn,  Iowa,  June  6,  1909,  as  a  minister  in  the  Danish 
Evangelical  church.  Coming  to  the  Bethany  church  immediately  after  his 
ordination,  he  has  remained  here  since  that  time.  In  the  meantime  he  has 
started  a  mission  in  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  which  was  begun  three  years 
ago  with  three  families,  and  which  now  includes  a  congregation  of  twenty- 
two  families.  The  congregation  is  in  a  thriving  condition  and  contemplates 
the  erection  of  a  large  church. 

Rev.  H.  L.  Jensen  was  married  on  June  16,  1909,  to  Marie  Juhl,  the 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Anna  Juhl,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  two 
children,  Victor  Julius  and  Anna  Elvera. 

There  is  no  calling  and  no  vocation  in  which  the  opportunity  for  service 
is  greater  than  that  of  the  ministry,  and  the  Rev.  Herman  L.  Jensen  has 
improved  upon  his  opportunities,  and  with  sincerity  of  purpose  and  the 
zeal  of  the  devout  Christian,  has  carried  forward  his  work  in  this  part  of 
Iowa  with  consummate  success.  Although  devoted  primarily  to  spiritual 
matters,  Mr.  Jensen  is  a  good  citizen  in  the  largest  sense  of  the  word  and 
has  always  taken  a  keen  interest  in  public  affairs,  but  in  political  matters, 
he  is  an  independent  voter.  He  is  popular  with  his  congregation  of  the 
Bethany  church  and  well  equipped  to  become  in  time  one  of  the  foremost 
ministers  of  the  state  in  his  denomination. 


WILLIAM  J.  LANCELOT. 

William  J.  Lancelot,  the  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Audubon  County 
Journal,  has  enjoyed  a  diverting  and  interesting  career.  He  has  been  en- 
gaged in  many  enterprises,  and  the  remarkable  fact  is  that  he  has  been 
conspicuously  successful  in  everything  to  which  he  has  turned  his  hand. 
The  son  of  a  well-known  English  sea  captain,  he  has  been  a  farmer,  butcher, 
merchant,  newspaper  correspondent  and,  finally,  the  owner  of  a  newspaper. 
The  secret  of  Mr.  Lancelot's  success,  perhaps,  is  the  splendid  education  and 
training  he  received  in  his  native  land.  Schooled  in  habits  of  industry  and 
methodical,  precise  manners  of  doing  work,  Mr.  Lancelot's  career  should 
serve  as  an  example  to  young  men  of  our  day  and  generation,  who  are 
more  or  less  inclined  to  be  careless  and  indifferent  to  details. 

William  J.  Lancelot,  the  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Audubon  County 
Journal,  at  Exira,  Iowa,  was  born  on  December  4,  1849,  "^  Falmouth,  County 


824  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

of  Cornwall,  England.  He  is  the  son  of  William  H.  and  Isabelle  H. 
(Truscott)  Lancelot,  and  was  second  in  a  family  of  six  children.  William 
H.  Lancelot,  the  father,  was  for  many  years  a  sea  captain  in  command  of  a 
ship  which  sailed  on  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  ocean,  and  for  many  years 
he  was  in  the  government  service  with  headquarters  at  Falmouth,  England. 

William  J.  Lancelot,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  having  been  educated 
in  a  select  school  in  his  native  land,  emigrated  to  America  when  eighteen 
years  old,  and  landed  in  New  York  City,  eventually  came  west  and  settled 
in  Clayton  county,  Iowa,  where  for  a  time  he  engaged  in  farming.  He 
had  served  an  apprenticeship  as  a  butcher  in  his  native  land,  and  followed 
this  business  after  coming  to  Iowa.  In  1876  he  removed  to  Cameron 
Center,  Audubon  county,  and'  farmed  there  until  1885,  when  he  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business  at  Ross,  Iowa,  in  partnership  with  Frank  Gleason, 
of  Audubon.  After  a  time  Mr.  Lancelot  sold  out  and  in  partnership  with 
F.  P.  Rees  purchased  the  stock  of  W.  P.  Johnson  &  Company,  of  Gray, 
Iowa.  Mr.  Lancelot  and  Mr.  Rees  established  their  business  in  1886,  and 
for  many  years  were  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Gray,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Lancelot  &  Rees. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Lancelot  had  served  as  the  Audubon  county  cor- 
respondent of  the  Des  Moines  Register.  In  1893  he  sold  out  his  interest 
in  the  store  at  Gray  and  subsequently  purchased  the  Audubon  County  Journal. 

On  January  i,  1905.  the  Lancelots  came  into  possession  of  the  Audu- 
bon County  Journal,  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  became  its  editor,  and 
for  ten  years  has  maintained  a  strictly  independent  and  progressive  paper, 
with  one  of  the  best  equipped  offices  in  the  state. 


GEORGE  EAGEN. 


Born  in  Johnson  county,  this  state,  reared  as  a  farmer  and  with  a  suf- 
ficient experience  as  a  farmer  in  Nebraska  to  convince  him  that  Audubon 
county,  this  state,  in  which  he  had  previously  lived  for  a  time,  was  the  best 
spot  on  earth  for  the  farmer,  George  Eagen,  one  of  the  w-ell-known  and 
substantial  farmers  of  Greeley  township,  this  county,  is  content  to  remain 
here  the  remainder  of  his  life,  enjoying  the  benefits  and  comforts  of  the 
fine  home  which  he  has  created  in  Greeley  township. 

George  Eagen  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Johnson  county,  Iowa,  May  22, 
1861,  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Catherine   (McTyge)    Eagen,  both  of  whom 


o 


V. 

> 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  825 

were  born  in  Ireland,  the  former  a  native  of  County  Cork  and  the  latter  of 
County  Mayo.  Thomas  Eagen  came  to  America  as  a  lad  and  for  a  time 
lived  in  New  Jersey,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm.  He  married  Catherine 
McTyge  in  that  state,  and  in  i860  came  to  Iowa,  settling  in  Johnson  county, 
where  he  bought  land.  Selling  out  his  holdings  there  in  1880,  he  moved 
to  Shelby  county,  and  in  1883  to  Audubon  county,  but  only  remained  here 
a  year,  not  buying  any  land,  moving  on  to  Holt  county,  Nebraska,  where  he 
took  a  homestead  claim,  on  which  he  lived  for  six  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  sold  the  claim  and,  in  1889,  came  back  to  Audubun  county, 
where  he  bought  eighty  acres  in  section  10,  of  Greeley  township,  where 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  April  7,  1906.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  John,  George,  Mrs.  Catherine 
Kerwin,  Thomas,  James  F.,  Mrs.  Mary  Campbell  and  William.  James  F. 
and  Mrs.  Campbell  are  residents  of  this  county. 

George  Eagen  lived  at  home  until  1884,  in  which  year  he  went  to  Holt 
county,  Nebraska,  and  entered  a  homestead,  which  he  sold  in  1890  and 
returned  to  Audubon  county,  where  he  rented  land  until  1898,  at  which  time 
he  bought  eighty  acres  in  section  2,  of  Greeley  township,  which  he  improved, 
and  where  he  since  has  made  his  home.  In  1907  he  replaced  his  original 
dwelling  house  with  a  fine  eight-room  house  and  has  also  built  a  good  barn, 
garage  and  other  substantial  farm  buildings. 

On  February  3,  1892,  George  Eagen  was  united  in  marriage  to  Corde- 
lia Parrott,  who  was  born  in  Dubuque  county,  Iowa,  December  31,  1868, 
the  daughter  of  Perry  and  Barbara  A.  (Duel)  Parrott,  natives  of  Licking 
county,  Ohio,  who  came  to  Audubon  county  in  1871  and  homesteaded  the 
land  on  which  the  county  fair  ground  is  now  located,  but  were  deprived  of 
ownership  through  legal  proceedings  instituted  by  the  railroad  company, 
whereupon  they  bought  land  in  Hamlin  township,  where  they  reared  a 
family  of  eleven  children:  Mrs.  Eizzie  Sales,  Samuel,  Thomas  E.,  Mrs. 
Ella  Hensley,  Cordelia  E.,  John  L.,  Arthur  L.  (deceased),  Mrs.  Flora 
Frederick,  Mrs.  Bertha  Campbell.  Horace  A.  and  Mrs.  Mamie  Christian- 
sen, four  of  whom  are  living  in  Audubon  county,  the  sons  and  Mrs.  Eagen. 

To  George  and  Cordelia  E.  (Parrott)  Eagen  have  been  born  three 
children:  Eunice,  born  on  November  8,  1892,  died  on  January  10,  1893; 
Marguerite,  March  28,  1894,  who,  on  January  14.  1914,  married  August 
Dutler;  and  George,  June  7,  1897.  The  Eagens  have  many  friends  in  the 
community  in  which  they  reside  and  are  held  in  the  highest  regard  by  all 
who  know  them. 


826  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

CHRISTEN  T.  CLAUSEN. 

Christen  T.  Clausen,  who  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  highly  productive 
land  in  Sharon  township,  is  another  native-born  son  of  the  little  kingdom 
of  Denmark,  who  has  established  a  comfortable  home  and  acquired  a  con- 
siderable fortune  since  coming  to  America.  Mr.  Clausen  is  one  of  the  well- 
known  citizens  of  Audubon  county,  especially  well-known  as  a  successful 
farmer  and  business  man.  During  his  career  as  a.  farmer,  he  has  kept  closely 
in  touch  with  all  of  the  modern  phases  of  farm  development  and  he  employs 
only  the  very  best  methods  in  carrying  on  agricultural  work. 

Christen  T.  Clausen,  a  resident  of  Sharon  township,  Audubon  county, 
Iowa,  was  born  on  March  i8.  1872,  in  Denmark,  and  is  the  son  of  Claus 
and  Christena  (Madsen)  Clausen,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Denmark. 
The  father,  a  blacksmith  by  occupation,  followed  this  trade  during  all  of 
the  active  years  of  his  life,  but  is  now  living  retired  in  his  native  land.  He 
served  in  the  Danish-Prussian  War  of  1864  and  has  a  splendid  military 
record,  as  a  result  of  his  service  during  the  entire  period  of  that  war.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  eight  of  whom  are  still 
living.  Only  two,  Christen  T.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Mrs.  Albert 
H.  Jorgensen,  are  living  in  Audubon  county. 

Christen  T.  Clausen  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a  good  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  land  and  after  leaving  school,  worked  for  one  year 
in  a  brick-yard.  However,  he  was  not  able  to  save  very  much  money  and 
when  he  was  coming  to  America  in  1888,  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  he 
was  compelled  to  borrow  the  money  with  which  to  buy  his  ticket  to  this 
country.  After  arriving  in  America,  he  came  direct  to  Kimballton,  Iowa, 
and  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  about  ten  years,  during  the  first  year,  re- 
ceiving eight  dollars  a  month  for  his  services. 

About  1898  Mr.  Clausen  was  married  and  then  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  land  in  partnership  with  Albert  H.  Jorgensen,  his  brother-in-law.  Later, 
he  bought  out  Mr.  Jorgensen  and  he  now  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  well- 
improved  land,  all  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Clausen  raises  eighty 
acres  of  corn,  which  averages  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre  and  thirty-five  acres 
of  small  grain.  The  rest  of  his  farm  is  sown  in  alfalfa  and  he  is  one  of 
the  most  enthusiastic  advocates  of  alfalfa  as  forage  crop,  and  as  a  substi- 
tute for  clover,  to  be  found  in  Audubon  county.  He  feeds  all  of  his  grain 
to  his  hogs  and  cattle.  Mr.  Clausen  raises  eighty  head  of  hogs  every  year 
and  at  least  a  carload  of  cattle.     He  has  invested  about  sixty-five  hundred 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  827 

dollars  in  various  kinds  of  improvements  upon  the  place,  such  as  outbuildings, 
fences,  drains  and  roads.  He  has  a  cattle  barn  on  the  farm,  fifty  by  fifty  feet, 
and  horse  and  cattle  barn  combined,  thirty-six  by  seventy-six  feet. 

Christen  T.  Clausen  was  married  in  1898  to  Eynsena  Caspersen,  the 
daughter  of  Peter  Caspersen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clausen  are  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  all  of  whom  are  unmarried  and  all  of  whom  live  at  home. 
They  are:  Casper,  Anna,  Solvyg,  Tomena,  Christena,  Welberg,  Amelia, 
Mads,  and  Marthene. 

Although  a  Republican  in  politics  and  identified  with  the  party  which 
is  generally  dominant  in  Audubon  county,  Mr.  Clausen  has  never  taken  an 
active  interest  in  political  affairs  and  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office, 
devoting  himself  almost  exclusively  to  farming.  The  Clausen  family  are 
all  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  and  are  prominent  in  the  affairs 
of  the  local  conregation. 

Christen  T.  Clausen  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  best  citizens  of  Audubon 
county.  He  is  well-informed,  intelligent,  affable  in  manners  and  agreeable 
by  disposition  and  therefore,  he  is  popular  in  the  neighborhood  where  he 
lives  and,  of  course,  is  well  acquainted  throughout  Audubon  county. 


JAMES  CHANNON. 

James  Channon,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Audubon  county,  now  living 
retired  at  Exira,  who  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Greeley 
township,  was  born  on  November  20,  1849,  in  Sidmouth,  Devonshire,  Eng- 
land, the  son  of  William  and  Sarah  (Quick)  Channon,,  both  natives  of 
Devonshire. 

William  Channon,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  followed  this  occupation  until 
he  came  to  America  in  1852,  and  after  arriving  in  this  country,  he  located 
at  Corydon,  Iowa,  and  worked  in  a  saw-mill  and  at  the  carpenter's  trade 
in  Polk  county,  helping  to  build  many  log  cabins  in  that  county.  When 
the  Civil  War  broke  out,  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  behalf  of  the  Union 
and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  He  was  the  father  of  ten  children, 
three  of  whom  came  to  Iowa:  William,  who  lives  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa; 
Anna,  who  married  George  Phippen,  and  James,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

On  account  of  his  father's  death  and  the  responsibility  of  caring  for 
his  mother,  James  Channon  was  unable  to  attend  school  during  his  youth. 
His  mother  never  came  to  America ;  but  died  in  Devonshire,  England.    When 


828  AUDUBON    COUNTY,,    IOWA. 

eighteen  years  old,  James  came  to  America  and  located  at  Des  Moines, 
where  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  a  short  time.  Eventually,  he  took 
a  place  with  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company  and  helped  to  build  the 
railroad.  Working  for  this  company  a  short  time,  he  located  at  Fort  Dodge, 
Iowa,  where  he  worked  as  a  coal  miner  for  seven  years  and  then  located 
near  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  on  a  farm  with  his  brother.  After  working  on 
the  farm  for  five  years,  he  went  to  Colorado,  where  he  remained  for  four 
years,  and  then  returned  to  Polk  county.  There,  after  his  marriage,  he 
farmed  for  one  year  and  then  he  and  his  wife  came  to  Anita  on  the  Rock 
Island  railroad.  He  walked  to  Exira,  and  there  operated  a  farm,  which 
he  cultivated  for  sixteen  years;  subsequently,  he  purchased  two  hundred 
acres  and  farmed  it  until  his  retirement  and  removal  to  Exira  in  1914. 

On  February  25,  1883,  James  Channon  was  married  to  Mary  E.  Young, 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Matilda  (Shellhart)  Young.  Four  children, 
Nora,  Bertha,  George  and  Ralph,  have  been  born  to  this  marriage.  Nora 
married  Charles  Fauss  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Lester, 
Wesley  and  Helen;  Bertha  is  the  wife  of  John  Jacobson  and  has  two  chil- 
dren, James  Carl  and  Thelma;  George  died  in  1907;  Ralph  married  Lena 
Jensen,  and  lives  on  the  home  place. 

Mrs.  Channon  was  born  in  Polk  county,  Iowa,  and  her  parents  were 
natives  of  Elkhart  county.  Indiana.  The  father  grew  to  manhood  in  Elkhart 
county,  but  on  reaching  maturity,  came  to  Polk  county,  Iowa  and  was  one 
of  the  first  settlers,  helping  to  build  one  of  the  first  houses  in  Des  Moines. 
He  lived  in  Polk  county  until  his  death. 

The  mother  of  Mrs.  Channon,  who  before  her  marriage,  was  Matilda 
Shellhart,  was  born  near  Elkhart,  Indiana,  December  4,  1841,  and  died  at 
her  home  near  Ankeny.  Iowa.  January  27,  1907,  at  the  age  of  eighty- five 
years,  one  month  and  twenty-three  days.  She  came  to  Polk  county  with  her 
parents  when  six  years  of  age,  at  which  time  they  settled  three  miles  and  a 
half  southwest  of  Ankeny.  Except  for  two  years  spent  in  Guthrie  county, 
her  entire  life  after  this  period  was  spent  in  Polk  county.  John  Young  and 
Matilda  Shellhart  were  married  on  November  21,  1858,  and  began  house- 
keeping on  a  farm  less  than  one  mile  from  her  home  at  the  time  of  her  death. 
They  labored  together  patiently,  hand  in  hand,  faithful  and  true  to  each 
other.  Mrs.  Young  was  well  acquainted  with  pioneer  life  and  did  her  part 
in  making  the  home  beautiful  and  attractive.  Patiently  and  lovingly  she 
reared  her  family  of  little  ones  and  with  the  delight  of  a  fond  mother,  she 
shared  their  joys  and  sorrows  as  they  grew  up  together  to  manhood  and 
womanhood.    To  John  and  Matilda  Young  were  born  eight  children :     Mar- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  829 

tha  Ellen,  who  died  when  two  years  old;  Mary  E.,  who  married  Mr.  Channon; 
Mrs.  Eliza  Jane  Diienzing,  who  lives  in  Texas ;  Mrs.  Bertha  Matilda  Rhodes, 
of  Chelsea,  Idaho;  Sarah  Ann,  who  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Porter;  Walter  W., 
who  married  Minnie  Coby;  John  L.,  who  married  Sarah  Good,  and  George  B. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Channon  are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the  Ancient  Order 
of  United  Workmen.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  held  the  office 
of  school  director. 

Not  only  did  Mr.  Channon  enjoy  a  remarkable  success  as  a  farmer  in 
this  county,  but  his  career  is  also  valuable  to  the  community  as  a  neighbor 
and  citizen.  He  is  a  man  who  has  always  believed  in  law  enforcement  and 
who  has  always  given  the  weight  of  his  influence  to  the  support  of  our  demo- 
cratic institutions.  His  children,  who  have  been  reared  to  honorable  and 
useful  hves,  are  a  credit  to  their  parents  and  to  the  various  communities 
where  they  live. 


HENRY  J.  HOOGENAKKER. 

The  personal  biography  of  a  successful  newspaper  man  is  always  inter- 
esting. The  average  newspaper  man  or  editor  is  generally  a  self-made  indi- 
vidual who  began  as  "printer's  devil"  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  manager  and 
owner.  The  newspaper  man  of  today  wields  a  more  powerful  influence 
over  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  people  through  the  medium  of  his  publica- 
tion than  any  other  single  factor  in  the  arrangement  of  things  as  they  are 
and  must  be  in  this  great  and  free  Republic.  The  press  rights  our  wrongs 
and  redresses  our  grievances  and  its  tremendous  influence  shapes  and  forces 
the  better  legislation  which  the  people  are  continually  demanding.  Its  power 
is  tremendous  when  one  considers  that  the  recent  tariff  and  monetary  legisla- 
tion was  brought  about  by  the  people  expressing  their  sentiment  through  the 
columns  of  the  newspapers.  The  men  at  the  head  of  the  newspapers  of  today 
are,  as  a  rule,  well  educated  and  thoroughly  practical  men  of  affairs.  The 
old  time  "hit  and  miss"  editor  who  led  a  precarious  sort  of  existence,  while 
he  was  a  lovable  character  in  many  ways,  has  given  way  to  the  younger  men 
of  business  ability  who  have  placed  the  publishing  of  the  newspapers  upon 
a  firmer  financial  basis.  The  newspaper  man  is  a  member  of  a  distinct  pro- 
fession ;  his  newspaper  is  an  established  business  institution  in  which  the 
community  takes  a  just  and  abiding  pride.     The  success  of  a  local  newspaper 


830  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

generally  reflects  the  standing  and  prosperity  of  the  community  in  which  it 
is  published.  Audubon  county  is  fortunate  in  having  some  excellent  news- 
papers published  within  its  borders  and  one  of  the  most  successful  is  the 
Audubon  Republican,  which  is  edited  and  managed  by  a  wide-awake  editor 
whose  ability  is  unquestioned  and  who  rose  from  the  ranks  of  the  printers  to 
become  a  proprietor  since  early  manhood.  Henry  J.  Hoogenakker  is  one 
of  the  able  young  newspaper  men  of  western  Iowa  and  has  had  a  striking 
and  successful  career  along  the  lines  of  his  chosen  profession. 

Henry  J.  Hoogenakker  was  born  on  August  10,  1879,  in  Pella,  Iowa, 
son  of  Arie  and  Harriet  ( Brucklander )  Hoogenakker,  natives  of  Holland. 
Arie  Hoogenakker  was  born  in  1840  and  crossed  the  ocean  when  fourteen 
years  of  age  in  1854.  He  was  a  painter  by  trade  and  located  at  Pella,  Iowa. 
Here  he  was  married  on  August  31,  1865,  and  reared  his  family.  The 
Hollanders  have  customarily  settled  in  colonies  in  America  and  Mr.  Hoog- 
enakker formed  one  of  a  large  colony  of  immigrants  who  settled  in  the  vicin- 
itv  of  Pella.  This  colony  came  across  the  country  by  rail  as  far  as  Keokuk 
and  then  traveled  by  wagon  and  afoot  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  to 
Pella.  Arie  Hoogenakker  and  wife  still  reside  in  Pella  and  have  reared  a 
family  of  ten  children.  .\rie  was  one  of  eight  children.  Henry  J.,  received 
his  education  in  the  Pella  public  schools,  and  when  still  a  youth,  entered  the 
office  of  the  Pella  Advertiser  to  learn  the  printer's  trade.  He  remained  in 
this  office  for  a  period  of  three  years.  He  then  si)ent  one  and  one-half  years 
at  Knoxville.  Iowa.  Following  this  employment  he  worked  at  his  trade  in 
various  printing  offices  at  Des  Moines  until  1898.  He  then  spent  one  year  in 
the  office  of  the  Pella  Chronicle.  He  started  a  job  printing  office  in  Colfax, 
Iowa,  and  remained  there  three  years,  in  the  meantime  buying  out  the  Colfax 
Tribune.  For  four  years  thereafter  he  was  editor  of  the  Rezncw  at  Donnell- 
son,  Iowa.  He  was  then  owner  of  the  Clarion,  at  Richland,  Iowa,  for  four 
years.  He  purchased  the  Audubon  Republican  on  October  i,  191 1.  Since 
taking  charge  of  the  newspaper  he  has  made  a  financial  success  of  the  enter- 
prise and  has  built  up  the  circulation  to  the  large  number  of  twenty-six  hun- 
dred subscribers.  The  office  is  well  equipped  with  modern  linotype  and  the 
latest  machinery  and  does  excellent  printing. 

H.  J.  Hoogenakker  was  married  on  January  17,  1900,  to  Marie  Keeler, 
of  Colfax.  They  have  one  child,  Harriet,  born  on  May  19,  1913.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  the  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons.     He  is  also  an  Odd  Fellow  and  Modern  Woodman. 

The  political  career  of  this  successful  and  enterprising  publisher  has 
been  worthy  of  note  and  shows  another  phase  of  a  well-rounded  character 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  83 1 

and  pronounced  capabilities.  He  is  allied  with  the  Republican  party,  and 
has  taken  an  active  and  influential  part  in  the  politics  of  his  state.  While 
editor  of  the  Richland  Clarion,  he  served  the  city  as  mayor. 

In  1908  Mr.  Hoogenakker  was  the  Republican  candidate  for  repre- 
sentative from  Keokuk  county  and  two  years  later  was  urged  to  become  the 
nominee  without  opposition  for  state  senator.  He  has  attended  every  state 
convention  of  his  party  as  a  delegate  since  1898.  He  has  resided  in  the  first, 
sixth,  seventh  and  ninth  congressional  districts  during  the  course  of  his  news- 
paper career  and  is  widely  and  favorably  known  in  those  districts.  At  the 
present  time,  Mr.  Hoogenakker  occupies  the  honored  position  as  president 
of  the  Western  Iowa  Editorial  Association.  He  is  a  genial,  energetic  char- 
acter who  allows  nothing  to  stand  in  the  way  of  making  a  success  of  all  of 
his  undertakings  and  is  possesserl  of  those  attributes  which  make  for  good 
citizenship.  He  is  eminently  fitted  by  nature  and  by  training  for  his  pro- 
fession and  the  appearance  of  his  publication  justifies  the  statement  that  he 
is  a  talented  and  capable  editor. 


T.  L.  TORGENSEN. 


The  son  of  a  Danish  fisherman  who  has  long  since  passed  to  the  great 
beyond,  J.  L.  Jorgensen,  who  came  to  America  about  twenty-seven  years 
ago,  and  who  has  become  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
fine  farming  land  in  Sharon  township,  was  born  on  July  3,  1871,  in  Den- 
mark. His  parents,  Albert  and  Meta  Jorgensen,  were  both  natives  of  Den- 
mark, and  lived  there  until  their  death.  For  many  years  Albert  Jorgensen 
was  a  farm  hand  and  a  laborer  in  a  brick-yard,  but  after  his  marriage  he 
became  a  fisherman  and  followed  that  occupation  until  his  death  in  1883. 
His  wife,  the  mother  of  J.  L.  Jorgensen,  died  in  191 1,  after  rearing  three 
children,  Peter,  Chris  and  J.  L. 

J.  L.  Jorgensen  received  his  education  in  the  Danish  schools,  and  after 
leaving  school  worked  as  a  farm  hand  and  cattle  herder  until  he  came  to 
America. 

Coming  to  this  country  in  1888,  Mr.  Jorgensen  located  at  Kimballton, 
Iowa,  and  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  the  vicinity  of  this  town  for  about 
seven  years.  He  then  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  township, 
Audubon  countv,  and  it  is  upon  this  farm  that  he  is  now  living.  Mr.  Jorgen- 
sen paid  tw^enty-eight  dollars  an  acre  for  it,  but  the  increase  in  value  of  farm 


832  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

land  has  made  his  property  very  much  more  vakiable  than  it  was  at  the  time 
he  purchased  it.  In  tlie  meantime  he  has  also  added  an  additional  eighty 
acres,  and  in  his  farm  he  has  invested  approximately  five  thousand  dollars 
in  buildings,  fences  and  ditches.  When  Mr.  Jorgensen  came  to  America 
he  had  very  little  money  and  it  must  be  regarded  as  a  tribute  to  his  energy, 
his  economy  and  his  good  management  that  he  has  been  able  to  save  from  his 
earnings  sufiticient  money  to  own  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  productive 
land. 

J.  L.  Jorgensen  was  married  in  1906,  to  Nelsene  Jorgensen,  daughter 
of  Jeppe  Mortensen.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  this  marriage,  Albert 
Chris,  who  is  at  home  with  his  parents  and  George  L.,  deceased. 

Mr.  Jorgensen  feeds  about  seventy-five  head  of  hogs  every  year,  and 
raises  twenty  acres  of  corn  which  averages  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre.  He 
has  found  mixed  farming  to  be  very  profitable. 

The  Jorgensens  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  in  which 
Mr.  Jorgensen  has  been  a  trustee  for  some  four  years.  He  is  an  independent 
Republican  in  politics,  and  a  man  who  uses  his  vote  wisely,  always  in  the 
best  interest  of  local,  state  and  national  government.  Mr.  Jorgensen  is  an 
intelligent  and  well  informed  citizen  and  recognizes  the  responsibility  which 
suffrage  entails.  His  home,  his  family  and  his  farm  are  his  chief  interests. 
He  is  popular  in  the  community  where  he  lives  and  is  well  known  in  Sharon 
township. 


ALBERT  FREDERICK. 


Albert  Frederick  is  widely  known  in  Audubon  county.  Iowa,  and  is  one 
of  the  honored  citizens  of  Greeley  township.  He  has  led  a  life  of  strenuous 
activity  in  agricultural  affairs.  His  well-directed  efforts  in  the  practical 
affairs  of  life,  his  capable  management  of  his  business  interests  and  his 
sound  judgment  have  brought  to  him  an  exceptional  measure  of  prosperity 
which  demonstrates  what  ma}'  be  accomplished  hv  a  man  of  energy  and 
ambition,  who  is  not  afraid  to  work  and  who  has  the  ambition  to  continue 
his  labors  in  the  face  of  disaster  and  discouragement.  In  all  the  relations  of 
life,  Albert  Frederick  has  commanded  the  confidence  and  respect  of  those 
with  whom  he  has  been  brought  into  contact.  A  biographical  history  of  this 
locality  would  not  be  complete  without  a  record  of  his  career. 

Albert  Frederick  was  born  on  August  28.  1859.  in  Howard  county, 
Maryland.     He  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  M.   (Shipley)  J^'rederick,  who 


AI.BEET  FKEDEKICK 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  833 

were  also  natives  of  Howard  county,  Maryland.  Jacob  Frederick  came 
to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  in  1878.  In  his  younger  days,  he  was  a  black- 
smith and  later  he  took  up  the  miller's  trade.  During  the  Civil  War  he 
acted  as  a  spy  for  the  Union  army.  He  was  also  quite  a  large  property 
owner  in  Baltimore,  but  was  forced  to  sell  out  and  move  to  Ohio  shortly 
before  the  close  of  the  war.  He  lived  in  Ohio  only  about  eighteen  months, 
where  he  conducted  a  butcher  shop.  When  he  came  to  Illinois  in  1866,  he 
purchased  a  farm  and  followed  farming  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroad  was  not  yet  built  when  he 
came  to  Audubon  county.  He  first  bought  a  homestead  three  miles  east  of 
Audubon  but  later  sold  that  and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
in  Greeley  township  from  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  Company,  paying  seven 
dollars  an  acre  for  one  eighty-acre  tract,  and  twelve  dollars  an  acre  for  the 
other  tract.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  as  was  his  wife  also, 
although  in  her  voung-er  davs  she  had.  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
Albert,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  third  child. 

Albert  Frederick  received  a  common-school  education  and  lived  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  Avhen  he  commenced  working  out 
by  the  month,  working  two  years.  He  received  fifteen  dollars  a  month  for 
nine  months  during  the  year  and  during  the  other  three  months,  worked 
for  his  board.  In  January.  1881,  Mr.  Frederick  purchased  eighty  acres  of 
land  in  Greeley  township.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  purchased  eighty 
acres  more,  giving  the  same  price  for  his  land  that  his  father  had  paid.  The 
"Ridge"  road,  which  runs  through  the  land,  was  formerly  an  Indian  trail 
and  later  used  as  a  stage  and  mail  route  from  Exira  to  Penora,  Iowa. 

On  May  10,  1885,  Albert  Frederick  was  married  in  Greeley  township, 
Audubon  county,  to  Nellie  M.  Knox,  of  Greeley  township.  She  was  born 
in  Exira  township,  Audubon  county,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Xerxes  and 
Nancy  (Smith)  Knox,  natives  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  respectively. 
Her  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War,  having  enlisted  in  Company  G, 
Third  Regiment  Iowa  Volunteer  Cavalry.  He  was  taken  prisoner  and  was 
confined  in  the  great  Confederate  prison  in  Arkansas.  He  was  married 
twice,  his  first  marriage  occurring  before  the  war,  and  the  second  just  after 
the  war. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Albert  Frederick  have  nine  children,  five  sons  and  four 
daughters,  namely:  Clara  B.,  born  on  May  4,  1886,  married  Ira  Johnson, 
of   Wessington   Springs,    South   Dakota,   and  has   two   children,    Ruth   and 

(53) 


834  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA, 

Laverne  and  Thelma  Arlene;  Iva  A.,  December  29,  1887,  married  Fred 
Brau,  of  Greeley  township,  and  has  three  children,  Florence  E.,  Bernice  B. 
and  Milan  H. ;  Maud  A.,  July  24,  1891,  married  George  Schwab,  of  Greeley 
township,  and  has  three  children,  Lola  M.,  Harold  F.  and  Howard  M. ; 
Ruth  E.,  November  20,  1894;  Lee,  December  10,  1896;  Lloyd  L.,  April  22, 
1899;  Lyman  R.,  January  24,  1902,  Earl  K.,  March  8.  1905;  and  Marvin 
Dale,  September  5,  19 10. 

Mr.  Frederick  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  Hereford  cattle  most  of 
which  are  registered.  He  feeds  about  two  carloads  of  cattle  and  two  car- 
loads of  hogs  each  year.  He  has  added  to  his  original  farm  and  now  owns 
three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Greeley  township.  He  is  ♦^he 
second  largest  landholder  in  the  township.  Mr.  Frederick  also  owns  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Jerauld  county.  South  Dakota.  He  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  C.  HafTen  Lumber  Company,  of  Council  Bluffs.  It  is 
an  interesting  fact  that  Mr.  Frederick's  father  helped  to  lay  out  the  roads 
in  Greeley  township. 

Mr.  Frederick  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  the  Modern  Brotherhood  of 
America  and  the  National  Reserve.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Frederick  are  members 
of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  In  politics,  Mr.  Frederick  is  a  Democrat. 
He  has  served  as  township  clerk  for  eight  years,  secretarv  of  the  school 
board  for  fourteen  years  and  justice  of  the  peace.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Congregational  church  at  Exira. 


CHRISTIAN  J.  H.  WOLF. 

To  have  begun  life  on  a  rented  farm  and  with  little  or  no  financial 
assistance,  and  within  a  comparatively  short  time  to  have  become  the  proud 
possessor  of  a  farm  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  fertile  land  is  no  small 
achievement.  Yet  Christian  Wolf,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  has  done  this 
very  thing.  Mr.  Wolf  raises  from  one  to  two  hundred  acres  of  corn  every 
year,  and  has  almost  an  equal  amount  of  land  in  small  grain.  He  feeds 
from  two  hundred  to  three  hundred  head  of  hogs  every  year,  and  ships  of¥ 
his  place  three  to  four  carloads  of  cattle. 

Christian  J.  H.  Wolf,  the  proprietor  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
rich  farming  land  in  Exira  township,  is  a  native  of   Schleswig,   Germany, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  835 

having  been  born  there  on  September  23,  1866.  He  is  the  son  of  Peter  and 
Margaret  (Peterson)  Wolf,  both  natives  of  Schleswig,  Germany.  The 
former  was  a  farmer  and  stock  buyer  in  Germany  and  followed  that  business 
until  he  came  to  America  in  1883,  and  located  west  of  Exira.  Here  he  pur- 
chased a  farm  of  ninety-two  acres  at  seventeen  dollars  an  acre.  He  farmed 
this  for  several  years,  and  increased  his  holdings  until  he  owned  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy-four  acres  of  land.  During  all  this  period  he  was  engaged 
in  general  farming.  In  1902  he  moved  to  Exira  and  retired.  He  is  now 
living  in  Exira.  Peter  Wolf  served  throughout  the  Danish-German  War, 
and  also  ser^-ed  in  the  Franco-Prussian  War  of  1870.  Peter  Wolf  was  born 
on  January  i.  1833.  His  wife,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Margaret 
Peterson,  was  born  on  February  3,  1835.  She  died  on  March  22,  191 1. 
Peter  Wolf  and  wife  had  eight  children  as  follow:  Matilda,  Jens  P.,  Chris- 
tian, Christina,  Welberg.  Margaret,  Mary  and  Nickolena. 

Christian  J.  H.  Wolf  received  his  education  principally  in  Schleswig, 
Germanv.  After  coming  to  this  country  he  attended  school  a  short  time 
in  Audubon  county.  Subsequently  he  worked  by  the  month  until  he  was 
twentv-one  years  of  age.  During  this  period  he  worked  for  his  father  for 
one  year,  and  then  worked  out  for  himself.  He  rented  a  farm  for  three 
years,  and  then  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Exira  township, 
Audubon  county.  Mr.  Wolf  has  now  six  hundred  and  forty  acres.  He 
has  always  been  able  to  make  a  substantial  profit  on  hogs  and  cattle.  Mr. 
Wolf  moved  to  the  place  where  he  now  lives  in  19 12.  He  has  invested 
approximately  ten  thousand  dollars  in  improving  this  farm. 

Christian  J.  H.  Wolf  was  married  on  March  6,  1890,  to  Emma  Jasper- 
son,  daughter  of  Nels  and  Laura  (^ Nelson)  Jasperson.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wolf  have  been  born  six  children,  Clarence,  Arley,  Elmer,  Harold,  Laura 
and  Edna.  All  of  these  children  are  unmarried.  Laura  died  at  the  age  of 
eleven  months,  Mrs.  WoU  was  born  in  Pottawattamie  county,  Iowa.  Her 
parents  were  both  natives  of  Denmark.  Her  father  was  a  farmer.  After 
coming  to  America  he  located  near  Newton,  Iowa,  and  finally  moved  to 
Pottawattamie  county.  He  lived  there  until  his  death  in  1874.  He  and  his 
wife  had  three  children,  Emma,  Carrie  and  Louise.     Louise  died  when  very 


young; 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christian  J.  H.  Wolf  are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 
Mr.  Wolf  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Exira,  and  is  a  Knights 
Templar  of  Audubon  commandery.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Eastern 
Star,  at  Exira.     Mr.  Wolf  is  a  Republican. 


836  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

JORGEN  JORGENSEN. 

Jorgen  Jorgensen,  a  well-known  farmer  of  Sharon  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  who  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  this  town- 
ship, is  a  native-born  citizen  of  Denmark,  but  an  adopted  and  patriotic 
citizen  of  this  country.  Mr.  Jorgensen  was  born  on  September  24,  1867,  the 
son  of  Jorgen  P.  and  Lena  C.  Jorgensen,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  where 
his  father  was  a  farmer,  and  where  he  is  still  living.  Jorgen  P.  and  Lena 
C.  Jorgensen  had  four  children,  of  whom  Jorgen,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
is  the  eldest;  the  others  are,  Chris  A.,  Iver  and  Erick. 

Jorgen  Jorgensen  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
land,  and  after  finishing  the  prescribed  course  in  the  Danish  schools,  engaged 
in  the  occupation  of  a  farmer,  which  he  followed  until  1889,  when  he 
came  to  America.  Shortly  after  coming  to  this  country  he  located  in  Sharon 
township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  here  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until 
1894,  a  period  of  four  years.  In  the  latter  year  Mr.  Jorgensen  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land,  which  he  sold  and  in  1908  bought  the  farm  where  he 
now  lives.  He  has  improved  this  farm  in  many  ways,  and  increased  his  farm 
holding's  until  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and  fortv  acres  of  land.  Mr. 
Jorgensen  raises  ninety  acres  of  corn,  which  yields  an  average  of  fifty 
bushels  to  the  acre,  and  fifty  acres  of  small  grain,  most  of  which  he  feeds 
to  his  hogs  and  cattle.  He  raises  a  hundred  head  of  hogs  every  year,  and 
many  head  of  cattle.  Mr.  Jorgensen  has  found  it  highly  profitable  to  follow 
mixed  farming,  and  each  year  has  been  able  to  show  a  considerable  profit 
from  the  farm  operations.  This  profit  which  Mr.  Jorgensen  has  saved  in 
the  form  of  money  he  has  reinvested  in  improvements,  which  now  amount 
to  upwards  of  five  thousand  dollars,  and  also  in  additional  land  which  he 
has  purchased  from  time  to  time. 

Jorgen  Jorgensen  was  married  in  1892  to  Anna  Jorgensen,  the  daughter 
of  Chris  L.  and  Anna  (Albertsen)  Jorgensen,  both  natives  of  Denmark.  The 
former  was  a  sailor  during  his  entire  life.  In  1872  he  came  to  America, 
and  after  locating  in  Chicago  sailed  on  Lake  Michigan  for  three  years,  after 
which  he  then  returned  to  Denmark  to  his  family,  and  lived  there  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  died  in  July  191 3,  a  veteran  of  the  Danish-German 
War  of  1848.  Besides  Mrs.  Jorgen  Jorgensen,  his  children  were,  George 
L.,  Carrie,  Albert,  Anna,  Sophia,  and  Johannah,  deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jorgen  Jorgensen  have  had  ten  children,  as  follow : 
Jorgen  P.,  Lena  C,  Chris    L.,    Anna    S.,    Johannah    K.,    Karius    Alfred, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  837 

Alvilda,  Carl,  Thyra  and  Eavald,  all  of  whom  are  unmarried  and  live  at 
home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jorgen  Jorgensen  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church.  Mr.  Jorgensen  is  an  independent  voter  and  is  the  present  school 
director  in  his  locality. 

A  well-known  citizen  of  Sharon  township,  Jorgen  Jorgensen  is  well 
entitled  to  the  esteem  and  confidence  he  enjoys,  which  have  been  freely 
bestowed  upon  him  by  his  neighbors  and  by  the  host  of  friends  he  has  made 
in  Audubon  county.     He  is  a  worthy  citizen  of  the  great  Hawkeye  state. 


HANS  A.  BLADT. 


Among  the  prosperous,  enterprising  and  skillful  farmers  of  Sharon 
township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is  Hans  A.  Bladt,  the  owner  of  three 
hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  township,  who  was  born 
on  May  8,  1878,  in  Schleswig,  Germany,  and  who  died  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Anna  Margaret  Bladt,  natives  of  Denmark  and  of  Germany,  respectively. 
After  their  marriage  in  Germany,  where  Jacob  Bladt,  who  was  a  laborer, 
came  with  his  wife  to  America  in  1903,  and  located  in  Audubon  county. 
They  are  now  living  in  Sharon  township,  having  retired  from  active  work. 
Their  children  were,  Jacob,  Fred,  Hans  A.,  Peter,  Rasmus,  Nels,  Marie 
and  John. 

Hans  A.  Bladt  received  his  education  both  in  the  schools  of  Germany 
and  Denmark,  and  after  leaving  school  came  to  America,  locating  in  Sharon 
township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  where  for  five  years  he  worked  as  a  farm 
hand.  Subsequently,  he  rented  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  then  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  this  township.  He 
is  now  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres,  all  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation  and  he  also  carries  on  mixed  farming.  Mr.  Bladt  feeds 
about  one  and  one-half  carloads  of  cattle  every  year  and,  approximately,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  head  of  hogs.  He  keeps  thorough-bred  Shorthorn  cattle, 
and  raises  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  corn,  which  averages  fifty 
bushels  to  the  acre  and  eighty  acres  of  small  grain,  as  well  as  ten  acres  of 
alfalfa,  and  fifty  acres  of  hay,  and  altogether  Mr.  Bladt  has  invested  more 
than  eight  thousand  dollars  on  his  farm.  He  has  improved  the  soil  by  care- 
ful fertilization,  drained  the  land  and  built  hundreds  of  rods  of  the  best 
fences. 


838  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

In  1898  Hans  A.  Bladt  was  married  to  Carrie  Olesen,  the  daughter  of 
Ole  Olesen,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born,  Marie,  Anna, 
Ole  and  Emma.  Mrs.  Bladt  was  bom  in  Illinois,  although  her  parents  were 
natives  of  Denmark,  who  came  to  this  country  shortly  after  their  marriage 
and  located  in  that  state.  Later,  they  moved  to  Iowa,  locating  in  Audubon 
county,  where  her  father  farmed  until  his  death.  Her  mother  is  still  living 
on  the  old  home  place  in  this  township.  Mrs.  Bladt  is  one  of  two  children 
born  to  her  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hans  Bladt  are  faithful  and  earnest  members  of  the 
Danish  Lutheran  church,  in  which  they  are  actively  interested,  and  to  the 
support  of  which  they  are  liberal  contributors.  Politically,  Mr.  Bladt  is  a 
Republican,  and  he  is  a  public-spirited,  enterprising  and  genial  man,  a  pro- 
gressive citizen  and  is  well  entitled  to  the  high  regard  of  his  neighbors. 
Year  by  year  he  has  gone  on  performing  his  day's  duties  with  the  zest  of  a 
man  who  is  earnest  in  his  work,  and  as  a  toiler  who  has  been  carefully  trained 
in  husbandry,  and  he  well  deserves  the  admiration  which  is  accorded  him 
by  the  people  of  his  neighborhood  and  county. 


H.  P.  LAURITZEN. 


H.  P.  Lauritzen,  a  very  successful  farmer  and  stockman  of  Sharon 
township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  was  born  on  March  23,  1872,  in  Schles- 
wig,  Germany,  the  son  of  Claus  and  Anna  (Mortensen)  Lauritzen,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  December,  1832,  and  passed  away  on  August 
17,  1904,  and  the  latter,  born  on  October  3,  1839,  passed  away  on  July  11, 
19 1 2, 

Claus  Lauritzen  and  his  wife  came  to  America  from  Denmark,  where 
he  was  a  farmer,  in  1881,  and  located  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  where  they 
purchased  seventy-three  acres  of  land  at  fifteen  dollars  an  acre.  After 
improving  the  place  in  various  ways,  especially  by  the  erection  of  a  small 
house,  fourteen  by  fourteen  feet,  and  farming  in  that  county  until  1899,  they 
removed  to  Audubon  county,  and  located  in  Sharon  township,  where  he 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  This  farm  he  improved  in 
various  ways  and  here  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1904.  They  had  six  chil- 
dren, H.  P.,  N.  P.,  Claudie,  Sine,  Mary  and  Hannah. 

H.  P.  Lauritzen,  who  was  educated  in  Germany  and  in  Shelby  county, 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  839 

Iowa,  after  leaving  school  took  up  farming  with  his  father,  and  remained 
with  him  on  the  home  farm  until  thirty-one  years  of  age. 

In  1904  Mr.  Lauritzen  was  married,  at  the  age  of  thirty-one,  and  after 
his  marriage  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  began 
farming  for  himself.  The  farm  was  greatly  improved  under  his  ownership 
and  management,  and  in  19 lo  he  purchased  the  place  upon  which  he  now 
lives,  consisting  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  Here  Mr.  Lauritzen 
has  invested  about  two  thousand  dollars  in  improvements.  He  raised  approx- 
imately one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  corn  every  year,  which  yields  an 
average  of  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre;  fifty  acres  of  small  grain,  sixty-five 
acres  of  hay,  and  feeds  all  these  products  to  hogs  and  cattle.  Mr.  Lauritzen 
finds  it  necessary,  in  order  to  feed  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  head  of 
hogs  and  six  carloads  of  cattle,  to  purchase  in  addition  to  what  he  raises 
from  four  to  five  thousand  bushels  of  corn  every  year.  He  has  been  very 
successful  in  farming  and  is  considered  one  of  the  most  prosperous  farmers 
in  this  section. 

H.  P.  Lauritzen  was  married  on  January  27,  1904,  to  Cecelia  Arp, 
daughter  of  Joachim  and  Margaret  (Nelson)  Arp.  To  this  happy  union 
four  children  have  been  born,  as  follow:  Anna,  Clarence,  Edward  and 
Florence.  Mrs.  Lauritzen  is  a  native  of  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  a  daughter 
of  native-born  German  parents,  her  father  having  been  a  farmer,  who  came 
to  America  unmarried,  and  who  settled  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm  and  farmed  until  his  death,  January  25,  1891.  His  wife, 
born  on  January  10,  1858,  is  still  living  at  Elkhorn,  Iowa.  They  had  four 
children,  Mrs.  Lauritzen,  Charles,  Fred  and  Elvena. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lauritzen  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  in  which 
both  take  a  prominent  part.  A  Republican  in  politics,  H.  P.  Lauritzen  for- 
merly seiwed  as  township  trustee  of  Sharon  township  and  discharged  the 
duties  of  this  office  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  people  of  the  township. 

Not  only  is  Mr.  Lauritzen  one  of  the  largest  farmers  in  this  community, 
and  one  who  maintains  on  his  farm  a  barn  large  enough  for  one  hundred 
and  twenty  head  of  cattle,  besides  other  buildings  for  hogs  and  other  live 
stock,  but  he  is  considered  very  successful  in  the  cultivation  of  corn  and 
other  grains  and  cereals.  He  has  always  taken  a  keen  interest  in  the  educa- 
tional development  of  Audubon  county,  and  believes  strongly  in  the  very 
best  educational  facilities  for  his  children  and  the  children  of  his  neighbors. 
•Upon  matters  affecting  the  public  welfare  Mr.  Lauritzen's  counsel  and  advice 
are  freely  sought,  and  his  assistance  in  all  worthy  movements  can  always  be 
depended  upon.     He  is  popular  in  the  neighborhood  where  he  lives. 


840  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

HON.  HENRY  FRANKLIN  ANDREWS. 

Henry  Franklin  Andrews,  son  of  Jacob  and  Martha  Phinney  (Ham- 
blen) Andrews,  was  born  at  Lovell.  Maine.  Thursday.  June  2-],  1844.  He 
was  married  at  Atlantic,  Iowa,  by  the  Rev.  M.  Hughes.  February  27,  1871, 
to  Jennie  Maria,  daughter  of  William  Canfield  and  Ruth  Harriet  (Thayer) 
Norton,  of  Oakfield,  Iowa.  Jennie  Maria  Norton  was  born  in  Springfield 
township.  Allen  county,  Indiana,  June  21,  1850.  She  returned  with  her 
parents  to  Springwater,  New  York,  from  whence  they  had  moved  to  Indiana, 
and  came  with  her  parents  to  Oakfield.  Iowa,  in  1856.  Before  marriage 
she  had  become  a  successful  school  teacher  in  Audubon  county.  They 
separated  in  1898,  and  were  divorced  December  13,  1902.  Both  unmarried 
191 5.  She  lives  with  her  children  near  Shoshone,  Wyoming.  He  is  a 
lawyer  and  genealogist. 

Henry  Franklin  Andrews  lived  with  his  parents  in  Lovell.  Stoneham, 
Portland,  and  again  in  Lovell,  Maine,  except  two  summers  in  Naples, 
Maine,  until  1862.  He  was  reared  a  farmer  and  lumberman.  He  attended 
the  public  school  up  to  and  including  the  winter  of  1861.  but  was  employed 
at  work  for  his  father  in  the  summer  seasons  after  he  was  twelve  years  old. 

On  luly  18,  1862,  Henry  Franklin  Andrews  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Company  D,  Sixteenth  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry,  joined  his  company 
at  Augusta,  Maine,  and  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service  on 
August  14,  1862.  The  regiment  went  by  rail  on  August  19,  via  Portland 
and  Boston  to  Fall  River,  Massachusetts,  thence  by  the  steamer  "Bay  State" 
to  Jersey  City,  arriving  there  August  20,  and  at  Philadelphia  the  following 
day,  and  was  entertained  there  with  refreshments  at  the  "Cooper  Shop" ; 
thence  again  by  rail  via  Baltimore  and  arrived  at  Washington  on  August  22. 
The  regiment  marched  down  Pennsylvania  Avenue  and  crossed  Long  Bridge 
into  Virginia  the  next  day  and  camped  at  Fort  Tillinghast,  near  the  Lee 
mansion  on  Arlington  Heights,  just  across  the  Potomac  from  the  White 
House. 

On  September  2,  Companies  D  and  I  were  detailed  to  serve  at  Fort 
Corcoran,  and  the  other  companies  to  other  forts  in  the  vicinity.  At  Fort 
Tillinghast  was  heard  the  first  sounds  of  war  and  real  fighting  while  the 
battle  was  on  at  Chantilly.  The  "long  roll"  called  them  out  there  in  the 
night  for  the  first  time  in  their  long  arduous  service.  On  September  7  the 
regiment  was  consolidated  and  marched  away  on  the  Maryland  campaign; 
and  on  September  9  it  was  assigned  to  Hartsuff' s   Brigade,   composed  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  84I 

the  following  named  regiments :  Eleventh  Pennsylvania.  Ninth  New  Hamp- 
shire, Twelfth  and  Thirteenth  Massachusetts  and  Sixteenth  Maine,  Rick- 
ett's  Division,  Hooker's  First  Army  Corps,  under  Gen.  George  B.  McClel- 
lan,  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

Mr.  Andrews  marched  with  the  regiment  on  the  first  day,  but  was 
taken  violently  sick  with  fever,  and  on  the  morning  of  September  8  was 
sent  back  to  Harewood  Hospital,  Washington.  As  soon  as  he  could  stand 
and  walk  he  attempted  to  find  his  regiment,  and  after  various  delays  joined 
it  at  Sharpsburg,  JMaryland,  in  October.  From  there  he  marched  with  the 
regiment  across  the  South  Mountains,  crossed  the  Potomac  at  Berlin,  thence 
via  Waterford.  Hamilton.  Middleburg.  White  Plains.  Warrington,  etc.,  to 
Rappahannock  Station,  and  then  to  Brook's  Station.  \^irginia;  being  sick 
and  unfit  for  duty  during  the  entire  march.  To  add  to  the  hardship  and 
suffering,  the  men  had  left  their  knapsacks  at  Washington  when  starting 
on  the  campaign,  and  were  without  overcoats  or  change  of  clothing  from 
September  7  to  November  27 ;  and  during  that  period  encountered  severe 
weather  and  hard  storms,  so  that  a  large  per  cent,  of  the  men  were  sick 
and  off  duty.  About  this  time  Comrade  Andrews  was  detailed  as  "cattle 
guard."  and  to  shoot  the  beeves  for  the  brigade,  which  relieved  him  from 
drill,  picket  and  guard  duty  and  other  hardships  incident  to  the  regular 
service,  and  permitted  marching  without  carrying  a  heavy  load.  During 
the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  he  took  a  bunch  of  beeves  to  the  battlefield 
and  slaughtered  them  for  food  for  the  troops  of  the  brigade. 

On  the  "Burnside  mud  march"  he  was  serving  with  the  "cattle  guard," 
but  soon  afterwards  voluntarily  returned  to  his  company  and  put  in  the 
remainder  of  the  winter  at  regular  duty ;  drilling,  on  picket  and  camp  guard, 
having  partially  recovered  his  health. 

Mr.  Andrews  served  with  the  regiment  at  the  second  battle  of  Freder- 
icksburg and  at  Chancellorsville.  May.  1863.  where  he  suff'ered  a  severe 
relapse  and  contracted  an  illness  from  which  he  never  fully  recovered. 
However,  he  started  from  near  Fredericksburg  on  the  Gettysburg  cam- 
paign, and  completely  collapsed  and  was  sent  from  Centerville  to  Fairfax 
Seminary  Hospital  in  June,  1863,  suffering  from  debility  and  fever.  He 
joined  the  regiment  again  at  Rappahannock  Station  in  time  to  participate 
in  an  engagement  there  on  August  i,  1863.  and  continued  to  serve  in  the  fall 
campaign  in  the  advance  of  the  army  to  the  Rapidan  river;  and  on  the 
retreat  of  the  army  back  to  Centerville  in  October.  1863;  where  he  was 
again  prostrated   with  a  severe  illness  and   sent   to   the  field  hospital,   but 


842  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

went  on  duty  again  before  recovery  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Mine 
Run  in  November,  1863. 

During  the  fall  and  winter  of  1863-4,  on  account  of  ill  health,  he  was 
relieved  from  drill,  picket  and  guard  duty,  and  detailed  as  company  clerk. 

In  May,  1864,  Mr.  Andrews  marched  with  the  regiment  and  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania.  The  Sixteenth 
Maine  was  a  fighting  regiment  from  start  to  finish,  commanded  by  the 
gallant,  brave  Col.  Charles  W.  Tilden,  afterwards  brevet  brigadier-general; 
and  by  Lieut. -Col.  Augustus  B.  Farnham.  brevet  colonel,  and  the  adjutant, 
Abner  R.  Small,  was  of  the  best  in  the  army,  afterwards  major.  The  regi- 
ment suffered  heavy  losses.  It  bore  upon  its  rolls  the  names  of  one  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  sixty-two  officers  and  men,  of  whom  one  hundred  and 
seventy-eight  were  killed  in  battle  or  died  of  wounds,  two  hundred  and 
eightv-eight  were  wounded  in  action,  fifty-two  missing  in  action,  some  of 
whom  were  probably  killed,  two  hundred  and  seventy-one  died  of  disease, 
and  two  hundred  and  seventy-seven  were  discharged  for  disability;  a  large 
number  were  captured  by  the  Rebels  in  battle  and  were  confined  in  prisons, 
where  many  perished.  At  Fredericksburg  the  regiment  lost  fifty-four  per 
cent,  of  the  men  who  went  into  the  fight,  killed  and  wounded.  At  Gettys- 
burg after  a  hard  fight  and  losing  heavily  the  first  day,  it  was  ordered  to 
hold  its  position  "at  all  hazards,"  to  enable  the  remainder  of  the  division 
to  retreat  from  the  field  and  gain  a  new  position.  The  order  was  faith- 
fully and  literally  obeyed,  that  gallant  handful  of  men  held  the  line  until 
the  Rebels  swarmed  around  them,  overwhelmed  and  captured  most  of  them. 
Only  two  officers  and  fifteen  men  escaped  and  remained  for  duty  at  the 
close  of  the  battle.  The  remainder,  except  those  killed  and  wounded,  were 
captured  by  the  Rebels  and  taken  to  prison  at  Richmond,  \'irginia,  includ- 
ing Colonel  Tilden,  who  had  the  proud  record  of  escaping  through  the  tun- 
nel from  Libby  Prison  the  following  winter. 

The  various  organizations  to  which  the  regiment  lielonged  were  as  fol- 
low:  It  was  assigned  to  Hartsuff's  Brigade  as  before  stated.  In  October 
General  Hartsufi^  was  succeeded  by  Gen.  Nathan  Taylor  in  command  of 
the  brigade,  and  soon  afterwards  the  Sixteenth  Maine  was  transferred  to 
the  First  Brigade,  same  division,  composed  of  the  Twelfth  Massachusetts, 
Ninety-fourth  and  One  Hundred  and  Fourth  New  York.  One  Hundred  and 
Seventh  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Sixteenth  Maine,  commanded  by  Col.  Adrian 
R.  Root,  of  the  Ninety-Fourth  New  York,  who  assumed  command  on  No- 
vember 19,  1862.  Gen.  John  Robinson  took  command  of  the  Second  Divi- 
sion, and  Gen.  John  F.  Reynolds  commanded  the  First  Army  Corps.     About 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  843 

October,  1862,  General  McClellan  was  relieved  from  command  of  the  Army 
of  Potomac  and  was  succeeded  by  Gen.  Ambrose  E.  Burnside  who  fought 
the  first  battle  of  Fredericksburg.  He  was  relieved  about  March,  1863,  by 
Gen.  Joseph  Hooker,  who  fought  the  second  battle  of  Fredericksburg  and 
the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  in  May,  1863.  He  was  relieved  in  turn  the 
last  of  June  by  Gen.  George  G.  Mead,  who  fought  the  battle  of  Gettysburg, 
July,  1863,  and  commanded  the  army  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

After  General  Reynolds  was  killed  at  Gettysburg,  the  First  Corps  was 
commanded  by  Gen.  John  Newton  until  March,  1864,  when  it  was  con- 
solidated with  the  Fifth  Corps,  commanded  by  Gen.  G.  K.  Warren,  until 
the  battle  of  Five  Forks,  and  afterwards  by  Gen.  Charles  Griffin.  General 
Robinson  commanded  the  Second  Division,  First  Corps  until  March,  1864, 
when  it  was  consolidated  and  became  the  Second  Division  of  the  Fifth 
Corps.  At  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania,  May  8,  1864,  he  lost  a  leg,  and  Col. 
Dick  Coulter  had  temporary  command  of  the  division.  On  May  10,  the 
brigade  was  temporarily  assigned  to  the  First  Division  under  Gen.  Lysamis 
Cutler.  On  June  8,  1864,  the  brigade  was  transferred  to  General  Craw- 
ford's Third  Division,  Fifth  Corps.  It  had  various  commanders  at  differ- 
ent periods.  Colonel  Root  conmianded  at  Fredericksburg,  both  battles,  and 
at  Chancellorsville.  It  went  into  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  under  Gen.  Gabri- 
elle  Paul,  who  had  both  eyes  shot  out,  and  was  succeeded,  respecti'/ely,  by 
Colonels  Root,  Leonard  and  Coulter,  who  were  all  wounded.  This  little 
brigade  lost  over  one  thousand  men  the  first  day  at  Gettysburg.  Colonel 
Leonard  commanded  during  the  fall  and  winter  of  1863-4,  and  up  to  the 
battle  of  Spottsylvania,  May  8,  1864.  Col.  Thomas  F.  McCoy  seems  to 
have  been  in  command  at  the  battle  of  Weldon  Railroad,  Virginia,  August 
18,  1864.  On  August  21,  1864,  the  Sixteenth  Maine  was  transferred  to 
General  Baxter's  Second  Brigade. 

The  First  Brigade  during  the  winter  of  1863-4  was  stationed  at  Mit- 
chell's Station,  Virginia,  on  the  Orange  and  Alexandria  railroad,  between 
Culpeper  and  the  Rapidan  river,  south  of  Slaughter's  Mountain. 

As  before  stated,  Comrade  Andrews  suffered  from  repeated  attacks  of 
sickness,  which  seriously  mitigated  against  his  success  and  advancement  as 
a  soldier.  Notwithstanding  which,  and  without  solicitation,  he  was  ten- 
dered promotion  by  Captain  Plummer,  which  was  promptly  declined  against 
the  earnest  protest  of  the  captain,  on  the  ground  that  it  would  deprive  other 
comrades,  who  had  performed  better  service,  from  merited  promotion.  On 
account  of  continued  ill  health  and  disability  for  further  active  duty  in  the 


844  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

field,  he  was  again  sent  to  the  hospital  at  ^\^ashington.  the  last  part  of  May, 
1864.  from  which  he  never  returned  to  duty  with  the  regiment.  After  con- 
valescence he  was  detailed  as  a  clerk  at  Mount  Pleasant  United  States  Hos- 
pital. Washington,  where  by  close  attention  and  fidelity  to  duty  he  became 
chief  clerk  of  the  hospital  a  year  later,  with  fifty  clerks  and  ward  masters 
under  his  direction.  By  order  of  the  war  department  he  was  directed  to  be 
transferred  to  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps  for  duty,  which  was  barely  escaped 
by  the  close  of  the  war.  He  served  out  his  time  as  chief  clerk,  and  was  dis- 
charged for  disability  at  Washington.  July  13.  1865.  After  discharge  he 
continued  his  position  a  month  longer  to  assist  his  commanding  officer  to 
discharge  and  muster  out  the  men  who  were  inmates  of  the  hospital,  and 
to  close  out  the  post. 

Without  solicitation  Comrade  Andrews  received  the  following  certifi- 
cates of  service  from  his  commanding  officers : 

"Waterford.  ^Iaine.  September  20,  1864. 
"This  may  certify  that  Henry  V.  Andrews,  a  private  of  Co.  D.  16  Me. 
Vols,  has,  during  his  two  years  of  service,  shown  himself  to  be  not  only  a 
true  soldier,  but  a  young  man  possessed  of  more  than  ordinary  business 
capacity.  He  has  a  greater  portion  of  the  time  been  employed  by  me  as 
company  clerk,  and  by  his  strict  and  close  attention  to  his  duty  has  proved 
himself  to  be  an  able  and  efficient  person  to  perform  all  such  labors  imposed 
upon  him. 

"I  would,  therefore,  cheerfully  recommend  him  for  some  better  posi- 
tion which  his  talents,  industry  and  general  character  eminently  deserve. 

"(Signed)      S.  K.  Plummer, 
"Capt.  Co.  D,  16  Maine  Vols." 

"Mt.   Pleasant  Hospital,  Washington,   D.   C,  • 

July  16,  1865. 

"As  the  time  draws  near  when  the  hospital  will  close,  I  should  be  doing 
injustice  to  my  feelings  were  I  not  to  express  to  you  my  gratification  for 
the  efficient  manner  in  which  you  have  performed  the  duties  of  chief  clerk 
of  the  main  office. 

"Your  character  has  always  been  most  exemplary.  After  your  honor- 
al)le  discharge  you  returned  to  the  hospital  and  resumed  your  old  duties, 
although  no  provision  had  been  made  for  your  employment — an  action 
worthy  of  all  praise,  and  in  marked  contrast  to  the  selfish  course  pursued 
by  others.     I  consider  that  the  promptitude  with  which  1  was  enabled  to 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  845 

muster  out  and  discharge  the  convalescent  soldiers  was  due  in  no  small 
degree  to  your  labors — and  you  are  entitled  to  the  gratitude  of  your  former 
comrades  as  well  as  my  own  thanks.     Wishing  for  you  every  success, 

"I  remain  very  truly  your  friend, 

(Signed)      "H.  Allen, 
"Asst.  Surg.  U.  S.  A.,  In  Charge. 
"Henry  Franklin  Andrews, 

"Late  Co.  D.   i6  Maine." 

The  following  certificate  was  given  by  the  officer  last  named  in  response 
to  a  request  for  a  recommendation  for  an  appointment  in  the  War  De- 
partment :  . 

"Mount  Pleasant  Hospital,  Washington,  D.  C, 

"July  16,  1865. 
"Sir — In  reply  to  your  request  that  I  would  give  you  my  opinion  as 
to  your  fitness  for  the  position  of  clerk  at  the  War  Department,  I  would 
say  that  I  have  rarely  met  in  the  service  with  one  more  devoted  to  his 
duties  than  yourself,  or  who  was  less  disposed  to  secure  promotion  at  the 
expense  of  the  interests  of  his  fellow  soldiers.  I  can  also  affirm  to  your 
efficiency  as  a  clerk,  for  you  have  assumed  charge  of  the  main  office  of  this 
hospital  to  my  entire  satisfaction.  I  hope  that  in  the  disposal  of  the  appoint- 
ments, the  claim  of  those  who  have  already  rendered  faithful  service  to  the 
Government  will  be  considered. 

"(Signed)    H.  Allen, 
"Ass't  Surg.  U.  S.  A.  In  Charge." 
"Henry  Franklin  Andrews, 

"Late  Priv.  Co.  D,  i6th  Maine  Vols." 

The  foregoing  documents  were  from  a  regular  army  officer,  command- 
ing a  post  of  three  thousand  sick  and  wounded  men  and  convalescents, 
embracing  every  branch  of  the  army  service,  guarded  by  three  companies 
of  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  with  thirty  surgeons  or  more,  and  numer- 
ous stewards,  wardmasters,  clerks,  attendants,  etc.,  under  his  command, 
equalizing  the  command  of  a  division  in  the  field.  It  was  an  unusual  act 
for  such  officers  to  present  a  volunteer  enlisted  man  such  compliments.  The 
service  which  suggested  this  action  was  such  as  had  merited  his  special 
approval. 

Instead  of  accepting  a  clerkship  Comrade  Andrews  retired  to  civil  life. 
He   came   to   Exira   on   October   3,    1865,   whither   his   parents   had   moved 


846  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

while  he  was  in  the  army,  where  he  has  since  principally  resided.  During 
the  winters  of  1865-6  and  1866-7,  he  taught  schood,  and  worked  at  farm- 
ing and  carpentering  in  the  summer  months.  He  served  as  county  recorder, 
1867-8;  county  judge,  1868;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  1870.  He  was  deputy 
United  States  marshal,  and  enumerated  for'  the  eleventh  United  States 
census  for  the  counties  of  Audubon  and  Shelby,  in  1870.  In  1872  he 
attended  one  term  at  the  school  of  the  law  department,  Iowa  State  Univer- 
sity. Admitted  to  the  supreme  court  of  Iowa,  1884.  and  to  practice  before 
the  United  States  department  of  the  interior  the  same  year,  and  to  the 
United  States  district  and  circuit  courts  in  1886.  Employed  as  county  attor- 
ney, 1884-6.  He  was  state  senator,  1892-5;  notary  public  for  many  years; 
mayor  of  Exira,  1894-5;  justice  of  the  peace.  1905-8.  He  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Free  Masons ;  Knights  of  Pythias,  in  which  he  held  the  office  of 
chancellor  commander;  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men:  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America;  Iowa  Legion  of  Honor;  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  in 
which  he  held  nearly  every  ofifice  in  the  post.  Four  times  colonel  and  aid-de- 
camp on  the  staff  of  the  national  commander.  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
He  devoted  much  time  in  assisting  the  old  veteran  comrades  to  obtain  pen- 
sions and  claims  for  army  and  navy  services  from  the  government. 

Mr.  Andrews  was  chairman  of  the  military  committee  in  the  Senate 
of  Iowa  at  the  time  of  building  the  Iowa  soldiers'  monument  at  Des  Moines; 
was  author  of  the  bill  which  placed  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  head- 
quarters in  the  state  house;  author  of  bill  granting  aid  to  indigent  soldiers; 
author  of  the  plan  placing  the  sixth  judge  on  the  supreme  court  of  Iowa; 
an  actiA-e  supporter  of  the  historical  department  of  Iowa.  He  has  given 
liberally  of  his  time  in  promoting  various  associations  for  the  reunions  of 
the  veterans  of  the  Civil  War.  Colonel  of  the  Audubon  County  Veteran 
Regiment.  1904;  general  of  the  Nishua  Botna  Veteran  Association,  1905; 
general  of  the  Western  Iowa  Veteran  Association.  1906;  meml>er  and  active 
supporter  of  the  National  Association  of  Civil  War  Musicians.  A  leading 
and  successful  member  of  the  Audubon  county  bar,  and  has  been  engaged 
in  many  business  enterprises.  He  has  been  an  extensive  landowner,  land 
agent  and  dealer  in  real  estate,  farmer,  stock  grower,  fruit  grower,  mer- 
chant, dealer  and  shipper  of  grain  and  live  stock. 

One  of  the  founders  of  the  town  of  West  Exira,  1879.  He  built  the 
first  brick  building  in  Audubon  county  in  1873.  The  county  records  and 
newspaper  files  of  Audubon  county  show  that  IMr.  Andrews  has  been  a 
busy  man  since  1865,  and  that  he  has  ever  been  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
the  people  among  whom  he  has  lived. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  847 

Henry  Franklin  Andrews  is  the  author  of  "The  Andrews  Family," 
published  in  1890;  "The  Hamlin  Family,"  1894;  "The  Hamlin  Family," 
1900;  "The  Hamlin  Family,"  1902;  and  other  publications.  And  author  of 
the  "History  of  Audubon  County." 

Mr.  Andrews  is  a  Republican.     He  is  an  agnostic. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrews  the  following  children  were  born  at  Exira : 
Charles  Franklin,  born  on  i\pril  24,  1872,  unmarried;  Claude  Norton,  March 
10,  1874,  unmarried;  Jessamine  Julia,  April  16,  1877,  unmarried;  Wallace 
Pearl,  July  28,  1879,  unmarried;  John  Hamlin.  October  15,  1886,  unmar- 
ried; Philip  Stearns,  July  20,  1888,  married  Fleta  E.  Walker. 


AUGUST  DREIER. 


August  Dreier,  who  owns  a  well-improved  farm  of  eighty  acres  in 
section  2  of  Audubon  township,  with  a  splendid  house,  barn  and  other 
buildings,  equipped  with  all  modern  conveniences,  was  born  on  January  28, 
1874,  in  Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  Germany,  the  son  of  Fritz  and  Augusta 
(Schowlo)  Dreier,  also  natives  of  Germany,  born  in  the  same  place  as  their 
son.  Fritz  Dreier  was  a  laborer  in  his  native  land  but  engaged  in  farming 
after  coming  to  the  United  States.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fritz  Dreier  had  eight 
children:  Fritz,  Jr.,  August,  William,  Minnie,  Louisa,  Herman,  Charles 
and  Louis,  all  of  whom  are  living  in  the  United  States.  Besides  August, 
his  brother,  William,  and  his  sister,  Minnie,  live  in  Audubon  county.  Minnie 
is  the  wife  of  William  Nieman. 

Coming  to  the  United  States  in  1892  alone  and  landing  at  Boston, 
August  Dreier  came  directly  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  w^here  his  uncle, 
August  Burr,  already  lived.  Four  years  later,  in  1896,  his  parents  and  the 
remainder  of  the  family  came  to  this  country,  settling  in  Audubon  county, 
where  the  father  lived  until  his  death. 

August  Dreier  attended  school  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old  and  then 
worked  at  various  occupations  until  he  was  twenty,  w^hen  he  decided  to 
come  to  this  country.  After  arriving  here  he  worked  by  the  month  for 
six  years  and  farmed  for  his  father  for  about  three  years.  In  1901  he 
went  to  Garrett,  Indiana,  and  worked  in  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  railroad  shops 
for  two  years.  He  then  came  back  to  Audubon  county,  where  he  rented 
land  until  19 10.  In  that  year,  Mr.  Dreier  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  section  2  of  Audubon  township  and  here  he  now  lives.     He  has  rebuilt 


848  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

the  house  which  now  consists  of  six  large  rooms,  and  he  has  also  built  a 
new  corn  crib  and  made  other  improvements,  such  as  the  erection  of  hog 
houses,  a  hen  house  and  the  installation  of  waterworks  on  the  farm. 

On  September  12,  1900,  August  Dreier  was  married  to  Edna  Niemann, 
who  was  born  on  March  12,  1880,  in  Mecklenburg.  Germany,  and  who  is 
the  daughter  of  Carl  and  Christina  (Aherend)  Niemann,  also  natives  of 
Mecklenburg,  Germany.  Mrs.  Dreier's  father,  who  was  a  shepherd  in  the 
old  country,  took  up  farming  on  coming  to  America.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children :  William,  Herman,  Minnie,  Agusta,  Louisa, 
Eda,  Paul,  Elbert,  Carl  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  The  Niemann  family, 
after  coming  to  this  country  in  1894,  came  direct  from  New  York  City  to 
Audubon  county.     The  parents  are  now  deceased. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  August  Dreier  are  the  parents  of  six  children :  Anna, 
born  on  June  17,  1901 ;  William,  March  29,  1903;  Minnie,  June  17,  1904; 
Martha,  March  23,  1907;  Elmer,  November  24,  1908,  and  Clara,  November 
2,  1910. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  the  only  office  which  Mr.  Dreier  has  ever  held 
is  that  of  school  director,  in  which  he  served  with  conspicuous  satisfaction. 
The  Dreier  family  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church. 

Although  Mr.  Dreier  is  engaged  in  general  farming,  he  keeps  several 
milk  cows  for  dairy  purposes  and  these  have  proved  very  profitable  invest- 
ments. He  is  a  skillful  farmer,  a  man  of  modest  demeanor,  wholly  unassum- 
ing in  his  relations  with  his  neighbors,  and  one  who,  for  that  reason,  is 
popular  in  the  community  where  he  lives. 


SOREN  S.  FAABORG. 


Another  of  the  well-known  native-born  Danish  farmers  of  Sharon  town- 
ship, Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who  have  succeeded  in  a  large  measure  since 
coming  to  America,  is  Soren  S.  Faaborg,  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  township,  who  was  born  in  Denmark,  March 
31,  1853,  the  son  of  Simon  S.  and  Christena  (Allen)  Faaborg.  The  father 
and  mother  came  to  America  in  1875,  and  after  locating  in  Clinton  county, 
Iowa,  there  rented  a  farm  for  five  years.  The  father  died  in  Audubon 
county,  July  4,  1899;  his  wife,  the  mother  of  Soren  S.  Faaborg,  died  in 
1875,  a  few  days  after  their  arrival  in  America.  They  were  the  parents  of 
six  children. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  849 

Soren  S.  Faaborg,  after  having  been  educated  in  his  native  land,  worked 
as  a  farm  hand  for  four  years,  and  when  he  was  twenty  years  old  came  to 
America,  locating  in  Clinton  county,  Iowa,  where  he  also  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  for  three  years.  Mr.  Faaborg  rented  land  for  six  years,  and  in  1882, 
when  he  was  twenty-nine  years  old  removed  to  Audubon  county,  and  settled 
upon  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  and  for  which  he  paid  at  the  beginning 
eight  and  nine  dollars  an  acre.  The  farm  originally  consisted  of  eighty 
acres,  but  has  been  increased  to  one  hundred  and  twenty.  Mr.  Faaborg 
broke  most  of  the  sod  on  the  farm,  and  has  invested  since  purchasing  the 
place  some  five  thousand  dollars  in  improvements  of  various  kinds.  He  is 
accustomed  to  raise  at  least  forty  acres  of  corn  every  year,  which  yields  an 
average  of  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre,  a  higher  yield  than  is  usually  got  in  this 
neighborhood.  He  feeds  about  fifty  head  of  hogs  every  year,  and  the  combi- 
nation of  mixed  farming  has  proved  very  successful  for  him. 

Soren  S.  Faaborg  was  married  on  August  21,  1881,  eight  years  after 
coming  to  this  country,  in  Clinton  county,  Iowa,  to  Kjestena  Petersen, 
daughter  of  Knud  and  Kjestena  (Boysen)  Petersen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Faaborg 
have  had  eleven  children,  as  follow:  Dorothy,  Signe,  Dagmar,  Cecelia, 
Johannah,  Agnes,  Simon  and  Knud,  all  of  w^hom  are  living,  and  three  children 
who  are  deceased,  Simon,  Johannah  and  Agnes.  Of  these  children,  Dorothy 
married  Sophus  Sorensen,  and  they  have  three  children,  Larha,  Soren  and 
Eva.  Signa  married  Peter  Hansen,  and  they  have  five  children,  Harold, 
Arnold,  Alvin,  Ernest  and  Alma.  Dagmar  married  Hans  Jessen,  and  they 
have  two  children,  Richard  and  Carl.  Cecelia  married  Albert  Larson. 
Johannah  married  Oscar  Sorensen.  The  remainder  of  the  family  are  unmar- 
ried and  live  at  home. 

Mrs.  Faaborg,  a  native  of  Denmark,  came  to  America  with  her  parents 
in  1872.  Her  father,  who  was  a  farm  hand  in  his  native  land,  after  coming 
to  America  located  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  as  a  laborer  for 
two  years,  and  then  removed  to  Clinton  county,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  for 
the  Rock  Island  Railway  Company.  After  quitting  the  railway  service  in 
which  he  was  engaged  for  nine  years,  he  removed  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa, 
and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land.     He  is  now  living  retired  at  Elkhorn. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  Faaborg  has  held  several  offices  of  trust 
and  responsibility  in  his  community,  having  served  as  school  director  and 
as  road  supervisor.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Faaborg  are  members  of  the  Danish 
Lutheran  church,  and  Mr.  Faaborg  is  a  trustee  of  the  church.  He  is  one 
of  the  best-known  citizens  of  the  community,  honorable,  upright  and  fair  in 
(54) 


850  '  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

all  of  the  relations  of  life,  a  man  who  has  always  paid  strict  attention  to  his 
business,  and  who  has  always  filled  with  scrupulous  pains  his  business  and 
social  obligations.  He  is  a  worthy  citizen  of  this  great  country,  which  has 
become  his  home  by  adoption. 


PETER  H.  ANDERSON. 


Born  December  28,  1856,  in  Denmark,  Peter  H.  Anderson,  a  well-known 
farmer  and  stockman  of  Sharon  township,  and  the  son  of  Hans  and  Margaret 
(Jensen)  Anderson,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Denmark  and  who  lived 
and  died  in  that  country  where  they  were  farmers,  has  made  a  phenomenal 
success  of  farming  since  coming  to  America  in  1882.  Mr.  Anderson  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  and  after  leaving  school  worked 
as  a  hired  hand  until  he  decided  to  come  to  America.  He  was  one  of  nine 
children  born  to  his  parents,  seven  of  whom  are  now  living,  but  he  is  the 
only  member  of  the  family  living  in  this  county. 

Arriving  in  America  in  1882,  he  located  in  Sharon  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  a  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  for 
a  portion  of  which  he  paid  fifteen  dollars,  and  for  the  balance,  twenty-five 
dollars  an  acre.  In  the  meantime,  however,  Mr.  Anderson  has  added  forty 
acres  to  his  original  tract,  and  now  owns  a  farm  of  a  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  upon  which  he  has  invested  upwards  of  eight  thousand  dollars  in 
general  improvements,  such  as  buildings,  fences,  ditches,  etc.  He  is  engaged 
in  general  or  mixed  farming;  raises  fifty  acres  of  corn  a  year,  which  averages 
sixty  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  feeds  a  hundred  head  of  hogs  and  forty-five 
head  of  cattle  annually;  he  keeps  only  the  very  highest  grade  of  live  stock. 
Mr.  Anderson  has  a  one-hundred-ton  silo  on  his  farm,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  agriculturists  in  this  part  of  Audubon  county  to  erect  a  silo,  an  invest- 
ment that  has  proved  very  profitable.  Since  Mr.  Anderson's  silo  was  erected, 
many  other  farmers  of  the  neighborhood  have  also  erected  and  maintained 
silos.  ■  • 

Peter  H.  Anderson  was  married  in  1881  in  Denmark,  one  year  before 
coming  to  America,  to  Anna  Madsen.  No  children  were  born  to  this  first 
marriage  and.  after  her  death,  Mr.  Anderson  was  married  in  1899,  to  Carrie 
Hansen,  daughter  of  Chris  Hansen.  To  this  second  marriage  three  children 
have  been  born,  all  of  whom  are  unmarried  and  who  live  at  home  with  their 
parents;  they  are,  Anna,  Hans  and  Christena. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  85 1 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  H.  Anderson  are  prominent  and  influential  members 
of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  in  which  Mr.  Anderson  has  served  as  a 
trustee.  He  is  an  independent  voter,  and  since  coming  to  this  country  has 
never  identified  himself  permanently  with  any  political  party.  He  sup- 
ports measures  and  men  rather  than  parties  and  party  emblems,  and  in 
this  way  believes  he  can  more  worthily  discharge  his  duties  as  an  intelligent 
and  alert  citizen  who  has  at  heart  the  best  interests  of  his  neighborhood,  his 
county  and  his  state.  Mr.  Anderson  is  known  in  Sharon  township  where 
he  lives  as  an  enterprising  farmer  and  valuable  citizen;  he  is  well  liked  by 
the  people  of  his  neighborhood  and  is  admired  and  honored  for  his  industry, 
his  skill  and  the  good  management  of  his  farm. 


ANDERS  JEPPESEN. 


Anders  Jeppesen.  the  proprietor  of  a  splendid  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  in  Sharon  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  a  well-known 
citizen  of  this  community,  was  born  on  December  24,  1870,  in  Denmark, 
the  son  of  Jorgen  and  Bertha  Jeppesen,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  plasterer 
by  trade  and  who  has  followed  this  occupation  all  his  life.  Of  his  seven 
children  only  two,  Anders  and  a  daughter,  are  living  at  this  time  in  America. 

Anders  Jeppesen  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Denmark  and 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  after  leaving  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  until, 
he  came  to  America  in  1892.  After  arriving  in  this  country  and  locating  in 
Nebraska  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  until  he  came  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa, 
and  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  township, 
where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  general  farming.  Mr.  Jeppesen  has 
invested  about  five  thousand  dollars  in  improvements  of  various  kinds  on 
the  farm  and  raises  about  forty  acres  of  corn  every  year,  which  he  feeds  to 
live  stock,  and  sells  each  year  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  head  of  hogs  from 
the  farm. 

Anders  Jeppesen  was  married  in  1894,  two  years  after  his  arrival  in 
this  country,  to  Jacobena  Christiansen,  the  daughter  of  Knud  and  Christina 
Christiansen.  Of  the  twelve  children  born  to  this  union,  ten  are  now  living: 
Mina,  Amalie,  Johannes,  Kirstifie,  Knud,  Bothilde,  Anna,  Marie,  Jorgen, 
Herluf,  Karl  and  Hertha. 

Mrs.  Jeppesen  is  also  a  native  of  Denmark.  Her  mother  came  to 
America  after  the  death  of  her  father  and  located  in  Elkhorn,  Iowa,  one 


852  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

year.  Subsequently  she  came  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa.  Christina  Jeppesen 
was  the  mother  of  nine  children. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jeppesen  have  been  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church  since  coming  to  this  country,  and  Mr.  Jeppesen  has  been  for  a  long 
time  a  trustee  in  this  church.  The  Jeppesen  family  are  active  in  the  affairs 
of  their  denomination  and  are  prominent  and  influential  citizens  in  the  com- 
munity where  they  reside. 

Anders  Jeppesen  is  one  of  the  native  sons  of  the  thriving  little  kingdom 
of  Denmark  who  has  come  to  this  country  and  who  has  established  a  com- 
fortable home  and  surrounded  himself  with  the  conveniences  of  life.  The 
Danish  people  are  among  the  best  citizens  of  this  great  republic  and  Anders 
Jeppesen  is  no  exception  to  the  rule.  He  is  popular  in  the  neighborhood  and 
ranks  as  a  high-class,  intelligent  and  successful  farmer. 


ERNEST  BERNARD  VOSS. 

Among  those  citizens  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who  are  possessed  of 
great  strength  of  character  and  who  have  impressed  their  personality  upon 
the  community  where  they  live,  taking  a  full  share  in  the  building  and 
development  of  the  county,  is  Ernest  Bernard  Voss,  of  Exira,  who  is  a  well- 
known  contractor  and  builder  and  who  was  formerly  engaged  in  farming. 
He  is  a  man  of  upright  principles  and  has  had  a  large  part  in  the  advance- 
ment of  the  community. 

Mr.  Voss  is  the  son  of  John  and  Caroline  (Ruff)  Voss  and  was  born 
at  Strasburg,  France,  on  January  24,  1864.  He  came  with  his  parents  on 
the  steamship  "Colorado,"  to  this  country,  arriving  at  New  York  city, 
November  7,  1870.  The  family  settled  at  Ground  Point,  Indiana,  but,  in 
February,  1871,  moved  to  Homestead,  Iowa.  In  December,  1876,  they 
moved  to  Audubon  countv. 

In  1889  Mr.  Voss  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  in  section  3,  of  Audu- 
bon township,  where  he  lived  for  several  years,  improving  the  farm  and 
developing  it  to  a  very  high  degree.  In  November,  1893,  ^^^-  Voss  moved  to 
Exira  and,  until  1895,  conducted  a  meat  market  at  that  place.  He  was  town 
marshal  of  Exira  for  four  years  during  his  first  residence  in  this  city. 
Subsequently,  Mr.  Voss  engaged,  in  partnership  with  John  Peterman,  in 
contract  building.  They  operated  a  planing-mill  and  repair  shop  in  Exira 
until  1906,  when  Mr.  Voss  moved  to  a  farm  in  section  36,  of  Exira  town- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA,  853 

ship,  which  he  had  previously  purchased.  Here  he  remained  until  1908, 
when  he  purchased  a  two-hundred-acre  farm  in  Eureka  township,  Adair 
county,  Iowa.  In  February,  191 1,  Mr.  Voss  moved  back  to  Exira  and  again 
engaged  in  contract  building.     He  operates  a  planing-mill  and  repair  shop. 

On  April  20,  1889,  Ernest  B.  Voss  was  married,  in  Audubon  township, 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  to  Anna  Petri,  the  daughter  of  John  and  Wilhelmina 
(Wagner)  Petri.  The  marriage  ceremony  was  performed  by  Rev.  William 
Ehlers.  Mrs.  Voss  died  on  July  2,  1909,  in  Eureka  township,  Adair  county, 
leaving  seven  children :  John  Charles,  who  married  Eva  Van  Slyke ;  Will- 
iam Henry,  who  married  Leola  Lair;  George  Charles,  who  married  Evelyn 
Rendleman;  Frances  Mary,  Martha,  Clara  and  Mary,  who  are  unmarried. 
The  last  two  named,  Clara  and  Mary,  are  twins.  On  January  i,  1912,  Mr. 
Voss  was  married,  secondly,  in  Stuart,  Iowa,  to  Laura  Eunice  Wright,  the 
daughter  of  Nathan  and  Mary  (Harlan)  Wright.  The  ceremony  was  per- 
formed  by  Rev.  N.  A.  Hollingshead. 

Mr.  Voss  has  always  been  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  and  has 
been  more  or  less  prominent  in  local  politics.  In  fact,  he  has  no  little  influ- 
ence in  the  local  councils  of  his  party  in  this  county.  Mr.  Voss  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  J.  C.  Newton  Camp,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  an 
enterprising  business  man,  a  well-known  citizen  and  has  a  host  of  friends 
throughout  this  and  adjoining  counties. 


SAMUEL  RICHARD  JOHNSON. 

Samuel  Richard  Johnson  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  his  birthplace  being  in 
Grundy  county.  He  was  born  on  August  8,  1876.  His  father,  John  John- 
son, was  a  native  of  Sweden,  and  his  mother,  Christina  Johnson,  was  a 
native  of  Norway.  John  Johnson  migrated  to  America  with  his  parents  and 
located  in  Grundy  county,  Illinois.  They  lived  there  for  several  years,  and 
there  the  parents  died.  In  Grundy  county  John  Johnson  met  and  married 
the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  rented  land  in  that  county. 
In  the  spring  of  1881,  John  Johnson  brought  his  family  to  Audubon  county, 
where  he  obtained  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Sharon  township,  and  began  imme- 
diately to  make  improvements  on  it.  In  1900  he  retired  from  active  work, 
and  removed  to  Audubon,  where  he  died  in  1904.  His  widow  still  resides 
there. 


854  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

John  Johnson  hmited  his  work  to  farming,  in  which  he  was  successful. 
In  rehgious  matters,  he  and  his  wife  were  affihated  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  He  was  a  Republican.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 
Johnson  consisted  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  John 
P.,  a  merchant  and  farmer  of  Greenfield,  Iowa;  Edward  F.,  county  super- 
visor, living  in  Audubon;  Mary,  who  married  Clarence  Wildy,  of  Douglas 
township,  this  county;  Samuel  Richard,  the  subject  of  this  biography;  and 
Elmer,  a  carpenter  of  Atlantic,  Iowa. 

Samuel  Johnson  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Audubon  county,  includ- 
ing a  year's  work  in  the  Audubon  schools.  After  his  twenty-first  birthday, 
he  left  home  to  spend  three  years  in  southeast  Wyoming.  The  life  of  the 
ranch  interested  him,  and  he  at  first  took  up  this  picturesque  occupation,  but 
later  left  it  for  railroad  work.  Like  his  ancestors,  he  was  fond  of  tilling  the 
soil,  and  at  the  first  opportunity  to  obtain  some  land  for  himself,  he  procured 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  from  the  government  and  proved  up  on  this 
homestead  in  the  West. 

In  1898,  Samuel  Richard  Johnson  was  married  to  Cora  Creasman,  who 
was  born  in  Wyoming,  a  daughter  of  Frank  Creasman.  The  following  year, 
they  left  Wyoming  and  returned  to  Audubon  county,  locating  five  miles 
southwest  from  Audubon.  They  lived  for  three  years  in  Hamlin  township, 
and  then  in  Melville  township  for  two  years.  Returning  to  Hamlin  town- 
ship, they  resided  there  three  years,  when  Mr.  Johnson  purchased  his  present 
farm  of  eighty  acres  in  section  12,  of  Leroy  township.  This  has  become 
known  as  "the  old  Johnson  place,"  and  is  one  of  the  best  improved  properties 
of  the  county.  The  owner  has  been  much  interested  in  the  raising  of  Short- 
horn cattle,  of  which  he  has  twenty  head;  Duroc-Jersey  hogs,  of  which  he 
has  from  fifty  to  sixty  head,  and  draft  horses.  Besides  this,  he  engages  in 
all  the  industries  carried  on  by  the  modern  progressive  farmer. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  have  been  born  four  children,  Orpha,  Helen, 
Herbert  and  Floyd. 

A  man  of  modest  tastes,  Mr.  Johnson  has  never  been  an  office  seeker. 
He  always  votes  the  Republican  ticket.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
lodge  of  Audubon,  also  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  which  his  wife 
also  attends. 

Mr.  Johnson's  home  is  one  of  the  landmarks  of  Audubon  county,  and 
has  become  so  not  only  because  of  long  residence  there,  but  also  because  of 
the  place  he  and  his  wife  have  occupied  in  the  social  and  religious  life  of  the 
community.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Johnson  are  delightful  people  to  meet.  They 
are  genial  in  temperament,  well  informed,  and  kindly  in  spirit,  qualities 
which  win  for  them  many  friends. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  855 

JOHN  F.  HILL. 

One  of  the  oldest  citizens  in  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  the  late  John  F. 
Hill,  had  been  a  resident  of  the  great  Hawkeye  state  almost  continuously 
for  nearly  sixty  years,  with  the  exception  of  four  years,  which  he  gave  to  the 
service  of  his  country  during  the  dark  and  bloody  days  of  the  American 
Civil  War.  Not  only  did  Mr.  Flill  himself  have  an  honorable  and  valiant 
military  record,  but  he  is  descended  from  militant  stock,  his  grandfather, 
Frederick  Hill,  who  came  to  this  country  from  Germany,  having  served  in 
the  American  Revolution  and  having  fought  valiantly  for  several  years  in 
the  cause  of  freedom.  An  uncle  of  John  F.  Hill,  John  Hill,  was  a  brave 
soldier  in  the  War  of  1812. 

Before  Mr.  Hill  had  attained  his  majority,  he  enlisted  in  the  regular 
army,  November  2,  1851,  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  sent  to 
Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  to  serve  in  the  Third  United  States  Infantry.  From 
Santa  Fe,  he  was  detailed  to  the  barracks  at  Newport,  Kentucky,  for  the 
winter,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  next  year  was  sent  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
from  which  the  Third  Infantry  moved  to  Ft.  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  From 
Ft.  Leavenworth  he  drove  through  to  Santa  Fe.  In  the  meantime,  his  par- 
ents, or  rather  his  grandparents,  having  found  out  that  he  had  enlisted,  began 
proceedings  to  get  his  discharge,  as  he  was  not  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
enlistment.  When  he  arrived  in  Santa  Fe,  his  discharge  was  awaiting  him 
and  he  then  found  it  necessary  to  drive  all  the  way  from  Santa  Fe  to  Mis- 
souri, and  from  Missouri  home. 

John  F.  Hill  was  born  on  December  2^],  1831,  in  Bedford  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  died  on  June  12,  191 5.  His  parents,  Henry  and  Frances 
(Burns)  Hill,  were  also  natives  of  Bedford  county.  Henry  Flill  was  the 
son  of  Frederick  Hill,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  who  was  born  in  Germany 
and  who  came  to  America  shortly  before  the  American  Revolution.  John 
F.  Hill  was  the  only  child  born  to  his  parents  and  his  father,  who  was  a 
blacksmith  by  trade,  died  when  John  F.  was  only  three  years  old.  John  F. 
then  went  to  live  with  his  grandfather,  Frederick  Hill,  and  was  reared  and 
educated  by  him,  attending  the  old-fashioned  log  cabin  school. 

After  the  death  of  his  grandfather,  John  F.  Hill  took  up  farming  and  in 
1857  came  to  Iowa,  driving  through  from  Pennsylvania  to  Cedar  county. 
There  he  remained  until  i860  when  he  moved  to  Johnson  county.  On 
November  2,  1861,  Mr.  Hill  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Fourteenth  Regiment, 
Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  was  a  part  of  the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps, 


856  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Army  of  the  Tennessee.  Mr.  Hill's  first  battle  was  that  of  Ft.  Donaldson, 
Tennessee,  which  was  an  exciting  event  in  his  career.  He  next  fought  at 
Shiloh,  then  at  Corinth,  Mississippi,  and  finally  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Louisiana. 
After  taking  Ft.  Derusa,  Louisiana,  the  Fourteenth  Iowa  Infantry  was 
engaged  in  a  battle  at  Yellow  Bayou,  Louisiana,  and  again  at  Tupelo,  Mis- 
sissippi. From  this  place  the  Fourteenth  Iowa  Infantry  was  sent  to  Missouri, 
where  the  regiment  served  until  November  8,  1864,  when  it  was  mustered 
out.  Mr.  Hill  was  never  wounded  nor  taken  prisoner  throughout  the  war 
and  was  sick  only  about  two  weeks  during  the  entire  period  of  the  war. 

After  being  mustered  out  of  the  Union  army,  he  returned  to  Johnson 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  for  twelve  years,  and  in  April,  1872,  came  to 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  where  he  rented  land  in  Greeley  township  for  six 
years.  Mr.  Hill  then  purchased  the  farm  in  section  6,  of  Audubon  county, 
where  he  lived  until  the  fall  of  19 14.  He  then  retired  and  moved  to  Exira, 
Iowa,  where  he  lived  until  the  time  of  his  death. 

On  March  i,  1855,  John  F.  Hill  was  married,  in  Bedford  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, to  Elizabeth  May,  who  was  born  on  March  31,  1834,  in  Bedford 
county,  the  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Kellerman)  May,  both  of 
whom  were  of  German  descent. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  F.  Hill  were  born  five  children,  Hester,  Jacob  H., 
Jennie,  Ella  and  Bert.  Hester  married  Samuel  McCord  and- has  seven  chil- 
dren: Charles,  who  first  married  Hattie  Hicke  and  had  one  child,  Russell, 
and  after  her  death  married  Maggie  Tefiler  and  has  three  children,  Cecil, 
Gerald  and  another;  Grace,  who  married  James  Hendricksen  and  has  three 
children,  Bertha,  Mabel  and  Everett;  Clarence,  who  married  Martha  Teffler 
and  has  one  child;  Mabel,  who  married  Walter  Wood,  and  has  one  child, 
Clifford;  Floyd,  who  married  Lena  Marsh  and  has  three  children;  Verna, 
who  married  William  Fawler  and  has  three  children;  and  Harley,  who  is 
unmarried.  Jacob  H.  married  Evelyn  Young  and  has  one  child,  Flossie,  who 
married  Oscar  Nimblim  and  has  three  children,  Glenn,  Agnes  and  Carl. 
Jennie  married  William  Zike  and  had  three  children,  Verna,  now  deceased, 
who  married  Earl  Prime  and  had  two  children,  Wayne  and  Pearl ;  Oliver 
and  Golden,  who  are  both  single.  Ella  married  Newton  Brown  and  has  two 
children,  Goldie,  who  married  Glenn  Cassidy  and  has  two  children,  Lester 
and  Ralph;  and  Edna,  who  is  unmarried.  Bert  is  unmarried  and  still  lives 
at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hill  had  thirteen  grandchildren  and  twenty-two 
great-grandchildren. 

John  F.  Hill  was  a  member  of  Morton  Post  No.  34,  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  and  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  post.    He  was  com- 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  .  857 

mander  of  the  post  at  one  time.  Mrs.  Hill  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church.  Although  John  F.  Hill  was  an  ardent  Republican  and  a  great 
admirer  of  the  career  and  works  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  he  was  never  espe- 
cially active  in  politics  and  never  held  office. 

John  F.  Hill  was  a  worthy  citizen  of  this  great  state.  A  patriot  at  heart, 
he  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  no  man  living  in  Audubon  county 
had  given  more  of  his  life  energy  to  the  cause  of  his  country  than  he.  No 
man  served  more  valiantly  in  the  Civil  War,  and  no  man  living  in  Audubon 
county  excelled  John  F.  Hill  as  a  citizen  and  neighbor. 


ERNEST  STUEDEMAN. 


The  late  Ernest  vStuedeman,  who  was  a  retired  farmer  and  stockman  of 
Lincoln  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  was  born  on  October  14,  1846,  in 
Stettin,  Prussia,  Germany,  and  died  on  May  12,  191 5,  at  his  home  in  Lincoln 
township.  He  was  the  son  of  John  and  Fredrica  Stuedeman,  and  came  to 
this  country  from  Germany  with  his  parents  when  he  was  fourteen  years 
of  age.  He  attended  the  country  schools  and  worked  for  his  father  until 
he  was  twenty- four  years  of  age,  when  he  was  married.  After  his  marriage 
he  farmed  for  himself  on  his  father's  farm,  remaining  there  about  twenty- 
eight  years,  and  then  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  sold  this  land 
in  1888  and  then  rented  a  farm  in  Crawford  county,  where  he  lived  for 
fifteen  years.  He  left  that  place  and  came  to  Manning,  where  he  bought  a 
farm  in  Lincoln  township,  section  20,  in  1903.  This  place  contained  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  for  which  he  paid  &ixty-two  and  one-half  dollars 
an  acre.  Mr.  Stuedeman  put  about  twelve  thousand  dollars  worth  of  improve- 
ments on  his  farm.  During  the  time  he  was  in  business,  he  sold  about  two 
carloads  of  cattle  and  three  carloads  of  hogs  annually.  All  the  grain  raised 
on  the  farm  was  fed  to  the  stock. 

John  and  Fredrica  Stuedeman,  the  parents  of  Ernest  Stuedeman.  were 
both  born  in  Germany,  where  the  former  worked  on  a  farm.  In  i860  they 
came,  with  their  family,  to  America,  landing  at  New  York  City  and  later 
removed  to  Clinton  county,  Iowa.  John  Stuedeman  had  eight  hundred  dol- 
lars when  he  arrived  in  this  country,  with  which  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
forty  acres,  paying  twelve  dollars  an  acre  for  it.  In  a  few  years,  he  bought 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  more  at  a  cost  of  thirteen  dollars  an  acre,  and 
continued  to  add  to  his  acres  until  he  owned  an  entire  section  of  land  in 


858  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

Clinton  county.  To  John  and  Fredrica  Stuedeman  were  born  ten  children, 
one  of  whom  died  in  Germany.  The  others  were  Otto,  Albert,  Bertha, 
Rudolph,  Martha,  Anna,  Lucia,  Ernest  and  Carl,  all  of  whom  are  now 
deceased  with  the  exception  of  Otto  and  Rudolph,  the  latter  of  whom  lives 
on  the  old  home  farm  in  Clinton  county. 

At  the  age  of  twenty- four,  Ernest  Stuedertian  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Anna  Rohwedder,  the  daughter  of  Max  Rohwedder.  She  was  born 
on  June  24,  1848,  and  died  on  August  i,  1895.  To  this  union  were  born 
nine  children,  namely :  Lucia,  who  is  married,  lives  in  Carroll  county  and 
has  three  children;  Catherine  died  in  infancy;  Alma,  who  lives  in  Manning, 
is  married  and  has  two  children;  Elsa,  who  resides  in  Wisconsin,  is  married 
and  has  three  children ;  Matilda  is  at  home ;  Erwin,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Audu- 
bon county,  is  married  and  has  one  child;  Laura,  Max  and  Virtus  are  all 
at  home. 

Air.  Stuedeman  was  a  Democrat  and  served  as  constable  of  Clinton 
county  in  1880  and  school  director  of  Lincoln  township  for  two  years.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  passed  all  of 
the  chairs  in  this  lodge.  The  Stuedeman  family  are  all  loyal  members  of  the 
German  Lutheran  church,  Mr.   Stuedeman  having  belonged  at  Manning. 


CHRIS  P.  LAURITSEN. 


Chris  P.  Lauritsen,  who  owns  a  splendid  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in 
Sharon  township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  was  born  on  the  Island  of  Aeroe, 
Denmark,  May  23,  1847,  ^^^  is  the  son  of  Peter  H.  and  Ellen  Marie  (Simon- 
sen)  Lauritsen,  both  natives  of  Denmark.  Peter  Lauritsen  was  a  farmer 
and  was  engaged  in  that  occupation  all  of  his  life.  He  died  in  his  native 
land  after  having  reared  a  family  of  eleven  children.  Chris  P.  is  the  young- 
est of  these  children ;  one  brother  is  still  living  in  Denmark. 

Chris  Lauritsen  received  his  education  in  his  native  land,  and  after 
leaving  school  worked  as  a  farm  hand  and  in  a  brick  yard.  He  also  served 
in  the  Danish  army  and  when  he  was  thirty-four  years  old,  came  to  America, 
locating  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa.  There  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land 
and  engaged  in  general  farming  for  two  years.  Subsequently,  he  moved  to 
Audubon  county  and  purchased  the  farm  upon  which  he  is  now  living.  Mr. 
Lauritsen  bought  only  forty  acres  at  first  and  for  this  paid  eighteen  dollars 
an  acre.     He  improved  the  land  by  careful  cultivation  and  by  the  erection. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  859 

of  substantial  buildings  and  fences,  and  added  to  the  original  tract  until  he 
now  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  land.  Altogether  he  has  invested  probably- 
more  than  ten  thousand  dollars  in  improvements.  He  raises  seventy-five 
acres  of  corn,  forty  acres  of  alfalfa  and  small  grains.  Mr.  Lauritsen  had 
fifteen  hundred  dollars  when  he  came  to  America. 

Chris  P.  Lauritsen  was  married,  in  1882,  to  Anna  Marie  Hansen,  the 
daughter  of  Rasmus  and  Christina  Hansen.  Two  children,  Peter  H.  and 
Ellen  Marie,  have  been  born  to  this  marriage.  Ellen  Marie  married  Claus 
J.  Larsen  and  has  four  children,  Chester,  Edna,  Edward  and  Lillian.  Mrs. 
Lauritsen  was  born  on  the  Island  of  Aeroe,  Denmark,  and  her  parents  also 
were  natives  of  that  island. 

Mr.  Lauritsen  is  a  Republican.  Lie  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Danish  Lutheran  church,  of  which  he  has  been  trustee.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lau- 
ritsen deserve  great  credit  for  their  careful  management  and  frugal,  economi- 
cal living  by  which  they  have  been  able  to  save  a  substantial  competence  for 
their  declining  years.  They  are  highly-respected  citizens  of  this  locality 
where  they  are  so  well  known.  Mr.  Lauritsen  has  lived  a  useful  career,  and 
having  reared  a  family  to  useful  and  honorable  lives  may  enjoy  the  satisfac- 
tion during  the  remainder  of  his  life  of  knowing  that  his  days  here  have 
been  well  spent. 


ABRAHAM  L.  McMURPHY. 

Abraham  L.  McMurphy,  general  farmer  and  stockman,  of  Lincoln 
township,  Audubon  county,  was  born  on  May  6,  1864,  at  Muscatine,  Iowa. 
He  is  a  son  of  Charles  and  Martha  McMurphy.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  at  Muscatine,  after  which  he  worked  with  his  father  on  the  farm, 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  then  came  to  Audubon  county,  working 
for  two  years  as  a  farm  hand,  and  in  1887  rented  a  farm  in  Audubon  county 
and  lived  there  one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  Carrol  county, 
where  he  again  rented,  for  three  years,  and  then  came  to  section  29  in 
Lincoln  township,  Audubon  county,  where  he  bought  eighty  acres,  to  which 
five  years  later  he  added  eighty  acres  more,  and  three  years  after  that  forty 
acres  additional. 

Mr.  McMurphy  has  invested  about  eight  thousand  dollars  in  improve- 
ments on  his  home  place,  and  his  special  attention,  in  the  way  of  crops,  has 
been  devoted  to  the  raising  of  corn  and  small  grain,  the  most  of  which  has 
been  fed  to  the  stock  on  the  place,  of  which  he  sells  yearly  quite  a  number 
of  cattle  and  about  one  carload  of  hogs. 


86o  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Mr.  McMurphy  has  served  as  township  trustee  for  a  period  of  one  year. 
Hie  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church.  His  pohtical  principles  are 
RepubHcan. 

The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  New  York  state, 
and  his  mother  in  Pennsylvania.  They  were  married  in  Muscatine,  Iowa, 
where  they  owned  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  where  they  spent  the  last 
years  of  their  lives. 

Abraham  L.  McMurphy  was  married,  in  1891,  at  Manning,  Iowa,  to 
Laura  Amy,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Sinda  Arny.  They  have  been  blessed 
with  five  children,  as  follow :  Virnal,  Harry,  Ralph,  Eli  and  Myrtle,  all  of 
whom  are  at  home  but  Virnal,  who  is  married  and  lives  in  Audubon  county. 


HANS  P.  HANSEN,  Sr. 


Among  the  many  well-known  farmers  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  is 
Hans  P.  Hansen,  Sr.,  who  is  now  living  retired  in  Kimballton.  He  and  his 
wife  started  in  life  in  a  small  way,  and  have  by  good  management  and 
unceasing  industry  achieved  a  large  measure  of  success  as  farmers  in  this 
county.  Few  men  are  better  known  in  Audubon  county  than  Hans  P.  Han- 
sen, and  few  have  a  greater  number  of  warm  friends  than  he.  In  19 12  he 
retired  from  the  farm,  removing  to  Kimballton,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased 
a  fine  home.  He  has  always  been  a  good  farmer,  and  stock  raiser,  and  a 
short  time  ago  added  fourteen  acres  to  his  farm  in  Sharon  township,  located 
five  miles  east  of  Kimballton. 

Hans  P.  Hansen,  Sr.,  was  born  on  November  15,  1854,  on  the  island 
of  Fyen,  Denmark,  the  son  of  Hans  George  and  Mary  Hansen,  who  were 
also  natives  of  that  island.  The  former  was  a  farmer  all  his  life,  and  died 
in  his  native  land  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  His  wife  died  at  the 
age  of  forty-eight.  They  were  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church, 
and  lived  to  rear  a  family  of  three  children,  of  whom  Trena,  the  second 
bom,  is  deceased;  Hans  P.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  the  eldest  of  the 
family;  Sorensen  lives  on  the  old  home  place  in  Denmark. 

Educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  Hans  P.  Hansen,  Sr.,  started 
out  to  make  a  living  for  himself  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  Taking  up  the  voca- 
tion of  farming  he  purchased  a  small  tract  of  land  and  farmed  in  his  native 
country,  until  1886,  when  he  came  to  America.  He  had  been  married  in 
Denmark  to  Mary  Hansen,  who  was  bom  in  that  country,  the  daughter  of 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  86 1 

Hans  Jepsen  and  Carrie  Marie  Hansen.  Mrs.  Hansen's  father  was  a  farmer, 
and  spent  all  his  life  in  his  native  land. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hans  P.  Hansen,  Sr.,  have  been  born  six  children, 
namely:  Carrie  is  the  wife  of  Edward  Jensen,  of  Sharon  township,  Audu- 
bon county;  Hans  George,  who  is  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  at  Aurora, 
Nebraska,  married  Mary  Hemmington;  Lawrence  is  a  real  estate  dealer  at 
Exira,  Iowa,  and  married  Cina  Gerloff;  Nels  was  the  fourth  born;  Axil  is  a 
farmer  in  Sharon  township,  and  married  Anton  Augaard;  Carl  is  a  farmer 
in  Sharon  township,  and  married  Kirsten  Sorensen. 

In  1886,  after  coming  to  America,  Hans  P.  Hansen,  Sr.,  located  in 
Sharon  township,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  four  years  for  three 
different  men,  John  Petersen,  Martin  Petersen  and  Lars  Esbeck.  About 
1890  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land  near  Exira,  and  one  year  later  sold 
the  farm  and  rented  a  farm  for  five  years  in  Hamlin  township.  He  rented 
land  in  Oakfield  township  for  three  years  and  then  purchased  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  five  miles  east  of  Kimballton,  to  which  he  has  lately  added 
fourteen  acres.  Here  he  lived  from  1900  to  1912,  when  he  retired  and 
removed  to  Kimballton. 

Mr.  Hansen  has  never  aspired  to  any  office,  and  is  independent  in  poli- 
tics, voting  for  measures  and  men  of  superior  merit  rather  than  for  political 
parties  and  party  emblems.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hansen  are  members  of  the  Dan- 
ish Lutheran  church  at  Kimballton  and  take  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  this  congregation. 


BERNARD  DOFFING. 


Although  a  resident  of  this  country  only  eighteen  years,  Bernard  Dof- 
fing, who  wasi  born  on  September  11,  1875,  in  Rhineland,  Germany,  has 
become  the  owner  of  a  splendid  farm  comprising  one-half  section  of  land  in 
section  16,  of  Audubon  township. 

Mr.  Doffing's  parents,  Matthew  and  Catherine  (Thellin)  Doffing,  had 
eight  children,  five  of  whom  lived  to  maturity  and  all  of  whom  live  in  the 
United  States.  All  have  lived  in  Audubon  county  at  some  time  or  other. 
William,  the  first  of  the  sons  to  come  to  America,  arrived  here  in  1881  and 
lived  here  until  19 14,  when  he  moved  to  Texas.  After  being  there  a  short 
time,  he  moved  to  Missouri.  All  of  the  other  children,  except  Bernard,  came 
to  America  in  1893.  Bernard  Doffing  came  in  1897  and  after  landing  at 
New  York  city,  came  direct  to  Audubon  county,  where  he  worked  out  by 
the  month  for  two  years. 


g62  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

After  renting  land  for  about  three  years,  Mr.  Doffing,  in  1901,  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  section  16,  of  Audubon  town- 
ship, the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  He  has  since  added  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  to  the  original  farm  and  now  has  one-half  section  of  good  land 
all  of  which  is  located  in  section  16.  Mr.  Doffing  has  built  several  substan- 
tial and  modern  buildings  upon  the  farm,  especially  two  barns,  two  cribs, 
a  granary,  a  garage  and  a  scale-house.  The  residence  was  standing  on  the 
farm  when  he  purchased  it.  Altogether  he  now  has  one  of  the  best  improved 
farms  in  Audubon  township. 

Mr.  Doffing  makes  a  specialty  of  purebred,  registered  Hereford  cattle 
and  now  has  on  the  farm  thirty-five  head  of  registered  stock.  Although  he 
has  never  shown  any  of  these  animals  in  the  prize  ring,  he  is  a  member  of 
the  National  Hereford  Breeders'  Association.  He  has  now  been  engaged  in 
raising  Hereford  cattle  for  a  period  of  three  years. 

A  Democrat  in  politics,  Mr.  Doffing  is  the  present  township  trustee  of 
Audubon  township.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Exira  Catholic  church. 

Since  coming  to  America,  Bernard  Doffing  has  devoted  himself  almost 
exclusively  to  agriculture  and  the  fact  that  he  has  given  his  vocation  his 
undivided  attention,  is  responsible  perhaps  for  his  great  success  as  a  farmer. 
He  is  generally  known  in  Audubon  township,  not  only  as  a  skillful  and  suc- 
cessful farmer  but  as  a  good  citizen  and  is  popular  in  the  neighborhood 
where  he  lives. 


CHRIS  HENRIKSEN. 


It  is  a  well  authenticated  fact  that  success  comes  as  a  result  of  legitimate 
and  well  applied  energy,  unflagging  determination  and  perseverance  in  a 
course  of  action  when  once  decided  upon.  Success  was  never  known  to 
smile  upon  the  idler  or  dreamer  and  she  never  courts  the  loafer.  Only 
those  men  who  have  diligently  sought  her  favor,  are  crowned  with  her 
blessing.  In  tracing  the  history  of  Chris  Henriksen,  a  retired  merchant  of 
Audubon,  Iowa,  and  a  well-known  citizen  of  Audubon  county,  it  is  plainly 
seen  that  the  success  which  he  enjoys  has  been  won  by  those  commendable 
qualities  heretofore  mentioned.  And  it  is  also  his  personal  worth  that  has 
gained  for  him  the  high  esteem  of  the  people  of  Audubon  and  Audubon 
county. 

Chris  Henriksen  was  born  on  August  23.   1855,  in  Denmark.     He  is 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  863 

the  son  of  Henry  Iverson  and  Anna  (Daita)  Henriksen.  They  were 
laboring  people  who  lived  and  died  in  the  land  of  their  birth.  Four  of  the 
family,  however,  came  to  America.  Iver  came  first  in  1872.  He  lives  in 
Audubon  and  is  retired.  Mary,  the  wife  of  Martin  Rasmussen,  lives  in 
California.     Christina,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Chris  Berg. 

Chris  Henriksen  attended  school  in  Denmark  and  came  to  America 
in  1876.  He  worked  for  Captain  Stuart  in  Stark  county,  Illinois,  in  the 
town  of  Osceola  for  three  years  and  in  1879  came  to  Audubon  county 
in  the  employ  of  Stuart.  He  worked  for  Stuart  for  one  year  and  then 
worked  on  the  railroad  for  two  years.  Finally  he  moved  to  a  farm.  After 
his  marriage,  he  farmed  for  seven  years  in  Sharon.  He  owned  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  in  1889  came  to  x-\udubon  and  was  employed 
by  a  hardware  firm  for  three  years.  In  1893  Mr.  Henriksen  purchased  the 
general  store  of  Fisher  Brothers  &  Company  and  for  twenty  years  was  one 
of  the  leading  merchants  of  the  town.  He  sold  out  his  stock  in  1912  and 
retired.  In  1901  Mr.  Henriksen  erected  a  fine  brick  building  in  Audubon, 
and  in  1904  he  erected  a  beautiful  residence  in  the  western  part  of  Audubon. 
It  is  situated  on  a  hillside  with  terraced  grounds  and  excellent  surroundings. 
Mr.  Henriksen  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Cass  county, 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Day  county.  South  Dakota,  and  ten  acres 
in  his  home  place.  He  also  owns  a  fine  store  building.  Chris  Henriksen 
is  a  self-made  man.  He  began  life  as  a  poor  Danish  boy  and  has  managed  to 
acquire  and  accumulate  a  substantial  competence  for  his  old  age. 

Chris  Henriksen  was  married  in  1883  to  Alene  Berg.  She  died  in  1898, 
leaving  five  children,  namely:  Henry,  who  lives  at  Fresno,  California;  Theo- 
dore, of  Audubon;  Berg  and  Segivall,  who  are  at  home;  and  William,  who 
is  a  clerk  in  the  postoffice.  Theodore  is  married  and  has  one  child,  Leo.  In 
1899  Mr.  Henriksen  was  married,  secondly,  to  Anna  Elizabeth  (Jensen) 
Bornesen,  the  widow  of  Hans  B.  Bornesen.  By  her  first  marriage,  she  had 
four  children  as  follow :  Hans,  who  lives  on  a  farm ;  Mrs.  Jensena  Jacob- 
sen,  of  Audubon  county;  George,  a  farmer  in  Leroy  township;  and  Mrs. 
Margaret  Hughes,  who  also  lives  in  Audubon  county. 

Mr.  Henriksen  has  been  more  or  less  active  in  the  councils  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  has  served  as  city  councilman  in  Audubon.  He  and  his  wife 
and  family  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Henriksen  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  and  the  Danish  Brotherhood. 


864  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

NELS  PETER  PETERSEN. 

Nels  Peter  Petersen,  one  of  the  most  prosperous  farmers  of  Oakfield 
township,  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  this  country 
for  nearly  forty  years,  was  born  in  Denmark,  August  14,  1845,  the  son  of 
Rasmus  and  Mary  Ann  (Nelson)  Petersen.  The  father  was  a  wagon  maker 
in  his  native  land  and  followed  that  occupation  after  coming  to  America  in 
1876.  At  that  time,  he  located  upon  the  farm  where  his  son,  who  had  pre- 
ceded him  to  America,  is  now  living. 

Nels  P.  Petersen  was  one  of  three  children  born  to  his  parents,  the 
others  being  Hannah  Marie  and  Anna  Christina.  In  his  native  land,  before 
coming  to  this  country,  he  took  up  his  father's  occupation  and  was  engaged 
in  following  this  trade  with  his  father.  Incidentally,  he  also  served  the 
legal  period  of  enlistment  in  the  Danish  army. 

Upon  coming  to  this  country  in  1870,  Mr.  Petersen  located  in  Cass 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  for  the  Rock  Island  railroad  for  five  years. 
He  then  purchased  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  at  eight  dollars  an  acre,  and  it  is 
this  farm  upon  which  he  now  lives.  The  land  consisted  of  raw  prairie  ana 
the  sod  had  never  been  broken,  Mr.  Petersen  breaking  it  for  the  first  time. 
From  time  to  time  he  purchased  more  land,  improving  it  as  he  bought  it. 
Altogether  it  is  fair  to  say  that  he  has  spent  something  like  eight  thousand 
dollars  in  various  kinds  of  improvements.  Most  of  the  land  is  rented  out 
now  but  Mr.  Petersen  himself  raises  sixty  acres  of  com  and  forty  acres  of 
small  grain  every  year.  For  a  young  man  who  came  into  a  strange  country, 
where  he  was  unfamiliar  with  the  language  and  the  customs  of  the  i>eople,  it 
must  be  admitted  that  he  has  made  a  phenomenal  success,  being  now  one  of 
the  substantial  landowners  of  Audubon  county. 

On  July  3,  1876,  Nels  P.  Petersen  was  married  to  Martha  Johnson.  To 
this  marriage  have  been  born  seven  chcildren,  one  of  whom,  Anna,  the  second 
born,  is  deceased.  The  other  children  are,  Clara,  Regina,  Edward,  Charles, 
Rosa  and  Hannah.  Regina  married  A.  C.  Knudsen  and  has  one  child, 
Ester.  Edward  married  Lydia  Herbert.  The  remainder  of  the  family  are 
all  unmarried  and  live  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nels  Petersen  are  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
church  and  they  are  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  congregation.  Mr.  Peter- 
sen is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  has  served  as  school  director  in  Oakfield 
township.  Having  been  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Audubon  county,  Mr. 
Petersen  has  seen  it  develop  from  year  to  year  from  a  raw  prairie  to  a  county 
of  the  most  fertile  soil  to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  great  Hawkeye  state. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  865 

Mr.  Petersen  himself  has  had  a  large  part  in  this  splendid  agricultural 
development,  adding  not  only  his  labor  and  toil  to  the  development  of  the 
country,  but  his  wisdom  and  counsel  as  well.  In  his  declining  years,  it  is  a 
just  tribute  to  his  early  toil  and  patience,  that  he  is  comfortably  situated  to 
enjoy  these  years  in  ease. 


ALFRED  MILLER. 


Alfred  Miller  is  a  successful  farmer  of  Exira  township,  Audubon 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land.  Mr. 
Miller  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  and  has  been  living  in 
this  country  now  for  thirty-three  years.  He  has  lived  in  many  different 
parts  of  the  country  and  is  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  people  in  all  sections  of  the  United  States,  through  which 
'he  has  widely  traveled.  Mr.  Miller  has  been  very  successful  as  a  farmer 
and  enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  in  Exira  township,  where  he  is  living. 

Alfred  Miller  was  born  on  October  8,  1859,  in  Schleswig,  Germany. 
His  parents  were  Andrew  and  Mollie  Miller,  both  natives  of  Schleswig. 
Andrew  Miller  was  a  laborer  in  Germany,  working  at  various  occupations 
and  trades  until  he  came  to  America  and  located  in  Oakfield  township, 
Audubon  county,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  with  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Kathryne 
Hansen.  He  is  now  retired  from  active  labor  and  is  living  in  Exira,  Iowa. 
Be  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  as  follow :  Alfred,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  Hans  is  a  resident  of  Exira;  Kathryne  is  the  wife  of 
Hans  Hansen;  Chris  is  living  in  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  as  does  his  brother, 
Peter;  Mary  became  the  wife  of  Rhomas  Louner;  Mollie  is  the  wife  of 
J.  P.  Christensen;  Louise  married  Chris  Hansen,  a  farmer  of  Oakfield 
township. 

Alfred  Miller  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  coun- 
try, and  after  leaving  school  he  moved  to  Denmark,  where  he  worked  for 
five  years  as  a  laborer  on  a  farm.  In  1882  he  came  to  America,  and  located 
at  Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  worked  out  by  the  day  for  a  year,  after  which 
he  came  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  and  located  in  Oakfield  township,  where 
he  rented  a  farm  until  1887,  when  he  bought  a  farm.  He  operated  this 
farm  until  1889,  when  he  moved  to  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living. 
He  first  purchased  forty  acres,  and  has  gradually  added  to  his  land  hold- 
(55) 


866  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

ings  until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  fine  land. 
He  is  a  general  farmer  and  stock  raiser  and  has  been  very  successful  in  his 
agricultural  pursuits.  He  raises  forty  acres  of  corn  each  year,  twenty  acres 
of  small  grains,  and  sells  about  fifty  head  of  hogs  each  year.  He  keeps 
twenty-five  head  of  cattle  on  his  place  the  year  round. 

Alfred  Miller  was  married  on  March  i8,  1887,  to  Anna  Yingved,  the 
daughter  of  Swend  Yingved,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been 
bom,  MolHe,  John  and  Louis.  Mollie  is  the  wife  of  Jesse  Nissen.  John 
married  Maud  Liffing\^ille.  Mrs.  Miller  was  born  in  Denmark,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1887  with  her  parents,  who  settled  in  Oakfield  town- 
ship, where  they  lived  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  both  being  now  deceased. 

Mr.  Miller  is  a  member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  church,  as  well  as  his 
family,  and  takes  an, active  part  in  the  affairs  of  this  denomination.  Mr. 
Miller  belongs  to  the  Danish  Brotherhood,  and  adheres  to  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party. 


E.  JOHN  HINRICKS. 

Among  the  older  residents  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  perhaps  no  one 
has  seen  more  of  the  world  and  traveled  more  widely  than  E.  John  Hinricks, 
who  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  in  Oakfield  township.  For 
seven  years  he  was  a  sailor  and  for  sixteen  years  he  was  employed  in  the 
gold  mines  of  New  Zealand  and  Australia.  During  his  early  career  he  visited 
most  of  the  well-known  countries  of  the  world. 

E.  John  Hinricks  was  born  on  October  16,  1842,  in  Hanover,  Germany, 
.  the  son  of  Henry  and  Rebecca  Hinricks,  both  of  Germany.  The  father  was 
a  weaver  by  trade,  and  followed  this  occupation  all  of  his  life,  dying  in  Ger- 
many in  1904.  His  wife  passed  away  five  years  previously,  in  1899,  after 
having  had  six  children,  Marie,  Peter,  Thomas,  Johannah,  E.  John  and  Ina, 
all  of  whom  are  deceased  except  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

E.  J.  Hinricks,  who  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
land,  became  a  sailor  upon  reaching  maturity,  and  sailed  before  the  mast  for 
seven  years,  when  he  went  to  New  Zealand  and  Australia,  and  there  worked 
in  the  gold  mines  for  about  sixteen  years.  Believing  that  he  might  have  a 
better  opportunity  in  the  new  world,  he  came  to  this  country  in  1876,  and 
worked  in  the  gold  and  silver  mines  of  Nevada  and  Idaho  for  fourteen  years. 

In  1890  Mr.  Hinricks  came  to  Audubon  county,  and  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  land  upon  which  he  now  lives.     Later  he  purchased 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  86/ 

an  additional  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  has  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing this  land  during  recent  years.  Ordinarily  he  raises  seventy  acres  of  com 
and  seventy  acres  of  small  grain,  and  feeds  out  one  hundred  and  forty  head 
of  hogs  every  years.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  mixed  farming,  and  year 
by  year  his  wealth  and  profits  have  grown. 

On  December  12,  1889,  E.  John  Hinricks  was  married  to  Mary  Heesen, 
daughter  of  Jochun  and  Hilka  (Treese)  Heesen.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  three  children,  Henry,  John  and  Chris,  all  of  whom  are  unmarried  and 
who  live  at  home  with  their  parents.  Mrs.  Hinricks,  a  native  of  Germany, 
as  were  also  her  parents,  came  with  them  to  this  country  in  1887.  They 
located  in  Cass  county,  Iowa,  where  the  father  rented  a  farm  for  a  short 
time,  and  then  retired  and  lived  with  his  children.  He  passed  away  in  1903, 
his  wife  having  died  many  years  previously.  They  had  four  children,  Gas- 
ena,  Hohannah,  Hio  and  Mrs.  Hinricks. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  J.  Hinricks  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church.  Mr.  Hinricks  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  Politically, 
he  is  identified  with  the  Democratic  party. 

In  his  travels  Mr.  Hinricks  has  met  many  people  and  visited  many  lands, 
but  if  he  were  asked  today  what  is  the  best  country  on  the  globe  in  which  to 
live  he  would  undoubtedly  answer,  America.  Not  only  are  the  people  of  this 
country  possessed  of  a  greater  measure  of  political  liberty  than  anywhere 
else  on  the  globe,  but  they  likewise  have  a  larger  measure  of  economic  oppor- 
tunity. It  is  these  things  which  the  people,  coming  from  other  lands,  first 
recognize  and  most  appreciate. 


VAL  LEANORD. 


Whether  the  elements  of  success  in  this  life  are  innate  attributes  of  the 
individual  or  whether  they  are  quickened  by  a  process  of  circumstantial  devel- 
opment, it  is  impossible  to  determine  clearly.  Yet  the  study  of  a  successful 
career,  whatever  the  field  of  endeavor,  is  none  the  less  interesting  and  profit- 
able by  reason  of  the  existence  of  this  same  uncertainty.  In  the  life  career 
of  Val  Leanord,  who  for  many  years  has  been  identified  with  the  various 
interests  in  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  may  be  found  many  qualities  which 
always  win  success.  The  splendid  success  which  has  crowned  his  efforts- 
has  been  directly  traceable  to  those  commendable  traits  which  are  so  much 
admired  by  his  fellow  townsmen.     Mr.  Leanord  served  well  his  country  dur- 


868  AUDUBON    COUNTY_,    IOWA. 

ing  the  dark  days  of  the  Civil  War,  giving  two  years  of  his  life  to  the  service 
of  his  country. 

Val  Leanord  was  born  on  September  14,  1843,  at  Buffalo,  New  York. 
He  is  the  son  of  Simon  and  Elizabeth  Leanord,  natives  of  Germany.  Simon 
Leanord  was  a  stone  mason  by  trade  and  died  in  Buffalo,  and  his  wife  died 
in  Wisconsin. 

Val  Leanord  enlisted  in  Company  G.  Twenty-first  Regiment,  New  York 
Volunteer  Infantry,  in  1861,  and  during  the  Civil  War  served  altogether  two 
years  and  two  months.  He  was  engaged  in  many  of  the  important  battles 
and  several  minor  skirmishes.  Among  the  most  important  engagements  in 
which  he  participated  were  the  battles  of  Antietam,  the  second  battle  of  Bull 
Run,  Gettysburg,  and  Fredericksburg.  He  was  shot  in  the  left  leg  at  the 
second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  but  soon  recovered.  His  Ijrother,  John  Leanord, 
was  killed  at  Ft.  Wagner.  Another '  brother,  Jacob  Leanord.  was  shot 
through  the  left  shoulder,  another  ball  passed  through  his  body  and  he  died 
later  from  the  effects  of  the  wounds.  He  received  this  injury  at  the  battle 
of  Bull  Run.     Another  brother.  Peter,  also  served  in  the  Union  army. 

At  the  end  of  the  war,  Val  Leanord  went  to  Wisconsin  and  resided  in 
that  state  from  1868  until  1888,  during  which  time  he  was  a  farmer.  He 
then  spent  three  years  in  Marshall,  Minnesota,  and  in  1891  came  to  Audubon 
county,  Iowa.  He  lived  oh  a  farm  in  Douglass  township  for  ten  years  and 
then  purchased  a  farm  three  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Audubon.  This  farm 
consists  of  eighty  acres  and  is  situated  in  Leroy  township,  and  Mr.  Leanord 
still  owns  it.  He  moved  to  Audubon  in  1906,  and  since  that  time  has  lived 
retired  in  this  city. 

Val  Leanord  was  married  on  December  23,  1869,  to  Rachel  Ray,  who 
was  born  in  1849  at  Cadiz,  Ohio,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Mary  Ann  (Norfolk)  Ray,  who  moved  to  Wisconsin  in  1852.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Leanord  seven  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Clinton,  who  lives  in 
Audubon;  Ada,  the  wife  of  Louis  Yackey,  of  Davenport,  Iowa;  Mary,  the 
wife  of  Arthur  Dinger,  of  Davenport;  Caroline,  who  is  at  home;  Frank, 
who  lives  in  Guthrie  county,  Iowa;  Vallie,  of  Mason  City;  and  Roy,  who 
married  Ludie  Frumm,  of  Brayton,  and  who  is  a  druggist  at  Neven. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Leanord  is  an  active  Republican  and  has  been  identified 
with  this  party  practically  all  of  his  life,  but  he  has  never  held  office,  pre- 
ferring to  devote  his  time  to  his  own  personal  interests  rather  than  to  the 
interests  of  a  political  party. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leanord  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr. 
Leanord  is  a  member  of  Allison  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA.  869 

CHARLES  W.  JENKINS, 

The  grandparents  of  Charles  W.  Jenkins  were  the  first  people  to  bring 
with  them  their  family  for  permanent  residence  in  Audubon  county.  Mr. 
Jenkins'  grandfather  drove  overland  to  Audubon  county  in  a  very  early  day 
from  Kentucky.  The  Jenkins  family,  therefore,  has  been  associated  with  the 
growth  and  progress  of  Audubon  county  from  the  very  earliest  times. 

The  father  of  Charles  W.  Jenkins  was  Benjamin  F.  Jenkins,  who  mar- 
ried Josephine  Gilbert.  Benjamin  F.  Jenkins  was  a  native  of  Kentucky. 
He  was  brought  to  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  when  he  was  nine  years  old  by 
his  parents.  He  received  his  education  in  Audubon  county  and  after  leaving 
school,  farmed  for  some  time.  He  entered  land  from  the  government,  pay- 
ing one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  an  acre,  and  at  the  time  of  his  deatft, 
December  25,  1873,  he  had  six  hundred  and  thirty-six  acres.  Mrs.  Benjamin 
F.  Jenkins  died  the  following  year,  June  25,  1874.  At  this  time  Charles  W. 
was  not  yet  a  year  old.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benjamin  F.  Jenkins  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  namely :  Olive  married  Kees  Hallock ;  Hayden  is  unmarried 
and  lives  in  Idaho;  Margaret  married  Charles  Sykes,  of  Oakfield  township; 
Mary  married  Ernest  Cotton;  Pearl,  and  Charles  W.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Charles  W.  Jenkins,  who  is  an  extensive  farmer  in  Exira  township,  and 
who  owns  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres,  was  born  in  Oakfield 
township,  Audubon  county,  January  2,  1873.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  the  county  and  after  leaving  school,  he  took  up  farming.  He 
began  on  the  old  homestead  and  farmed  there  for  three  years,  after  which 
he  was  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  stock  in  Bray  ton  for  a  period  of  four 
years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he  went  to  Oklahoma  and  was  there  mar- 
ried. He  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  in  Oklahoma,  having  leased 
a  ranch  of  three  thousand  acres.  After  remaining  in  Oklahoma  for  seven 
years,  he  came  back  to  Audubon  county  and  for  five  years  lived  on  the  old 
home  place  and  farmed  there.  He  then  went  to  Canada  and  took  up  farm- 
ing in  that  country  for  two  years.  In  1912  Mr.  Jenkins  purchased  the  farm 
on  which  he  now  lives.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising. 
He  raises  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  corn  each  year  and  about 
eighty  acres  of  small  grain.  He  raises  seventy-five  acres  of  hay  and  pur- 
chases about  twenty-five  hundred  bushels  of  corn  each  year,  which  he  feeds 
to  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  hogs. 

Charles  W.  Jenkins  was  married  on  July  16,  1902,  to  Eva  Walker,  the 
daughter  of  William  Walker.     To  this  union  four  children  have  been  born : 


870  AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA. 

Keith,  Laura,  Elouise  and  Charles.  Mrs.  Jenkins  was  born  on  the  farm 
where  she  now  Hves.  Her  parents  were  early  settlers  in  Audubon  county. 
Her  father  was  one  of  the  largest  landowners  in  this  section  of  the  state, 
having  owned  seventeen  hundred  acres  in  Audubon  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Walker  had  nine  children :  John,  who  lives  in  Cass  county ;  Schuyler,  who 
lives  at  Anita;  Laura,  who  lives  in  Canada;  Lulu,  who  resides  in  Des  Moines; 
Olive,  who  lives  in  Exira;  Eva,  who  is  the  wife  of  Mr.  Jenkins;  Jay,  who 
also  resides  in  Canada;  and  two  who  died  when  small. 

Mr.  Jenkins  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Canada.     He  is  now 
serving  as  a  school  director  in  Exira  township.    Politically,  he  is  a  Republican. 


SAMUEL  McGAFFIN. 


Samuel  McGafhn  is  a  farmer  of  Exira  township  and  owns  three  hun- 
dred acres  of  fine  land  here.  It  is  a  splendid  farm  and  comprises  some  of 
the  most  fertile  land  to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  township.  Mr.  McGaffin 
began  his  active  career  as  a  farmer  in  Cass  county,  Iowa,  having  taken  up 
that  vocation  after  leaving  school.  For  several  years,  he  was  associated 
with  his  father,  who  is  now  deceased,  in  operating  the  farm  in  Cass  county. 
Mr.  McGaffin  has  always  done  general  farming.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
raising  hogs  and  cattle,  especially  hogs.  Practically  all  of  his  grain  is  fed 
to  live  stock. 

Samuel  McGaffin  was  born  in  LaSalle  county,  Illinois,  January  25, 
1863.  He  is  the  son  of  Alexander  and  Mary  Jane  McGaffin,  both  of  whom 
were  natives  of  Ireland.  They  were  married  in  their  native  country  and 
after  their  marriage  came  to  America.  Arriving  in  this  country,  they  set- 
tled in  LaSalle  county,  Illinois,  where  Samuel  McGaffin's  father,  Alexander 
McGaffin,  was  an  extensive  farmer.  He  lived  in  LaSalle  county,  Illinois, 
until  1872,  when  he  moved  to  Cass  county  and  purchased  a  farm  of  two 
hundred  acres.  He  increiased  this  farm  from  time  to  time  until  at  one  time 
he  owned  three  hundred  and  forty  acres.  He  was  engaged  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  Mrs.  Mary  Jane  McGaffin  died  when  Samuel  was 
a  small  child.  His  father,  however,  survived  until  October,  1909,  when  he 
passed  away.     They  had  four  children,  Andrew,  Sarah,  Mary  and  Samuel. 

Samuel  McGaffin  resided  in  Cass  county,  Iowa,  during  the  early  years 
of  his  life  and  after  leaving  school,  he  made  a  splendid  success  of  farming 
in  company  with  his   father.      After  his  marriage.   howe\er.   Mr.   McGaffin 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  8/ 1 

began  farming  for  himself.  He  now  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
Exira  township.  He  raises  about  sixty  acres  of  corn  and  about  sixty  acres 
:of  small  grain.  Mr.  McGafifin  feeds  about  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  each 
year. 

Samuel  McGaffin  was  married  on  February  i,  1885,  to  Ida  M.  Strahl, 
the  daughter  of  Colbert  and  Druzella  Strahl.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  two  children,  Eugenia  and  Anna  Belle.  Eugenia  married  Lester  Bowen 
and  has  three  children,  Olive,  Earl  and  Merrill.  Anna  Belle  married  Rodney 
Marten  and  they  have  two  children,  Lenora  and  Ida  Belle.  Mrs.  McGafifin 
is  a  native  of  Colorado.     Her  parents,  however,  were  natives  of  Ohio. 

For  twelve  years  Samuel  McGaffin  served  as  township  trustee.  He  was 
elected  year  after  year  and  continued  to  fill  the  office  with  exceptional  credit. 
Mr.  McGaffin  also  served  as  director  of  the  school  board  for  fifteen  years  and 
worthily  discharged  the  duties  of  that  office.  He  has  always  been  interested 
in  educational  affairs.  Mr.  McGaffin  is  a  member  of  the  blue  lodge  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  at  Exira.  In  politics  he  is  associated  with  the  Democratic 
party  and  is  more  or  less  active  in  the  councils  of  the  party. 


RATFORD  F.  CHILDS,  M.  D. 

The  forces  which  influence  a  life  of  ceaseless  activity  and  large  profes- 
sional success  are  not  apparent  on  the  surface  and  it  is  difficult  to  explain  or 
analyze  them  satisfactorily — the  innate  knowledge  belongs  to  the  individual 
and  he  alone  can  explain  why  it  is  that  his  life  has  moved  along  certain  well- 
defined  lines  and  in  all  probability  can  give  some  reason  for  his  success.  Suc- 
cess professionally  is  usually  attributed  to  pronounced  ability  and  energy, 
coupled  with  intellectual  attainments  of  a  high  degree.  The  biographer  can- 
not do  more  than  note  the  manifestation  of  the  underlying  forces  in  the 
individual.  In  view  of  this  fact,  the  life  of  the  able  physician  whose  name 
appears  above  affords  an  example  of  well-defined  purpose,  with  the  ability  to 
make  that  purpose  subserve  not  only  his  own  ends  but  the  good  of  his  fellow 
men  as  well.  He  has  attained  prestige  in  a  calling  which  requires  for  its  basis 
sound  mentality  and  intelligent  discipline  of  a  higher  order,  supplemented  by 
rigid  professional  training  and  mastery  of  technical  knowledge,  without  which 
one  cannot  hope  to  rise  above  mediocrity  in  administering  to  human  ills.  In 
his  chosen  field  of  endeavor  Dr.  Ratford  F.  Childs  is  achieving  success  and 
has  won  excellent  standing  among  the  professional  medical  men  of  his  com- 
munity. 


872  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

Ratford  F.  Childs  was  born  on  July  27,  1874,  in  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa, 
son  of  Frank  L.  and  Margaret  (Dewey)  Childs,  natives  of  Vermont  and 
England,  respectively.  The  history  of  the  Childs  family  begins  with  the 
earliest  New  England  days.  Labon  Childs,  grandfather  of  Doctor  Childs, 
was  an  early  pioneer  settler  in  Cook  county,  Illinois,  and  owned  forty  acres 
of  land  now  included  in  the  heart  of  the  great  city  of  Chicago.  He  sold  this 
land  for  a  song  and  came  on  westward  to  Pottawattamie  county,  Iowa,  and 
settled  on  a  pioneer  farm  about  eighteen  miles  from  Council  Bluffs.  Ratford 
F.  Childs  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Council  Bluffs  and  while  he  was  still  a 
youth,  his  father  removed  to  Council  Bluffs  and  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business.  Frank  L.  Childs  has  retired  from  active  pursuits  for  some  years' 
and  has  attained  the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  having  been  bom  in  1842. 
His  wife,  whom  he  espoused  in  Iowa,  is  seventy  years  of  age.  When  a  child 
she  crossed  the  ocean  with  her  parents,  en  route  to  America. 

Ratford  F.  Childs  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Council 
Bluffs  and  studied  medicine  in  the  University  of  Nebraska.  He  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1897.  He  began  practice 
in  Audubon.  May  18.  1897,  and  has  been  eminently  successful  as  a  practi- 
tioner, whose  skill  in  the  art  of  healing  is  recognized  by  a  large  clientele. 

Ratford  F.  Childs  was  married  in  October,  1902,  to  Myrtle  Frick, 
daughter  of  Edward  Frick,  of  Audubon.  To  this  union  have  been  born  two 
children,  Edward,  aged  eight  years;  Ollwene,  aged  ten  years. 

Doctor  Childs  is  a  member  of  the  Audubon  County,  the  Iowa  State 
and  the  American  Medical  societies.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Epis- 
copal church.  He  is  fraternally  allied  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees. 


GEORGE  J.  ENGEL. 


Among  the  successful  farmers  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa,  who  are  of 
German  birth  and  who  are  now  living  retired  in  Exira,  is  George  J.  Engel, 
whose  farm,  however,  is  located  in  Guthrie  county,  Iowa.  Mr.  Engel  owns 
a  splendid  body  of  land  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  acres. 
He  was  actively  engaged  in  farming  until  1908,  when  he  removed  to  Exira, 
where  he  has  since  lived  retired. 

George  J.   Engel  was  born   in   Baden,   Germany.   September    11.    1847. 


AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA.  873 

He  is  a  son  of  John  G.  and  Anna  Mary  (Kale)  Engel,  both  native-born 
Germans.  The  former  was  a  farmer  and  in  his  native  land  was  a  teamster, 
also.  He  came  to  America  in  1856,  and  located  in  Linn  county,  Iowa,  where 
he  purchased  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres.  He  operated  this  farm  until  his 
death  in  1870.  Before  coming  to  America  he  served  the  regulation  time  in 
the  German  army. 

John  G.  and  Anna  Mary  (Kale)  Engel  were  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  following  are  now  living:  Anna  Mary,  Kate,  Christina, 
Mary,  Sarah,  Joseph,  Henry  and  George  J. 

George  J.  Engel  received  a  part  of  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  land,  finishing  his  school  training  in  America  after  coming  here  with 
his  parents.  After  leaving  school  he  worked  out  by  the  day  on  farms  until 
he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  was  married.  Mr.  Engle 
received  a  farm  of  forty  acres  from  his  father's  estate  and  began  farming 
for  himself.  Gradually  he  increased  this  farm  until  he  had  eighty  acres, 
and  operated  this  place  until  he  was  thirty  years  old  and  then  moved  to 
Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  of  ninety  acres.  He 
gradually  increased  his  land  holdings  in  that  county  until  he  had  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-three  acres,  on  which  he  carried  on  a  general  system  of 
farming  and  stock  raising.  During  the  time  of  his  active  life  as  a  farmer, 
he  was  accustomed  to  feed  about  sixty  head  of  hogs  each  year,  and  always 
kept  about  thirty  head  of  cattle  on  his  farm.  In  1908  he  retired  from  active 
farm  life,  and  moved  to  Exira,  where  he  is  now  living  retired. 

George  J.  Engel  was  married  on  December  18,  1871,  about  a  year  after 
his  father's  death,  to  Anna  Mary  Dutler,  the  daughter  of  David  and  Kather- 
ine  (Schneider)  Dutler.  No  children  were  born  to  this  marriage.  Mrs. 
Engle  was  born  in  Germany.  Her  parents  were  also  natives  of  Germany 
and  came  to  America  in  1864,  locating  in  Linn  county,  Iowa,  where  her 
father  worked  as  a  laborer  until  he  had  saved  sufficient  money  with  which 
to  purchase  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Guthrie  county  in 
1879,  and  there  the  family  lived  until  1907.  He  is  now  living  retired  with 
his  daughter,  Mrs.  Anna  Schaarting.  Mrs.  Engel's  mother  died  on  December 
12,  1907.  David  Dutler  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  fifteen  children,  eleven 
of  whom  are  now  living:  Elizabeth,  Dora,  Kate,  Maggie,  Mrs.  Anna  Mary 
Engel,  Anna,  David,  Samuel,  Chris,  John  and  Henry. 

Mr.  Engel's  father  died  in  November,  1870,  and  his  mother  in  March, 
1871. 

Although  Mr.  Engel  and  wife  are  not  members  of  any  church,  they  are 
regular  attendants  of  church,  and  are  more  or  less  active  in  religious  affairs. 


8/4  AUDUBON    COUNTY,   IOWA. 

Mr.  Engel  is  an  independent  voter,  and  for  many  years  has  not  been  identi- 
fied permanently  with  any  political  party.  He  has  been  a  good  citizen,  and 
is  a  man  who  is  highly  respected  by  his  neighbors  and  fellow  townsmen. 


ROBERT  ANDREW  JACOBSEN,  M.  D. 

The  man  who  devotes  his  talent  and  energy  to  the  noble  work  of  admin- 
istering to  the  ills  and  alleviating  the  sufferings  of  humanity,  pursues  a  call- 
ing which  in  dignity  and  importance  and  beneficial  results  is  second  to  no 
other.  If  he  is  true  to  his  profession  and  earnest  in  his  efforts  to  enlarge 
his  sphere  of  usefulness,  he  is  indeed  a  benefactor  to  all  of  his  kind,  for  to 
him  more  than  any  other  man  are  entrusted  the  safety,  the  comforts  and,  in 
many  instances,  the  lives  of  his  patients.  Among  this  class  of  professional 
men  is  Dr.  Robert  Andrew  Jacobsen,  who  for  several  years  has  had  no 
superior  among  the  physicians  of  Audubon  county,  Iowa.  During  this  time, 
he  has  not  only  gained  a  wide  reputation  in  his  chosen  profession  but  he  has 
also  established  a  reputation  for  uprightness  of  character  in  all  of  the  rela- 
tions of  life.  He  early  realized  that  to  those  who  attain  permanent  success 
in  the  medical  profession,  there  must  be  given  not  only  technical  ability  but 
also  a  broad  human  sympathy.  Dr.  Jacobsen  has  dignified  and  honored  his 
profession  by  noble  services  and  in  this  profession  he  has  attained  unquali- 
fied success.     Today  he  enjoys  a  large  and  flourishing  practice. 

Robert  A.  Jacobsen  was  born  on  August  6,  1879,  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 
He  is  the  son  of  Andrew  J.  and  Sophia  (Knudson)  Jacobsen,  the  former  a 
native  of  Germany  and  the  latter  of  Denmark.  Andrew  J.  Jacobsen  came 
to  America  when  he  was  seventeen  years  old.  He  came  alone  and  subs- 
quently  located  at  Davenport,  Iowa.  He  remained  there  only  a  short  time 
and  then  moved  to  Des  Moines  and  assisted  in  building  the  Rock  Island 
railroad  into  Des  Moines.  He  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  after  that 
and  for  some  years  was  exceedingly  successful  in  this  business.  After  a 
time  he  moved  to  Lakeview,  Iowa,  and  purchased  a  farm  and  farmed  for  a 
number  of  years.     He  is  now  retired. 

Andrew  J.  and  Sophia  Jacobsen  had  five  children,  namely :  Thomas ; 
Marie,  who  married  D.  M.  Hutchinson;  Carrie,  who  married  L.  Armstrong; 
Dr.  Robert  A.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  and  Fred,  who  is  deceased. 

Robert  A.  Jacobsen  attended  the  common  school  at  Des  Moines.  Iowa. 
After  finishing  the  course  in  the  common  school,  he  attended  high  school  at 


AUDUBON    COUNTY,    IOWA,  875 

Lincoln,  Nebraska,  and  then  became  a  student  at  the  Iowa  State  University, 
at  Iowa  City.  He  studied  medicine  at  the  university  for  four  years  and 
was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1904.  He  then 
came  to  Exira,  Iowa,  where  he  has  remained  since  that  time.  Doctor 
Jacobson  is  a  member  of  the  Iowa  State  Medical  Society,  the  State  Homeo- 
pathic Society,  and  is  prominent  in  the  coimcils  of  his  profession  in  the  state 
of  Iowa. 

Dr.  Robert  A.  Jacobsen  was  married,  June  16,  1904,  to  Adeline  Brown, 
the  daughter  of  Fred  J.  Brown.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  Doctor 
Jacobsen  and  wife:  Marvin  B.  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Jacobsen 
was  born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  where  her  parents  still  live. 

Mrs.  Jacobsen  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Doctor  Jacobsen 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  served  as  treasurer  of  the  school 
board  of  Exira  for  two  terms  and  in  politics  is  an  ardent  Republican.  Doctor 
Jacobsen  enjoys  a  large  practice  in  this  part  of  Audubon  county,  a  practice 
to  which  he  is  justly  entitled  because  of  his  high  professional  merits  and 
his  upright,  honorable  career. 


WELBERG  WOLF. 


Welberg  Wolf  is  another  of  those  enterprising,  progressive  German 
farmers  and  citizens  of  Audubon  county,  who  during  the  active  period  of 
his  life  was  able  to  acquire  a  substantial  competence  and  who  has  lately 
retired  from  the  active  duties  of  farm  life.  Mr.  Wolf  owns  the  old  home 
place,  comprising  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  north  of  West  Exira,  and  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  south  of  Exira.  This  land  is  highly  productive, 
and  Mr.  Wolf  has  a  comfortable  competence. 

Welberg  Wolf  was  born  in  Schleswig,  Germany,  March  7,  1872.  His 
parents,  Peter  and  Margaret  (Peterson)  Wolf,  both  were  born  in  Schleswig, 
Germany.  The  former  was  a  farmer  in  Germany  and  purchased  cattle  while 
he  was  not  actively  engaged  in  farming.  He  came  to  America  in  1883  and 
located  in  Audubon  county.  He  purchased  a  farm  north  of  West  Exira,  and 
farmed  there  until  1902,  when  he  retired  and  moved  to  Exira.  Peter  Wolf 
first  purchased  ninety-one  acres,  and  this  was  subsequently  increased  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  which  his  son,  Welberg,  now  owns.  He  was  engaged 
in  general  farming. 

Welberg  Wolf  was  one  of  eight  children  born  to  his  parents.     Welberg 


876  AUDUBON    COUNTY^    IOWA. 

is  the  youngest.  The  others  were  Jens,  Chris,  Matilda,  Christina,  Mar- 
garet, Mary  and  Lena. 

After  attending  school  in  Schleswig,  Germany,  Welberg  Wolf  contin- 
ued his  education  in  this  country.  After  leaving  school  he  farmed  with  his 
father  until  twenty-eight  years  old.  He  then  rented  a  farm  for  a  couple  of 
years.  He  purchased  the  old  home  place  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  and 
farmed  until  1910,  and  then  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  south 
of  Exira.    He  farmed  this  until  he  came  to  Exira,  and  retired  in  March,  1914. 

Welberg  Wolf  was  married  on  June  11,  1902,  to  Lena  Lansitzen,  a 
daughter  of  Clarence  and  Anna  Lansitzen.  Two  children  have  been  born 
to  this  marriage,  Leonard,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Wolf  was 
born  in  Schleswig  as  were  also  her  parents.  She  came  to  America  with  her 
parents  in  1882.  They  located  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa,  and  there  bought  a 
farm.  They  remained  in  Shelby  county  until  1899,  and  then  moved  to  Audu- 
bon county,  and  located  in  Sharon  township.  They  remained  in  Sharon 
township  until  their  death.  He  died  in  1903,  and  his  wife  in  1913.  Mrs. 
Wolf's  parents  had  six  children.  In  the  order  of  their  birth  they  were  as 
follow:     Ness,  Peter,  Mary,  Anna,  Lena  and  Claudie. 

Mr.  Wolf  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board,  but  with  the 
exception  of  that  office  he  has  not  been  active  in  politics.  He  is  an  inde- 
pendent voter.